Paganism In Shakespeare Research Paper

Alexander Michaud

Shakespeare: Comedies and Romances

Professor Nicholson

April 27, 2015

Paganism in Shakespeare

Shakespeare’s Cymbeline and As You Like It are both distinctly memorable for scenes in which pagan gods appear unexpectedly and influence the mortal world. Jupiter descends upon Earth for a brief speech in Cymbeline, in which he guarantees that good fortune will befall the central characters. In As You Like It, the gap between the fanciful and the fantastical is bridged when Hymen, the ancient Greek god of marriage, arrives to reveal Rosalind’s true gender and preside over the marriages of four different couples. Yet these encounters with the divine tend to leave modern audiences and readers somewhat baffled, as the roles that these

Until this point, the stakes of the narrative have been very high: lovers and children have been separated from one another, royal figures are dead or presumed dead, and the kingdom is on the brink of war. And yet along comes Jupiter and dismisses all of these circumstances as trivial matters of mortal men. He enigmatically declares that the resolution of these matters is ‘ours’ to bring about, presumably referring to the Greco-Roman pantheon. This removes a great deal of agency from the humans themselves, and adds a hint of determinism to the story. Jupiter goes on to declare that ‘Whom best I love I cross,’ i.e. he puts obstacles and trials in the lives of those humans he cherishes most, so that his ‘gift’ of prosperity will be more delightful having been ‘delayed.’ Jupiter seems to have the same relationship to mankind as the Hebrew god has with the Jewish people: the elect are chosen by divine providence, and they are destined to live in paradise only after they have struggled with god and overcome the hurdles that he puts in their lives. This similarity bears larger significance for the play as a narrative about the English: they are perhaps the Christian equivalent of the chosen people, destined to prosper as they realize a more perfect form of worship under the Church of England. In many ways, Jupiter’s speech foretells the history of England, which will experience the ‘trials’ of

Marriage is ‘Juno’s crown,’ the manifestation of heavenly authority. Without marriage, heaven seems less empowered. This point is restated in the second line, where we discover how the ‘bond of board and bed’ empowers those who marry with divine blessing. Indeed, we discover that marriage is ubiquitous, as Hymen ‘peoples every town.’ This line carries a double meaning, as it also signifies how reproduction is divinely sanctioned only under the auspices of marriage. Such a spiritually important bond is thus appropriately considered a sacrament – hence ‘High wedlock then be honorèd.’ The final couplet then takes a step beyond the context of the Christian world, and claims that marriage is a universally recognized good. It is honored and renown throughout ‘every town.’ Even within the pagan tradition, marriage merits divine representation, for its pervasive ability to unite people spiritually and strengthen the community politically. At the conclusion of As You Like It, Hymen’s presence seems to give spiritual significance to the frivolity and coquettishness that has set the tone of the rest of the story. This mystical, pagan figure simultaneously teaches the gravity and the joy that is inherent in the act of loving, and why marriage is its most pure and universal