Sir Thomas More: Portrait by Hans Holbein the Younger (1527).

Donne's mother, Elizabeth Heywood, was from a Catholic family, and daughter to John Heywood, playwright, and sister of Jasper Heywood, translator and Jesuit. She was great-niece of the Catholic martyr Sir Thomas More. Martyrdom continued among DonneÂ’s relatives, many were executed or exiled as Catholics. His Catholic background was enormously important during Donne's career, particularly as an initial professional obstacle: for example, he could not secure a degree as a student at either Oxford or Cambridge Universities. Recently scholars have realized that similar family Catholic traditions may have seriously affected Shakespeare's career and works. He even wrote a scene for a play about More, who also appears in Shakeseare's Henry VIII. Source: Yorck Project, under GNU Free Document License.