The Undiscovered Countries: Shakespeare and the Afterlife

The multiple uses of religion in Shakespeare's plays seem to counter each other at every turn. In one respect, though, I have found a surprising consistency. Moments when Shakespeare's drama imagines the afterlife are moments that lend significant insights into the play's action or ch...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Religions
Main Author: Clegg, Cyndia Susan 1946- (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: MDPI [2019]
In: Religions
Further subjects:B Hamlet
B Othello (Game)
B Antony and Cleopatra
B Macbeth
B Henry V
B Afterlife
B Richard III
B Titus Andronicus
B Measure for Measure
B MERCHANT OF VENICE
B King Lear
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Summary:The multiple uses of religion in Shakespeare's plays seem to counter each other at every turn. In one respect, though, I have found a surprising consistency. Moments when Shakespeare's drama imagines the afterlife are moments that lend significant insights into the play's action or characterization, even though the image of one undiscovered country may differ drastically from another. Across the canon, the afterlife may appear as a place of religious judgment, as in Othello, Hamlet, Merchant of Venice; as a classical Elysium or Hades where the spirit or shadow removes elsewhere (Antony and Cleopatra, Titus Andronicus); as Abraham's Bosom-a place of rest between death and the Last Judgment (Henry V, Richard III, Hamlet); or an unidentifiable life to come (Measure for Measure, Macbeth, King Lear).
ISSN:2077-1444
Contains:Enthalten in: Religions
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.3390/rel10030174