Drama and the Sacraments in Sixteenth-Century England is the first book-length study to examine in detail the relationship between early modern drama and sacramental ritual and theology. Identifying the sixteenth century as a period which troubles easy cultural categories of 'medieval' and 'Renaissance', David Coleman offers a series of readings of major early modern plays. In calling attention to the religious foundation of identity and community in the period, the book makes an important contribution to contemporary debates about the nature of 'the subject'. In addition to reassessing the significance of neglected texts and documents, it also offers radical new ways of reading canonical dramatists, including Christopher Marlowe and William Shakespeare.