Lenthe, Victor2021-03-312021-03-3120200013-8304http://hdl.handle.net/11693/76025This article shows that Shakespeare's play Twelfth Night dramatizes a body of Elizabethan political theory that responded to the challenges of Puritanism by inquiring into the meaning and value of consensus. In doing so, it establishes debates about Puritanism--including their theatrical representation--as part of the history of consensus politics, a term today associated with Jürgen Habermas and his followers, who believe a government's legitimacy derives from the collective consent of the governed. I show that Puritans made similarly structured arguments about Church government, and that Shakespeare's critique of their style reflects an overlooked theoretical contribution with contemporary resonance.EnglishArticle10.1353/elh.2020.00221080-6547