The Thomistic Institute Christian Humanism and Shakespeare – Prof. Lee Oser
Feb 25, 2026
Lee Oser, a scholar of religion and literature and novelist noted for Christian humanism and satire, explores Shakespeare through a Christian humanist lens. He traces how Julius Caesar and Hamlet dramatize tragic ignorance about the soul, contrasts Stoic and Christian responses, and shows Shakespeare’s blend of biblical typology, providence, and theatrical self-awareness.
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The Radical Middle That Enabled Shakespeare
- The 'radical middle' is the cultural space between state censorship and religious moralists where Shakespeare operated.
- Oser links Newman and Eliot to show this liminal space let Shakespeare probe theology and politics without sectarian dogma.
Dramatic Irony in Julius Caesar
- Dramatic irony in Julius Caesar centers on audience Christians understanding Roman characters' moral states better than the characters themselves.
- Oser reads Brutus's soliloquy as Augustinian solo colloquy spoken before a God-aware audience.
Comic Characters Provide Christian Conscience
- Small comic characters supply Christian moral perspective, e.g., the cobbler's pun 'mender of bad souls.'
- Oser shows the cobbler's 'safe conscience' pun signals Elizabethan Christian listeners and contrasts with Roman elites.
