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A Tale Told Softly: Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale and Hidden Catholic England
If, as many have suggested, Shakespeare was a Catholic, he would have risked his freedom, legacy, and perhaps his life to practice his religion openly. Thus it should not surprise us if he did not leave us solid proof of his Catholicism. What if he did though? A Tale Told Softly examines the hidden religious allegory within The Winter's Tale, from first scene to last. Relying on primary sources, this book reveals the underlying story of one of Shakespeare's last plays. As the tale unfolds, we get an astonishingly clear vision of Shakespeare's thoughts on some of the most important religious topics of his day: James I and the Oath of Allegiance, the persecution of Catholics, the primacy and authority of the Pope, the Catholic sacraments, the nature of the Church and the Mystical Body of Christ, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the role of Divine Providence. The hidden tale within The Winter's Tale is a complete and beautiful story of the Catholic hardships under James I and the hopes for an eventual restoration of the Faith. A Tale Told Softly presents the evidence, allowing the reader to decide if Shakespeare really did leave us proof of his Catholicism.
- GenresClassics
239 pages, Paperback
First published June 30, 2013
About the author
Robert Morrison
20 books13 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Robert J.H. Morrison is a Canadian author, editor, academic, and professor of English at Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario.
He earned a Bachelor of Arts in English at the University of Lethbridge in 1983, a Master of Philosophy at the University of Oxford in 1987 and his PhD at the University of Edinburgh in 1991.
He specializes in late eighteenth- and nineteenth-century literature.
Robert J.H. Morrison is a Canadian author, editor, academic, and professor of English at Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario.
He earned a Bachelor of Arts in English at the University of Lethbridge in 1983, a Master of Philosophy at the University of Oxford in 1987 and his PhD at the University of Edinburgh in 1991.
He specializes in late eighteenth- and nineteenth-century literature.
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December 4, 2013
There has been much speculation regarding Shakespeare's life. Some have made the claim that he was a Catholic. A Tale Told Softly: Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale and Hidden Catholic England is probably the best case made for that claim. Moreover, it does a great service to The Winter's Tale, helping the reader to understand and appreciate it.
When I had to read Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale for a class, I dismissed it as a very bizarre story, especially the resurrection of the statue of Hermione at the end of the play. Reading Robert Morrison's A Tale Told Softly changed all that. The student of a renown Shakespeare scholar, Morrison began by wondering why the counterpart of the outspoken "Paul" character, the fiery Paulina, was not called Pietro but Camillo. His research led him to Camillo Borghese, aka Pope Paul V, the very successor of Peter reigning at the time when Shakespeare wrote The Winter's Tale shortly after the Gunpowder Plot and the Oath of Allegience demanded by King James I of England as a consequence. Morrison leads the readers through a series of parallels, from the names of the characters to the events of Shakespeare's day, that cannot be easily dismissed as pure coincidence.
One of the most persuasive arguments for me rests on Shakespeare's source material. Shakespeare based The Winter'sTale on Green's Pandosto. Shakespeare switched the two kingdoms of Sicilia and Bohemia. One might ask why. Could it be because Sicily is an island like England, and Bohemia was a place of refuge for the Catholics persecuted by the English king in Shakespeare's time just like Bohemia in the play is a place of refuge for the characters that Leontes persecutes?
Even more persuasive is the letter wars between King James I and St. Robert Bellarmine, who wrote on behalf of the Pope. The very wording of King James's accusations against the Catholic Church are reflected in King Leontes's accusations against Queen Hermione. His rejection of Rome as a dispenser of truth is echoed in Leontes's rejection of the Oracle of Delphi as a dispenser of truth.
Reading Morrison's A Tale Told Softly, the reader can much better appreciate Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale, seeing it not as a story that stretches thin the audience's suspension of unbelief, but a brave, coherent, and touching expression of the hopes of an oppressed people. I highly recommend it for anyone wishing to understand The Winter's Tale and for anyone interested in the history of religion in England. It is highly enlightened and enlightening.
When I had to read Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale for a class, I dismissed it as a very bizarre story, especially the resurrection of the statue of Hermione at the end of the play. Reading Robert Morrison's A Tale Told Softly changed all that. The student of a renown Shakespeare scholar, Morrison began by wondering why the counterpart of the outspoken "Paul" character, the fiery Paulina, was not called Pietro but Camillo. His research led him to Camillo Borghese, aka Pope Paul V, the very successor of Peter reigning at the time when Shakespeare wrote The Winter's Tale shortly after the Gunpowder Plot and the Oath of Allegience demanded by King James I of England as a consequence. Morrison leads the readers through a series of parallels, from the names of the characters to the events of Shakespeare's day, that cannot be easily dismissed as pure coincidence.
One of the most persuasive arguments for me rests on Shakespeare's source material. Shakespeare based The Winter'sTale on Green's Pandosto. Shakespeare switched the two kingdoms of Sicilia and Bohemia. One might ask why. Could it be because Sicily is an island like England, and Bohemia was a place of refuge for the Catholics persecuted by the English king in Shakespeare's time just like Bohemia in the play is a place of refuge for the characters that Leontes persecutes?
Even more persuasive is the letter wars between King James I and St. Robert Bellarmine, who wrote on behalf of the Pope. The very wording of King James's accusations against the Catholic Church are reflected in King Leontes's accusations against Queen Hermione. His rejection of Rome as a dispenser of truth is echoed in Leontes's rejection of the Oracle of Delphi as a dispenser of truth.
Reading Morrison's A Tale Told Softly, the reader can much better appreciate Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale, seeing it not as a story that stretches thin the audience's suspension of unbelief, but a brave, coherent, and touching expression of the hopes of an oppressed people. I highly recommend it for anyone wishing to understand The Winter's Tale and for anyone interested in the history of religion in England. It is highly enlightened and enlightening.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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