Shakespeare's Hybrid Faith

This book throws new light on the issue of the dramatist's religious orientation by dismissing sectarian and one-sided theories, tackling the problem from the angle of the variegated Elizabethan context recently uncovered by modern historians and theatre scholars. It is argued that faith was a quest rather than a quiet certainty for the playwright.

'Jean-Christophe Mayer's book...very welcome, as a well-written, responsible, refreshingly sane contrubtion to a debate where overstatement on both sides has been so prevalent and sometimes so damaging'. - Times Literary Supplement

'Mayer's quizzical approach makes this book rewardingly level-headed.' - Dr. Woods, Church Times

'... this book is historically insightful and convincingly demonstrates the hybrid nature of religion in Elizabethan society... Mayer's book is a useful tool for understanding the religiously infused political atmosphere in which Shakespeare lived.' - Katherine Wilkinson, Early Modern Literary Studies

'... thoroughly researched, fresh in approach, and readable.' - Paul Dean, English Studies

Auteur
JEAN-CHRISTOPHE MAYER is a Senior Research Fellow employed by the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) and is also a member of the Institute for Research on the Renaissance, the Neoclassical Age and the Enlightenment (IRCL) at Université Paul Valéry, Montpellier.

Texte du rabat

This book throws new light on the issue of the dramatist's religious orientation by dismissing sectarian and one-sided theories, tackling the problem from the angle of the variegated Elizabethan context recently uncovered by modern historians and theatre scholars. It is argued that faith was a quest rather than a quiet certainty for the playwright.

Contenu
List of Illustrations Acknowledgements Introduction: Shakespeare's Hybrid Faith Theatre, Witchcraft and the Crisis of Faith in King Henry VI, Parts 1 and 2 Acting the Insubstantial in King Richard III Religious Conscience and the Struggle for the Succession in Richard II "So mak'st thou faith an enemy to faith"- Religion, Propaganda and Dreams of National Unity in King John The Discovery of a "Popish Plot"? The Chamberlain's Men and the 1601 Essex Rising Revisiting the Reformation: Shakespeare and Fletcher's King Henry VIII Conclusion Notes Select Bibliography Index