Shakespeare I Hrvatska Moderna
Shakespeare and the Croatian Moderna

Summary/Abstract: There is no evidence that until the end of the 19th century there was much awareness of Shakespeare’s works in Croatian literature. However, during the period of the Croatian Moderna, this awareness grew considerably, though the reception of his works was still mediated, mainly through German literature. Most important for the Croatian writers of this period were his histories. Stjepan Miletić, the art director of Zagreb National Theatre, found them an excellent example of patriotic plays, which were much needed in a country struggling to preserve its sense of national identity. On the other hand, Shakespeare’s tragedies, and particularly Hamlet, who was seen as a man lacking in will power (Goethe), inspired and influenced the Croatian authors who lived in the spiritual atmosphere similar to that in Hamlet’s Denmark. Numerous literary texts in which we can trace not only intertextual references and allusions to Shakespeare but even transpositions of the themes and motifs of his plays, testify to the importance that Shakespeare had for the Croatian Moderna.

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