Shakespeare, Theology, and the Unstaged God

This book explores the theological atmosphere of Shakespeare's plays, arguing that they reveal a consistent attention to the possibility of a divine presence mediated through human wit, both in gracious and malicious forms. It will interest scholars of Theology and the Arts, Shakespeare and Literature.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 188 pages
Publication date: 31 March 2021
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

While many scholars in Shakespeare and Religious Studies adopt a secularist perspective in their interpretation of Shakespeare's works, there exist others who permit a theologically coherent reading. Situated within the turn to religion in Shakespeare studies, this book extends beyond the assertion that Shakespeare merely employed religious material in his drama. It argues that his plays inhabit a complex and rich theological atmosphere, individually, by genre, and as a body of work.

The book begins by acknowledging that a plot-controlling God figure, or even a consistent theological dogma, is largely absent in Shakespeare's plays. However, it contends that this absence is not necessarily indicative of secularization but rather serves a theologically generative purpose. It proceeds to suggest that the plays reveal a consistent, if variant, attention to the theological possibility of a divine presence mediated through human wit, both in gracious and malicious forms. Without any prejudice for divine intervention, the plots frequently gesture on numerous turns toward a hidden supernatural actor, or God.

Making bold claims about the artistic and theological significance of Shakespeare's work, this book will appeal to scholars of Theology and the Arts, Shakespeare and Literature more broadly.

Weight: 367g
Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780367784836