“The sin upon my head”: The Hebrew Bible in Shakespeare’s Henry V — With Professor Paul Cantor Twice Blest: Exploring Shakespeare and the Hebrew Bible

Does religion dictate politics or does politics dictate religion? Is success achieved through strategy or spirituality? Should the king bear moral responsibility for his soldiers’ behavior in battle? Shakespeare shot to fame in the 1590s by tackling the critical questions of his day in dramas depicting the inner lives of medieval English monarchs. But he couldn’t have done it without drawing on the Hebrew Bible. In this episode, Professor Paul Cantor takes us on a deep dive into Henry V, unpacking the influence of early Israelite leaders, including Moses, Joshua, and David, on Shakespeare’s compelling and complex representation of the Tudor dynasty.



Audio Credits:

Henry V, The Hollow Crown series, dir. Thea Sharrock (2012)

Henry V, Arkangel Shakespeare audiobook (2014)

Henry V, dir. Kenneth Branaugh (1989)



Mentioned in This Episode:

Shakespeare and the Bible by Steven Marx

Rabbi Sacks, Covenant and Conversation



Hosted by Straus Center Resident Scholar Dr. Shaina Trapedo

Produced by Uri Westrich and Sam Gelman

Outro by Straus Scholar Ayelet Brown



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