Biblical references in Shakespeare's comedies
By: Naseeb Shaheen.
Publisher: University of Delaware Press; Associated University Presses
Published: 1993
Place of publication: Newark; London; Cranbury, NJ
Language: eng
Number of pages: 260
Subjects: Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 -- Religion.; Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 -- Comedies.; Bible -- In literature.; Religion in literature.; Comedy.
Description: William Shakespeare's works give ample evidence that he was well acquainted with Scripture. There is hardly a book in the Bible that he does not refer to in one or another of his plays. Not only is the range of his biblical references impressive, but also the aptness with which he makes them. But the Bibles that Shakespeare knew were not those that are in use today. By the time the King James Bible appeared, Shakespeare's career was all but over, and the Anglican liturgy that is evident in his plays is likewise one that few people are familiar with today. This volume provides a comprehensive survey of the English Bibles of Shakespeare's day, notes their similarities and differences, and indicates which version the playwright knew best. The biblical references in each of the comedies are then carefully analyzed, as are Shakespeare's references to the Prayer Book and the homilies. The question of what constitutes a valid biblical reference is also discussed.

A particularly valuable feature of this volume is that it analyzes Shakespeare's references in light of his secular sources. To be of real worth, a study of Shakespeare's biblical references should not only list those references, but should enable the reader to determine which references Shakespeare borrowed from his plot sources and which he added from his own memory as part of his design for the play. Shakespeare's handling of his subject is often best understood when compared with his sources, and this is also true of his biblical references. The author has therefore studied every source that Shakespeare is known to have read or consulted before writing each play and has examined the biblical references in those sources. Then he points out which biblical references in his literary sources Shakespeare accepted and how he adapted them in his plays.

This information is especially valuable when assessing the theological meanings that are sometimes imposed on his plays, meanings that often go beyond what Shakespeare intended or what his audience must have understood. This volume on the comedies is a companion to the author's Biblical References in Shakespeare's Tragedies and Biblical References in Shakespeare's History Plays, published by the University of Delaware Press in 1987 and 1989. All three volumes are considerably broader in scope than any other study of Shakespeare's use of Scripture thus far attempted, and they provide the scholarly checks and balances in dealing with the subject that previous studies lacked.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. [243]-256) and index.