On being contemporary: Shakespeare,inclusion and states of emergency

Abstract

Starting from a reflection on the way inclusion may be impacted by today's concomitant pandemics, war, and other global emergencies, the article addresses the following questions: Is our approach to Shakespeare and inclusion, in staging of the plays and critical studies, affected by today's co-existence of global ‘ailments’? Can Shakespeare address such a complex ‘state of emergency’ (Walter Benjamin)? What theoretical tools may resonate with Shakespeare today? How can Shakespeare be ‘our contemporary’? For possible answers, the article draws on Giorgio Agamben's idea of ‘contemporaneity’ and looks at present examples of engagements with Shakespeare (inclusive practices, film, and theatre stagings).