The purpose of this web page is that of introducing you, an interested web user into the religious nature of William Shakespeare's plays. This page covers three topicssurrounding Shakespeare's work: the of 16th Century England, Shakespeare's (school,parents, & Stratford itself), and a brief introduction into the impact his society andupbringing had upon his . In no way is this page comprehensive in its coverage ofShakespeare and religion (honestly, what page could be?). Rather, its purpose is toacquaint any person, just beginning in their quest for Shakespearean knowledge, to thereligious dimension of his writing. The links in this page provide more information toyou, the user, about certain topics and will further help your understanding of this subject.And now, away we go to explore this fascinating topic... I. THE RELIGIOUS CLIMATE OF 16TH CENTURY ENGLANDIn order to understand the religious content in Shakespeare's work it is helpful to firstunderstand what the religious environment in England was like around the timeShakespeare wrote and lived. England, ever since it was ruled by the Romans, had been aCatholic nation. Before Shakespeare's lifetime, a strange and drastic change occurred thatcompletely upended the existing of the English people. During King reign, the Englishpeople were, for the most part, content with Catholicism. Through a series of verycomplex political maneuvers, Henry eventually seized power of the English church. Thebenefits of this control were enormous for the state. First of all, Henry obtained hisdivorce from his first wife. Second, the state received the tithes and taxes from churchproperty, thus making the break very lucrative for the state. Finally, with the closing of allof the monasteries, England gained large tracts of land to sell to land owners and taxheavily. The break with the Church of Rome, on the other hand, was not welcomed by thepeople. Through various laws and ordinances the monarchy ef...
