Asquith & Pearce - Shakespeare

There are a number of good books out now that stake a claim to the adherence of Shakespeare to the "old faith" - Catholicism - of his tumultuous times, as I mention here and here.

Having read Pearce's Quest for Shakespeare, I am sad to say it is not one of his finer books. For reasons known only to him, Pearce feels the need to fling the gauntlet in the face of opponents with an off-putting pugnacity and rudeness. I only say this because when he is in his "zone", there are few authors I enjoy reading more. I cannot explain it further.

On the other hand, there are fewer books that I have liked with more gusto from the first page than Clare Asquith's Shadowplay - The Hidden Beliefs and Coded Politics of William Shakespeare. Asquith paints the age and the players of the Regnum Cecilianum - the true power of the Elizabethan age [p. 12] - with great compassion, understanding, and power.

Thumb up - Asquith. Thumb down - Pearce. At least in terms of published work on Shakespeare. More's the pity.