Honigmann, Hammerschmidt−Hummel, and Moses' Shoes (Part 9: Religious Bias in Shakespeare Scholarship)

In 2003, in the journal, Connotations, E. A. J. Honigmann reviewed a 2001 book by Hildegard Hammerschmidt−Hummel, Die verborgene Existenz des William Shakespeare. She had claimed to offer conclusive evidence of Shakespeare’s Catholicism.

Exodus 3:1-5 tells of Moses’ encounter with the burning bush. God tells him, “put thy shooes off thy feete: for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground” (1599 Geneva). [1]

[Moses and burning bush, detail from illumination on parchment, Bible de Souvigny, circa 1180-1200. Bibliothèque municipale de Moulins (Allier). Public domain, via Wikipedia. In its entry on the burning bush, Wikipedia also notes, "The burning bush has been a popular symbol among Reformed churches since it was first adopted by the Huguenots (French Calvinists) in 1583 during its 12th National Synod."]

When faced with transcendent mystery, one should tread carefully, humbly.

[Moses and the burning bush. Icon from 12th or 13th century. Saint Catherine's Monastery, Sinai, Egypt, claimed to be the place where Moses saw the burning bush. Public domain, via Wikimedia.]

Taking off one’s shoes in the presence of transcendent mystery has a parallel for scholars: If one finds intriguing but inconclusive evidence, it’s better to note it in a qualified way, rather than to assert that it constitutes definitive proof. This is the equivalent of taking off one’s shoes, as a researcher in the presence of a mystery that should be acknowledged and respected.

Honigmann’s remarks are helpful in a number of ways. He says that he thinks her conclusion is probably true regarding Shakespeare’s Catholicism, and notes how important it is for scholars to be open-minded and supportive when a colleague challenges an accepted view. This is analogous to taking off one’s shoes in the presence of mystery, acknowledging the possibility that an old consensus may be in need of correction. Honigmann also identifies examples of evidence that Hammerschmidt−Hummel presents as conclusive, but which he believes should be more qualified.

Hammerschmidt−Hummel later responded in the journal, saying she welcomed Honigmann’s critique, but reaffirming her points, many of which are intriguing, but as Honigmann notes, perhaps less conclusive than she claims. Thomas Merriam also responded, saying he believed both had made good points.

One of the more problematic issues when reading various Protestant and Catholic Shakespeare scholars is when they claim more certitude than they should, or seem more committed to their own ideology than they are open to the text of the play. They seem to assume they can pluck the heart of mystery, and as Hamlet tells Horatio, forget that there are more things in heaven and earth than dreamt of in our philosophy (or theology).

A play can present characters with different views, who come into conflict. Characters can undergo change, for better or worse. As others have noted, plays like Hamlet can raise more questions than they answer, if we are open to it.

The medieval saying notes that “things are received according to the receiver” ("Quidquid recipitur ad modum recipientis recipitur"); as Horatio says regarding Ophelia, at times we all tend to “botch the words up to fit [our] own thoughts.” Some catch themselves botching and learn from it. Others double down on their botching.

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[1] Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Part 1, has Falstaff allude to both the burning bush and to Dives, the rich man in hell who had neglected the beggar Lazarus, saying of the red “burning” face of Bardolph,
If thou wert any way given
to virtue, I would swear by thy face. My oath should
be “By this fire, that’s God’s angel.”
(3.3.32-36).

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Series on Religious (and a few other) Biases in Shakespeare Scholarship:
1. Biases & Assumptions Influence What We Notice, Seek, or Neglect - 11 January, 2022
https://pauladrianfried.blogspot.com/2022/01/biases-assumptions-influence-what-we.html

2. Religious Bias in Shakespeare/Hamlet Scholarship - 18 January, 2022
https://pauladrianfried.blogspot.com/2022/01/part-2-factors-contributing-to.html

3. Victors Wrote the Histories of Shakespeare and Francis of Assisi - 25 January, 2022
https://pauladrianfried.blogspot.com/2022/01/victors-wrote-history-of-shakespeare.html

4. Biblical Seeds of Secular Shakespeare Bias - 1 February, 2022
https://pauladrianfried.blogspot.com/2022/02/biblical-seeds-of-secular-shakespeare.html

5. Catholic Bias in Simon Augustus Blackmore - 8 February, 2022
https://pauladrianfried.blogspot.com/2022/02/catholic-bias-in-simon-augustus.html

6. Nietzschean & Christian-Mythical Bias in G. Wilson Knight - 15 February, 2022
https://pauladrianfried.blogspot.com/2022/02/nietzschean-christian-mythical-bias-in.html

7. Roland Frye's Protestant Bias - 22 February, 2022
https://pauladrianfried.blogspot.com/2022/02/roland-fryes-protestant-bias.html

8. Gatekeeping and Religious Turns in Shakespeare Scholarship - 1 March, 2022
https://pauladrianfried.blogspot.com/2022/03/gatekeeping-and-religious-turns-in.html

9. Honigmann, Hammerschmidt−Hummel, and Moses' Shoes - 8 March, 2022
https://pauladrianfried.blogspot.com/2022/03/taking-off-shoes-in-presence-of.html

10. Protestant Bias in Arthur McGee's 1987 book, "The Elizabethan Hamlet" - 15 March, 2022
https://pauladrianfried.blogspot.com/2022/03/protestant-bias-in-arthur-mcgees-1987.html

11. Catholic Bias in Clare Asquith's 2005 book, "Shadowplay" - 22 March, 2022
https://pauladrianfried.blogspot.com/2022/03/catholic-bias-in-clare-asquiths-2005.html

12. Protestant and authoritarian bias in Roy W. Battenhouse - 29 March, 2022
https://pauladrianfried.blogspot.com/2022/03/battenhouses-authoritarian-protestant.html


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Disclaimer: If and when I quote or paraphrase bible passages or mention religion in many of my blog posts, I do not intend to promote any religion over another, nor am I attempting to promote religious belief in general; only to point out how the Bible and religion may have influenced Shakespeare, his plays, and his age.
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