This is a call for chapters for an edited collection of essays on religion and Shakespeare. Papers may explore various powerful aspects of religion in the plays but should combine close analysis with historical documentation, originality with rigor.

No play by William Shakespeare omits religion. Regardless of setting or period, in one form or another religion is a part of the universe of every Shakespearean history, comedy, and tragedy. For a playwright, religion is an obvious source of dramatic conflict, and in several of Shakespeare’s plays, religious difference overlaps with ethnicity or nationality. Shakespeare’s handling of religion and of religious difference is not easily predictable, however. The collection will convey some of the range and multi-valent reach of the world’s most famous playwright, from the earliest plays to the last. 

The huge subject of “Shakespeare and Religion” has vast potential. Possible approaches include 

Shakespeare’s treatment of the B.C.E. in classical Roman or Greek settings

The Classical and the Biblical in individual plays

Shakespeare’s treatment of other nations in connection with religion

Religion and history; Shakespeare’s alterations to English history

Shakespeare and sources; use of or changes from sources, on religion

Shakespeare’s treatment of religious division in individual plays

Religion as imagery in the language of the plays

Religion and the creation of characters

Religion and genre 

Editorial: projected length for chapters 5,000 - 10,000 words; preferred reference style Chicago 

Deadlines: 300-word abstracts due October 15, 2022; completed articles due March 15, 2023 

Correspondence: direct responses to Dr. Margie Burns, UMBC, mburns@umbc.edu