Professor Alison Shell (UCL): ‘Getting it Wrong in the Counter-Reformation: Religious Orders in Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure’

Institute of Historical Research Seminar

The tragicomedy Measure for Measure, which dramatizes the consequences of a clampdown on social immorality in Vienna, has long been recognised as indirectly commenting on the puritanism of Shakespeare’s era.

This paper argues that the play also speaks to Catholicism’s internal reforms, especially through Shakespeare’s representation of friars and nuns; the Capuchin order, founded in the early 16th century as a return to original Franciscan ideals of austerity, is an important reference point. Where the play shows rigid moral and religious standards breaking under the pressure of real-life stress tests, this has cross-confessional resonance.

All are welcome, but those wishing to attend should book a free ticket via Eventbrite or email archives@churchofengland.org no later than Monday 22 June.

Please note that tickets must be booked individually for security purposes.

Please note that the Reading Room at Lambeth Palace Library is closed all day 23 June.