Staging The Merchant of Venice at the Hungarian National Theatre in 1986 Cover Image

A velencei kalmár a Nemzeti Színházban, 1986
Staging The Merchant of Venice at the Hungarian National Theatre in 1986

Author(s): Zoltán Imre
Subject(s): Cultural history, Social history, Post-War period (1950 - 1989), History of Antisemitism
Published by: KORALL Társadalomtörténeti Egyesület
Keywords: social history;hungary;antisemitism;cultural history;theatre studies;

Summary/Abstract: The study focuses on the staging of The Merchant of Venice in Hungary, which took place in 1986 after the forty-six-year silence following the previous premiere of the play in 1940. The article deals with the long hiatus and the new staging, primarily focusing on why The Merchant was considered a “problematic” play within the socialist universe of the Kádár Regime. As a result, the article draws attention to the ways in which the dominant ideology of the Kádár Regime influenced the interpretation of Shakespeare’s play; why it silenced the play to finally acquiesce in a production solely focusing on an apologetic Shylock.

  • Issue Year: 2017
  • Issue No: 69
  • Page Range: 146-168
  • Page Count: 23
  • Language: Hungarian