GLOBAL SHAKESPEARE AS A TAUTOLOGICAL MYTH

Resumo

Shakespeare is one of the most frequently mythologized, translated, and performed secular figures. Shakespeare and its global afterlife have formed a tautology: Shakespeare is believed to be universal, which is why the canon has gone global; on the other hand, global Shakespeare is seen as evidence of Shakespeare’s universality. Having achieved a mythical status, Shakespeare’s plays have generated other myths about contemporary culture. These myths have been jointly created by educators, scholars, practitioners, administrators, funders, artists, spectators, and readers. A large part of this phenomenon is driven by the forces of the market economy. There are self-syndicated authentic venues (the London Globe as a reconstructed historical site and Elsinore as Hamlet’s castle). There are also theatrical spaces where Shakespeare’s aura is manufactured and consumed. Stratford-upon-Avon represents a historically authentic venue baptized by a Shakespearean presence that fuels the fantasy of origin. These localities shape the myths of Shakespeare and Shakespeare’s extensive posthumous encounters with the world, which is why Shakespeare and its myths have occupied an international space for centuries.

KEYWORDS: Global Shakespeare. Myth. Market economy. Literary universalism. Bardolatry. Neo-liberalism.