The Bard, the Bible and the Bed
Good Morning Friends,
Did you know that Shakespeare’s plays are full of Bible references? Some are obvious, but many require very careful reading and a thorough familiarity with the Bible to catch. Some interpret them to mean that Shakespeare was a closet Catholic, others to the possibility he helped to written the King James Bible. Then there is the story of Will’s will. There are a lot of stories that relate The Bard, the Bible and the Bed.
Scripture: God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah. There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early. The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah. Come, behold the works of the Lord, what desolations he hath made in the earth. He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire. Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.
Psalm 46 (KJV)
Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly.
John 13:27 (Geneva Bible)
And he said, A certain man had two sons: And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.
Luke 15:11-13 (KJV)
Message: Shakespeare’s writing contains more references to the Bible than the plays of any other Elizabethan playwright. A conservative tally of the total number of biblical references is 1000. Some think it is more…a lot more. Given a list of Shakespeare quotes and Bible quotes many cannot match them up accurately. “To thine own self be true” is often attributed to the Bible when in fact it is from Hamlet. Sometimes the Bard and the Bible are very close. Here’s an example of an allusion in Hamlet to the Gospels—a reference to Judas, in John 13, that is very appropriate given the context:
Macbeth: If it were done when ’tis done, then ’twere well
It were done quickly… (Hamlet, Scene VII)
I understand that the Bible story that appears most often in Shakespeare is the story of Cain and Abel and that Genesis is one of Shakespeare’s most common reference. The Biblical allusions and references include plots as well. The story of the Prodigal Son underpins many of Shakespeare’s plays, including Henry IV, King Lear, As You Like It and The Merchant of Venice. For example, in Henry IV, the young Prince Hal leaves court to get drunk in taverns and live the high life. He later returns to his father, King Henry, and asks forgiveness for his misspent youth. In King Lear, on the other hand, the story is told as a role-reversal. King Lear disinherits and banishes one of his daughters, Cordelia. Later in the play, however, he becomes ‘the prodigal father’ and is reconciled.
One of Shakespeare’s last written words at age 52 are perhaps most telling. On 25th March 1616, just weeks before his death on 25th April 1616, Shakespeare made his last Will and Testament. Interestingly he gave his wife Ann Hathaway was his 2nd best bed! She had rights under English law to one third of the estate so most likely she not only had use of his home but other resources as well.
Here is a short extract from the last Will and Testament of William Shakespeare: “In the name of God, Amen, I William Shakespeare…. in perfect health and memory, God be praised, do make and ordain this my last Will and Testament in the manner and form following. That is to say, first I commend my soul into the hands of God my Creator, hoping and assuredly believing through the only merits of Jesus Christ my Saviour, to be made partaker of life everlasting…”
Pray we know how to use scripture. Pray we not only have a will but also a testament. Pray we acknowledge God. Pray we are wise in our knowledge of literature but more importantly believe from the heart…from the sleeve in our relationship with God.
Blessings,
John Lawson
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