Paganism and Reform in Shakespeare's Plays
Shakespeare's plays mix references to pagan and Christian symbols and ideas in ways which are only superficially contradictory. While the sometimes uneasy juxtaposition of classical and Christian religious thought is characteristic of Renaissance literature, there is, in Shakespeare's use...
| Published in: | Religions |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
MDPI
[2018]
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| In: |
Religions
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| Further subjects: | B
Diana
B Catholic B Calvinism B Paganism B Romances B Marriage B The Winter's Tale |
| Online Access: |
Presumably Free Access Volltext (Verlag) Volltext (doi) |
| Summary: | Shakespeare's plays mix references to pagan and Christian symbols and ideas in ways which are only superficially contradictory. While the sometimes uneasy juxtaposition of classical and Christian religious thought is characteristic of Renaissance literature, there is, in Shakespeare's use of paganism, a method to the madness. Shakespeare's comedies and romances associate the worship of Diana with the Catholic ideal of religious celibacy, and ultimately repudiate the Diana figure or transform her into a Christian spokeswoman who encourages and facilitates marriage and child-bearing. In a late romance, The Winter's Tale, the turn from Diana to self-sacrificial marriage is also made symbolic of a key character's turn from Catholic-like works of ritual penitence to inward transformation by faith. Thus, Shakespeare's plays represent pagan ritual in a way which supports the Calvinist religious tendencies of early-modern England. |
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| ISSN: | 2077-1444 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Religions
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.3390/rel9070214 |