"Now a Protestant confronting a Catholic ghost is exactly Shakespeare's way of grappling with what was not simply a general social problem but one lived out in his own life"
- Stephen Greenblatt
About this Quote
This quote by Stephen Greenblatt is referring to the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare. In the play, a Protestant challenges a Catholic ghost, which is symbolic of the spiritual dispute between Protestants and Catholics during Shakespeare's life time. This dispute was not only a general social issue, but one that was experienced by Shakespeare himself. The play is a reflection of the spiritual stress that existed in the society of the time, and the playwright's own individual experience with them. By having a Protestant character face a Catholic ghost, Shakespeare is exploring the intricacies of the religious divide and the battles that feature it. The quote is a tip of how Shakespeare used his art to face the problems of his time, and how his work still resonates with us today.
This quote is written / told by Stephen Greenblatt somewhere between November 7, 1943 and today. He/she was a famous Critic from USA.
The author also have 19 other quotes.
"Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It's perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we've learned something from yesterday"