Poets and Prelates

To some people, Shakespeare is a religion…but where does religion fit into Shakespeare? Certainly faith and God often are vital elements in the classic plays, and the Bard of Avon certainly took a gentler view of religious minorities, such as Jews and Moors, then most of his contemporaries. However, where did the poet himself stand? The reign of the first Elizabeth was a time of Anglicanism ascendant, with Catholicism all but illegal, and Catholics despised, mocked and tortured. However, ev