Shakespeare and the Resistance: The Earl of Southampton, the Essex Rebellion, and the Poems that Challenged Tudor Tyranny
The title says it all! Between 1534 and 1594, Henry VIII’s Act of Supremacy changed the face and internal fabric of England. The rejection of the Pope and Catholic Church, followed by the Act that demanded adherence to the newly created Church of England and its King, resulted in the loss of lands, homes, churches, hospitals, schools and the lives of innumerable residents. Clare Asquith, however, focuses specifically on the consequences of the king’s Act as depicted in Shakespeare’s Venus and Adonis in 1593 and The Rape of Lucrece in 1594, both dedicated to the Earl of Southampton. Following lesser-known literary works, such as The Mirror for Magistrates, these works are superbly analyzed and celebrated as the voice of dissent against Henry’s Act, voices decrying the machinations of politicians to acquire wealth. At the same time, a world of spirituality, education, scholarship and charity was decimated. Substantial notes and bibliography are provided for readers. This superb work deserves permanent inclusion in the canon of historical literature.
