Long awaited sequel examines Shakespeare’s plays in light of his Catholic faith
2/24/2010 – 12:59 PM PST

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Contact: Rose Trabbic, Publicist, Ignatius Press, (239)867-4180 or rose@ignatius.com

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (February 24, 2010) – A new book just released from Ignatius Press, “Through Shakespeare’s Eyes: Seeing the Catholic Presence in the Plays”, gives further evidence of what many people have long suspected: that the famous William Shakespeare was indeed a Catholic. Fulfilling the promise he made in his previous book, “The Quest for Shakespeare”, bestselling literary writer Joseph Pearce analyzes in this volume three of Shakespeare’s immortal plays – “The Merchant of Venice”, “Hamlet” and “King Lear” – in order to uncover the Bard’s Catholic beliefs.

In “The Quest for Shakespeare”, which has been made into an EWTN television series, Pearce delved into the known biographical evidence for Shakespeare’s Catholicism. Here the popular and provocative author digs into the plays, which were written and first performed during the English crown’s persecution of Catholics.

Pearce explains, “I wrote ‘Through Shakespeare’s Eyes’ as a sequel to my previous book, ‘The Quest for Shakespeare’. Whereas the earlier book examined the evidence for Shakespeare’s Catholicism to be gleaned from the documentary evidence of his life, this new book looks at the evidence for his Catholicism that emerges from the text of his plays. Taken together, I hope that the two books will form a sort of gothic arch with one supporting the central arguments of the other and vice versa. Put simply, these two books constitute a solid and challenging argument for the Bard’s Catholic faith.”

English history and literature were taught for generations through the prism of English Protestantism. Of late both of these fields have been dominated in universities and academic presses by modern scholars with filters and interpretations of their own. Though the evidence for Shakespeare’s Catholicism has been studied before now, thanks, in part, to the unique contribution of Joseph Pearce, the Bard’s genius is being analyzed in the open air of the public arena, the very place where Shakespeare intended his dramas to entertain and edify.

In this book, Pearce provides a new and enriching way to read Shakespeare, “Since the evidence shows that Shakespeare was a believing Catholic, it is clear that seeing his play through his Catholic eyes is the best way, indeed the only way, of understanding the deepest meanings that they convey. The book endeavors, therefore, to see the plays through Shakespeare’s eyes, giving us a ‘Bard’s-eye’ view of their true meaning.”

Peter Milward, S.J., a Shakespeare scholar and author of Shakespeare the Papist, says, “What more is there to be said about William Shakespeare? Yet the supply of books on the great dramatist is never ending. Now, however, there is a new reason for this supply. The religion of Shakespeare, and specifically his Catholicism, is now recognized as a ‘hot topic’.”

Joseph Pearce is the author of numerous acclaimed biographies of major Catholic literary figures. He is a Writer in Residence at Ave Maria University in Florida and Editor of the “Ignatius Critical Editions” series, a collection of classic literature accompanied by literary analysis from a variety of notable scholars. Among his other titles are “Wisdom and Innocence: A Life of G.K. Chesterton”; “Literary Giants, Literary Catholics”; “The Unmasking of Oscar Wilde”; “Tolkien: Man and Myth”; and “C.S. Lewis and the Catholic Church”.

To request a review copy or an interview with author Joseph Pearce, please contact:
Rose Trabbic, Publicist, Ignatius Press, (239)867-4180 or rose@ignatius.com

Contact:     Ignatius Press
http://www.ignatius.com  CA, 94122 US
Rose Trabbic – Publicist, 239-867-4180   
Keywords:     Shakespeare   
Category:     Catholic Publications