What Was the Religion of Shakespeare?

The controversy over Shakespeare's spirituality has persisted for centuries. Mangasarian enters this debate with a provocative claim: the Bard was not merely tolerant of competing faiths but actively skeptical of supernatural religion, embracing instead a radical humanism that places individual agency at the center of human destiny. Drawing on close readings of Hamlet, Macbeth, and Romeo and Juliet, the author argues that Shakespeare's plays reveal a consistent naturalistic philosophy where character choice, not divine intervention, shapes tragedy and redemption. Written as a lecture in the early twentieth century, this slim volume captures the rationalist spirit of its era while anticipating modern secular readings of the canon. For readers curious about the man behind the plays, Mangasarian offers a provocative lens: Shakespeare as a proto-humanist who found ultimate meaning in earthly beauty and moral integrity rather than heavenly promise.