From Hamlet performed in colonial Indonesia in 1619, to the difficulties of translating it into Japanese, which has no obvious equivalent of “to be,” Shakespeare’s worldwide transmission in theatre, film, translation, and criticism across four centuries combines imperialism, globalization, and cultural hybridity. Alexa Alice Joubin (author of Shakespeare and East Asia, Oxford, 2021) speaks on this fascinating topic.

Video on YouTube   :::   Table of Contents

00:08 Why did Shakespeare go viral?

00:31 Hamlet performed in colonial Indonesia

00:50 Many of Shakespeare’s plays are set outside England

01:19 Soft power and global Shakespeare

01:37 Royal Shakespeare Company commissions a Mandarin translation

02:19 The Merchant in Venice in East Asia

02:37 Romeo and Juliet in Palestine

02:45 The benefits of studying worldwide performances of Shakespeare

02:59 Translating to be or not to be into Japanese

03:29 Why global Shakespeare matters: Limitations create new opportunities

     The interview is now available on Oxford University Press’s YouTube.