HE certainly was, or knew religious ideals fairly well for a
non-christian. In fact, one cannot really gather the full extentof any of
his plays without understanding christin values, and the tensions of different
chruches.
Even in Tragedies, like Macbeth, religion is central. The opposite to
Macbeth and devilry is the faith of Macduff and the elder son of Duncan (whose
name now escapes me). Henry V, the perfect king, is perfect because of
his difference to the Lord, especially in glorious victory over the
French. This is apposed to tyrants such as Richard II, who forget that
they are only an emmisary of God, and take themeselves as the true light,
etc. I could go on and on, and I guess that nobody can really know the
man now; certainly, however, christian ideals that Tolkien would agree with are
prevelent in Shakespeare, so that would not be the
problem.
