Shakespeare and the Catholic Faith

How Shakespeare’s Catholic Faith Influenced His Life and His Works

By: Scott M. Rolph

Narrated by: Lucia Lucas

Shakespeare and the Catholic Faith is not only a biography of William Shakespeare, but more importantly, it’s about William Shakespeare’s faith and how his faith is reflected, not only in his poems and plays but in all the mysterious parts of his life that nobody could make sense of until now.

For example, why did Shakespeare leave Stratford shortly after the birth of twins Judith and Hamnet and live most of his adult life in London when he could’ve just written his plays from the comfort of his own home in Stratford? Why are nearly all of Shakespeare's plays, apart from the historical plays, set outside of England? Why did Shakespeare allude to "criminal” Jesuit priests like Edmund Campion and Robert Southwell in his plays? Why did Shakespeare pen the mysterious poem "The Phoenix and the Turtle” in a manner that is so cryptic that no one understood it until the 20th century? Why did Shakespeare order a mysterious message carved above his grave that warns people not to disturb his bones?

The answers to all these questions and more can be found in this book, which will include a detailed description of the Elizabethan police state that William Shakespeare was born into, an overview of his life, and a detailed exploration of his religious convictions that are reflected not only in his plays but in his poetry.

©2025 Scott M. Rolph (P)2025 Scott M. Rolph