Are the plays of shakespeare (or whomever) pure works of genius?

Question:the psychological insight reflected in the host of characters are amazing to me. and for such a powerfully religious period, the plays seem to contain so little religion. that puzzles me.

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: the psychological insight reflected in the host of characters are amazing to me. and for such a powerfully religious period, the plays seem to contain so little religion. that puzzles me.

Shakespeare does a marvelous job at presenting excellent psychological studies of his characters and their individual development as a being in their world. You may not clearly see a distinct connection, but many of Shakespeare's devices use religious connotations in his evolving of the characters. One of his shows (Measure for Measure) as actually a complete allegory to Christian beliefs in the fight against Satan and the righteous dominating over the wrong. he also includes various subtle Genesis references (with an emphasis on subtle), such as Juliet tasting the forbidden fruit of Romeo, ultimately resulting in their dispair. There are also numerous characters who contain God like attributes (e.g. Prospero in The Tempest) as he demonstrates a monotheistic view as apposed to the polytheistic influences of the Greeks (from which he took many ideas). Shakespeare does utilize religion in his play, it's just that he does not specifically acknowledge them within his shows.
Also, he wrote for entertainment purposes at the time. As in modern days, I do not think many people would have explicitly gone to the theater to watch further demonstrations of the righteousness of Christianity. True, he was constricted to make sure his plays confirmed to the ideals of Christianity, but he was able to have creative freedoms. I think this was just an outlet to escape to strict religious regulations of his time.

I have absolutely no qualms with agreeing with the above poster, but I must cast my hat into the ring of lionizing the nowadays forgotten works of the immortal Or Whomever.

Or Whomever has been responsible for some of the Greatest Works of Western Civilization. Examples:

Messiah (handel, Or Whomever)
St Paul's Cathedral London (wren, Or Whomever)
Ninth Symphony (beethoven, Or Whomever)
Sistine Chapel (michelangelo, Or Whomever)
Light My Fire(doors, Or Whomever)

Works of Genius, all. Where would we be without the creative gifts of Or Whomever? Or Whomever is the only thing that stands between us and the Terrorists.

All praise Or Whomever.