Shakespeare's Use of Occult Beliefs and Sources

Helen H Gordon
Howard Schumann

Shakespeare's use of ghosts, witches, astrology, sorcery, magic, and alchemy indicate familiarity with occult ideas. Edward de Vere, who used "William Shakespeare" as a pen name, had connections with astrologers and alchemists like Dr. John Dee, and Rosicrucians like Francis Bacon. He was both a Rosicrucian (exploring science and supernaturalism) and a Freemason (employing symbols and rituals). The Stratford resident, William Shakspere, had no connections to these secret societies.

SHAKESPEARE AND THE OCCULT A Path to Edward De Vere

By Howard Schumann

According to the scientific/materialist paradigm of our time, the only true reality is the one we can detect with our five senses. Believers and practitioners of the occult are usually dismissed as heretics, blasphemers aligned with the Devil, or just simply crackpots. In the Elizabethan era,however, belief in the occult was virtually universal."he Renaissance era saw the emergence of new ideas and a deep curiosity about anything mystical. It was the age of Nostradamus, when the Renaissance fusion of Christianity, Hermetic Philosophy(a set of beliefs based primarily upon the writings attributed to Hermes "Trismegistus) was accompanied by strong belief in magic, astrology and alchemy.

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References to the occult pervade the works of many literary writers of the time, including William Shakespeare. While the plays are obviously filled with occult references, there is no evidence at all that William Shakspere of Stratford was ever involved with such practices or had even read widely on the subject. On the other hand, there is considerable evidence, as will be discussed later, that Edward de Vere was a patron of the wellknown occultist and philosopher Dr. John Dee and was himself a practitioner of the occult art. 

Shakespeare and His Sources Shakespeare's Occult Sources  

Travis W. Shores 

July, 2013

University of Oxford

 English Literature Exeter College

Shakespearean plays source themselves from such a multitude of influences that I may spend my entire life pulling apart the intricacies of Elizabethan era, Renaissance philosophy and social awareness. Though the elements of Shakespeare's plays can readily speak to any one of these subject headings it is important to consider what his thoughts were or, at very least, what his awareness was to the idea of death, life, afterlife, magic and religion. We see repeated themes within the Shakespearean cannon that deal with the unknown and unexplained supernatural phenomenon. From ghosts to witches and maddening insanity induced by visions. These elements are some of the most effective in his plays yet they remain behind the shroud of common knowledge and relegate themselves to the mists of speculation and periphery. It becomes my interest then to flesh out, if you will, the parts of Shakespeare's influences that have led to the dramatic situations that we cherish and adore within his greater known works. In essence: I choose to examine what were his immediate spheres of influence with the occult.