Shakespeare’s Catholicism
By Joseph Pearce · Published by TAN Books
Course Trailer
Overview
Was William Shakespeare Catholic? In Shakespeare’s Catholicism, acclaimed literary scholar Joseph Pearce presents compelling biographical and literary evidence that the Bard remained deeply connected to the Catholic Faith during one of the most dangerous periods for Catholics in English history.
Set against the persecution and religious upheaval of Elizabethan England, this course examines little-known details of Shakespeare’s life: his Catholic education, his openly Catholic father and daughter, his friendship with the Jesuit martyr St. Robert Southwell, and his purchase of the Blackfriars Gatehouse, a known center of underground Catholic activity.
Professor Pearce then turns to Shakespeare’s plays themselves, revealing the Catholic imagination at work in Romeo and Juliet, The Merchant of Venice, Hamlet, Macbeth, and King Lear. Through themes of love, mercy, martyrdom, sanity, sanctity, pride, kingship, humility, and grace, this course invites students to encounter Shakespeare not merely as a literary genius, but as a writer whose works bear witness to a profound Christian vision.
What This Course Offers:
- Compelling Biographical Evidence: Explore the Catholic connections in Shakespeare’s family, education, friendships, and property holdings.
- Catholic Literary Interpretation: Learn how Shakespeare’s plays reveal themes of grace, mercy, humility, martyrdom, and sanctity.
- Historical Context: Understand the religious persecution and political danger faced by Catholics in Elizabethan England.
- Deeper Appreciation of the Plays: See familiar works such as Hamlet, Macbeth, and King Lear through a fresh Catholic lens.
- Discover the Hidden Catholic Shakespeare: Examine evidence often ignored in secular literary studies.
- Read the Plays with Greater Depth: Understand Shakespeare’s use of symbolism, moral conflict, and spiritual drama.
- Engage the Great Works: Explore five major plays with guidance from one of today’s leading Catholic literary scholars.
- Connect Faith and Literature: See how great art can reveal theological and moral truth.
- Strengthen Classical Education: An ideal course for homeschool families and students studying Shakespeare from a Catholic perspective.
Course Curriculum
- Revealing the Catholic Shakespeare: The Biographical Evidence, Part I
- Revealing the Catholic Shakespeare: The Biographical Evidence, Part II
- Shakespeare on Love: Romeo and Juliet, Part I
- Shakespeare on Love: Romeo and Juliet, Part II
- Shakespeare on Martyrdom and Mercy: The Merchant of Venice
- Shakespeare on Spies, Lies, Sanity and Sanctity: Hamlet
- Shakespeare on the Anti-Hamlet: Macbeth
- Shakespeare on Deadly Pride and Healing Humility: King Lear
Lecture Sample
From the Course
“Shakespeare’s plays are not merely monuments of English literature. They are works of moral and spiritual vision, revealing the conflict between pride and humility, sin and grace, tyranny and sanctity.”
Meet Your Professor
Joseph Pearce is an English-born Catholic literary scholar, author, and speaker. He has served as Writer in Residence and Associate Professor of Literature at Ave Maria University in Florida and was awarded an honorary doctorate of higher education from Thomas More College in New Hampshire. He is also the recipient of the Pollock Award for Christian Biography.
Professor Pearce has written more than fifteen books, including Through Shakespeare’s Eyes: Seeing the Catholic Presence in the Plays, The Quest for Shakespeare, and Literary Giants, Literary Catholics. He lectures widely throughout the United States, Canada, Britain, Europe, Africa, and South America and has served as co-editor of the St. Austin Review, editor-in-chief of Ignatius Press’s Critical Editions, and editor-in-chief of Sapientia Press.
Intended Audience
This course is ideal for Catholics interested in literature, Shakespeare, classical education, Catholic history, apologetics, and the relationship between faith and culture. It is especially valuable for homeschool families, literature students, teachers, book clubs, and anyone who wants to read Shakespeare through the lens of Christian truth.
FAQs
Does this course argue that Shakespeare was Catholic?
Yes. Professor Pearce presents both biographical and literary evidence that Shakespeare was deeply connected to the Catholic Faith during the English Reformation.
Which plays are covered in the course?
The course examines Romeo and Juliet, The Merchant of Venice, Hamlet, Macbeth, and King Lear, along with biographical evidence from Shakespeare’s life.
Is this course suitable for homeschool literature study?
Yes. The Homeschooling Set includes a Course Guide with lesson plans, quizzes, lecture notes, a final essay, and an answer key.
Homeschool Components
- Lesson Plans: Structured guidance for completing the course.
- Quizzes: Reinforce literary and historical understanding.
- Lecture Notes: Helpful summaries and study aids.
- Final Essay: Comprehensive written assessment.
- Answer Key: Complete instructor resources included.
Key Themes
- Shakespeare’s Catholic Faith: The biographical and literary evidence for the Bard’s Catholic identity.
- Faith and Literature: How great art reveals moral, theological, and spiritual truth.
- Grace and Mercy: Catholic themes at work in Shakespeare’s drama.
- Pride and Humility: The spiritual drama at the heart of King Lear, Macbeth, and Hamlet.
- Persecution and Witness: Understanding Shakespeare within the danger of Elizabethan England.
- Author:
- Joseph Pearce
- Imprint:
- Catholic Courses
- Publication Date:
- 1/1/2011
- Wistia Name:
- CCI: Shakespeare's Catholicism
- Wistia Hash:
- jl75adzi8f
- Wistia Url:
- https://www.tanbooks.com/cci-shakespeares-catholicism/
1 Review
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A++
These lectures are brilliant. Properly disposed viewers/listeners will come away from this course seeing the works discussed, and Shakespeare, in a whole new light, a divine light. Bravo Joseph Pearce!
