‘My native English now I must forgo’: Global Shakespeare at the Edinburgh International Festival

Abstract

This article focuses on productions of William Shakespeare’s plays in languages other than English throughout the history of the Edinburgh International Festival. It aims to demonstrate that there has been an evolution towards global Shakespeare at the Edinburgh International Festival, and that Shakespeare stagings have been both an active agent and a product of the interconnectedness of theatre cultures in international festivals. The article considers three categories that illustrate the evolution of Shakespeare festival productions: Shakespeare without his language, heteroglossic Shakespeare, and new-brand Shakespeare. These categories are used to evaluate audience reception and assess shifts in Shakespeare studies regarding global Shakespeare.