The Universal Shakespeare Creed: Readings in Shakespearean Religious, Spiritual, Ethical and Social Practice

The Universal Shakespeare Creed gathers together eleven essays by an international team of leading scholars addressing crucial aspects of Shakespeare’s transnational and transcultural religious afterlives. From the very beginnings of Shakespeare criticism, religion and spirituality are argued to have been vital in shaping attitudes towards Shakespeare’s works and in constructing the playwright as an author with a universal appeal and an ethical agenda of universal application. Various of his works are shown to be deeply embedded in the universal store of myth and wisdom literatures and therefore adaptable to the key teachings and ethical practices of some of the world’s major faiths. What is more, far from being merely spiritual, the universal Shakespeare creed is shown to be a force for positive action in society, raising awareness about issues of race, class and gender and, through adaptation and performance, contributing to building community and a juster society. Innovative and wide-ranging, The Universal Shakespeare Creed will be essential reading for all those with an interest in the reception of Shakespeare and, more broadly, in intersections between literature, spirituality and religion.