If you are interested in Catholic Shakespeare, you have to look at the work of the greatest authority on the subject nowadays, Richard Wilson of the University of Lancaster (people even talk of a “Lancastrian school” there, because there are other people in the department who work on the same subject):

http://www.lancs.ac.uk/depts/english/sta…


Try his Secret Shakespeare, for instance:

http://www.amazon.com/secret-shakespeare…


But he has other works on the same subject. His theory is based on the Shakeshaft story. Personally, I am not really into that sort of thing, but you will certainly find his works are of interest.

Edit: Of course, Shakespeare’s father was a Catholic, like all English people of his generation! That he stayed a Catholic is not very surprising. The new religion was established in 1558, but there had already been several changes in England. The succession was never certain until the last moment. And the succeeding king was the son of Mary Stuart! So many people in England at the time were uncertain about the future of their country (and they were right!). So, Shakespeare had a Catholic background, like any other Englishman of his time, and there is no real evidence of his having remained a Catholic.

Technorati : Shakespeare