Idelette
Puritan Board Graduate
The Puritan Divines were nearly unanimous in their rejection of the acting profession. During Cromwell's reign they tore down the Globe Theatre in London, believing the theatre to be at best a frivolity and at worst a hotbed of sin. Among the playwrights they blamed were Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe, both of whose work reflected a clear Christian worldview, portraying humanity warts and all.
That's the first time that I've ever heard that Shakespeare reflected a clear Christian worldview, in fact, from what I've learned about him it has been quite the opposite. I haven't studied what the Puritans thought about the acting profession itself, but I could clearly understand why they would consider his plays and the theater a hotbed of sin. His plays were laced with homosexuality and promiscuity. And it was rumored that he himself had several affairs while he was married. So, I wonder if it wasn't the immorality itself that the Puritans objected to?
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