Religion in Shakespeare

Paper Summary:

This paper examines organized religion through two plays, "Othello" and "The Merchant of Venice." Of particular note is is the shift during the Elizabethan era away from the Catholic Church, as enforced by Elizabeth's father, King Henry VIII. Some of the theological issues of the time are reflected in Shakespeare, who commented on many of the issues of his own day even when writing about characters and situations from a much earlier period of time.

From the Paper:

"The Elizabethan era was a period of change in terms of religion, brought about primarily by the shift away from the Catholic Church enforced by Elizabeth's father, King Henry VIII. Some of the theological issues of the time are reflected in Shakespeare, who commented on many of the issues of his own day even when writing about characters and situations from a much earlier period of time. Two of the plays containing some critique of religion are Othello and The Merchant of Venice. The Church of England had originally been part of the Catholic Church, but the break was made when the Pope severed relations during the reign of Elizabeth I after centuries of resistance in England to the Papal supremacy. The Reformation was thus not a sudden event, and ecclesiastically it covered the reigns of four English sovereigns, from Henry VIII to Elizabeth I."

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