medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Some random points from a rather different perspective.
(1) There was an old tradition - furiously repressed by the literary
establishment in the 19th century - that "Shakespeare died a papist". This
was considered to be an unpatriotic slur since Roman Catholicism was held to
be incompatible with patriotism as the Queen was (and still is) the Supreme
Governor (under Christ) of the Church of England, the Established Church. An
excellent place to get the feel of this attitude is to read the historical
novel about the Armada years "Westward Ho" by Charles Kingsley who was a
19th C clergyman of the Church of England.
(2) It is to be noted that, unlike some of his contemporaries eg Marlowe,
Shakespeare in his fictitious plays (that is, not his historical plays where
different criteria apply) never makes mockery of Catholic clerics but rather
uses them as symbols of virtue. eg the Friar in "Romeo & Juliet" who is the
lovers' friend; and the fact that in "The comedy of errors", AEgeon's
missing wife AEmilia turns up as the Abbess of a nunnery in Ephesus surely
symbolising the fact that she has remained continent and faithful to her
missing husband and that he can therefore reinstate her as his wife without
shame. Shakespeare is using members of the Catholic Church as a shorthand
for virtue which is quite extraordinary in the political context of the
time.
(3) Isabella in "Measure for Measure" who is planning to be a nun, is
critical of the Order she plans to join because it is not strict enough -
but there is no suggestion that the Order is actually corrupt, just normally
virtuous, whereas Isabella is an enthusiast. I have also read somewhere
(can't now find the reference) that among Shakespeare's elderly relatives
was a nun pensioned off at the Reformation whose name was Isabella. The may
suggest that his was a family with recusant leanings. Since non-attendance
at your C of E parish church was fined at the rate of one shilling per adult
person per week, only the really convinced would stay away. Besides, church
was where you picked up news and gossip both local and national - the sermon
was the equivalent of the leader article in the quality newspaper.
(4) Elizabeth herself was probably more ritualistic in her personal
preferences than the majority of her Bishops but (at least until the Pope
excommunicated her and put her RC subjects into the most terrible dilemma of
divided loyalties) did not "want to make windows in men's souls" and was
satisfied with an outward show of conformity - unlike her sister Mary.
(5) The Church of England was devised as a national church which would be
acceptable to the great majority of her subjects - It tried to strike a
balance between the catholics on one hand and the puritans on the other and
to allow the widest possible range of interpretation within its liturgy. To
a considerable extent it worked.
Brenda. M. C.
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