G.M Trevelyan - SHE - Chapter VII
[alert-success] SHAKESPEARE'S ENGLAND - II
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[alert-primary] RELIGION IN SHAKESPEARE'S ENGLAND [/alert-primary]
[alert-primary] RELIGION IN SHAKESPEARE'S ENGLAND [/alert-primary]
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The Elizabethan Age is one of the most productive times
in English history. People often called Queen Elizabeth "the Virgin Queen
of England." From 1558 to 1603, she was queen of England and ruled for 45
years. In seafaring, discovery, music, drama, poetry, and in many aspects of
social life, Shakespeare’s England is called as the Golden Age of England.
The Elizabethan Clergy
The first year of
Elizabeth saw a crisis in the social life of every parish. Shakespeare and
Edmund Spenser were the children of the period of Queen Elizabeth and they
breathed its religious atmosphere. English Prayer Book was restored.
But this change was not
accompanied by a corresponding change in the person of the parish priest. The
parson obeyed the law and his neighbours equally. Bishop Jewel declared, “be
he monk, be he preacher, be he prophet, be he apostle, he ought to be subject
to King and magistrates”. The sphere of King and magistrates covered
religion. They all agreed to the fact that there could be only one religion in
the State.
Position of the Clergy
The
clergy as a whole were obedient in the first years of Elizabeth. The church was
treated very much as an arm of the Civil Service. By the end of the Queen’s
reign, the Anglican clergy were already in a better position more respected by
their neighbours.
The important change in
social life of clergies is that that they were authorized to take unto
themselves wives. A fine race of children were reared in the parsonages of
England.
The Puritans
The
Puritans, on the other hand, were working hard to overturn and remodel the
Church establishment from within. They denounced the bishops. They held
lectures and prayer meetings, conferences which were forbidden by the
authorities. In 1594 they flooded Parliament with petitions from clergy, town
corporations and the Justices of the Peace. But Elzabeth stood her ground. She
along with Archbishop Whitgift weathered the storm. The Puritans for a time
been reduced to obedience within the Church. The wonderful women, Queen
Elizabeth “reigned with their loves”.
Church Services
They
still use Prayer Book. The prayers were said and psalms were sung. Congregational
singing was encouraged. The sermon was the parson’s great opportunity. The
sermons helped to form religious and political beliefs. Weekly attendance at
church was enforced by the State. There was a fine on absentees. The younger
generation brought Bible and Prayer Book to the Church. Bible reading and
family prayer were becoming common customs of the English.
Conclusion
Anglicanism
has taken root and shape in the Queen’s reign. it has become a real religion.
Its services has become dear to many.
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