Join the E. Beatrice Batson Shakespeare Society for the 2026 Shakespeare Lecture with Dr. Grace Tiffany: "Shakespeare Turns the Parables Inside Out."

Shakespeare’s plays, like his Biblically literate audience, were deeply concerned with gospel parables such as that of the Talents, The Unjust Steward, the Wedding Feast, and, above all, the Prodigal Son. His plays’ plots invoke and often imitate these well-known stories. However, his plays contain no simple symbolic enactments of parables which are themselves allegorical and often confusing. Instead, Shakespeare creates characters who wrest the parables from their gospel contexts to support political ambitions, erotic quests, or simple reckless behavior. The plays expose the human tendency to twist scripture to unchristian purposes, but also suggest the difficulty of applying the Bible’s metaphors to life in the workaday world.

This event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact the Batson Shakespeare Society at shakespeare.society@wheaton.edu.