Shakespeare's Hope

400 years on, William Shakespeare’s plays remain central to the English literary and dramatic canon, his characters and poetry capturing the imaginations of each new generation. Shakespeare lived in a world in which the English Bible had recently arrived on the scene, and in which Christian understandings were deeply entrenched in society, culture and politics. From Macbeth to The Tempest, we will consider the influence of the Bible’s language, stories and values on Shakespeare, and how he interacts with the religious framework in which his audience was immersed.

Join us on Friday 22 August at 7.30pm in the Round Church for a talk and Q&A, followed by time for informal discussion. We’ll uncover how themes such as beauty, guilt, restoration and hope enrich the Bard’s enduring works and continue to speak to the human condition today.