"Shakespeare's Marian Refractions" explores the Virgin Mary's re-imagined identity in post-Reformation England and the cultural and literary reaction to her altered position. The dissertation argues that Shakespeare draws from the Virgin Mary's amended nature to develop female characters who embody an amalgamation of Catholic and Protestant Marian qualities, and who are capable of influencing masculine identity formation. This influence, however, inevitably threatens masculinity, resulting in a cultural backlash against both feminine and Marian influence. By addressing the problem of the Virgin Mary's role in post-Reformation England, this dissertation seeks to understand the construction of masculine identity through cultural, religious, and gendered perspectives in early modern England. By employing feminist psychoanalytic theories on identity formation, it locates moments in Shakespeare's plays when masculine identity can, like the Virgin Mary of post-Reformation thought, be reconceived through encounters with Marian figures