ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVES ON SHAKESPEARE: PERFORM OR ADAPT?

This lecture takes a brief look at how Shakespeare has been performed and adapted in the Islamic world and if there is a post-colonial residue relating to him and his work.

It takes a further look at attempts to colonise Shakespeare’ works prior during and post Nazi Germany using the Merchant of Venice as its yardstick, and ends by challenging traditional performances and adaptions of this play concluding that Shakespeare wrote it as a most powerful play against hypocrisy, colonialism, racism, and anti-Semitism and places Shylock as not just a hero but as a ideal and noble human in the Shakespearian tradition – A Shilloh - while Portia is positioned as Portiago.