France's ‘Other’ National Playwright? The Performance of Shakespeare in France and the Shakespeare Myth1

Abstract

It is now no exaggeration to suggest that Shakespearian production has been one of the most fascinating features of French theatre in contemporary France. There is therefore an intriguing paradox to unpick. Although Shakespeare is performed as an English author, he has since the Second World War gradually come to dominate French theatre performance in a way equalled only by Molière. Why should he feature so regularly on the French stage? In a first section this paper assesses Shakespeare's fortunes in France since the Second World War. It also briefly discusses how Shakespeare's settlement on the French stage has led to a gradual process of shaping and reshaping of his plays and repertoire, making it increasingly difficult nowadays to define what constitutes a Shakespearian production. A second section then explains this enduring appetite for Shakespeare. The interest in Shakespeare may have less to do with the inherent qualities of his plays than with the pursuit of symbolic power amongst theatrical directors, and the construction of the sacred ‘myth’ of Shakespeare. As such, his name and his theatre fulfil specific ideological needs. A final section suggests that the desire to produce Shakespeare's plays might not be totally the result of conservative games, and examines elements of cultural resistance within the field. Whilst the myth endures, what constitutes Shakespearian production is never taken for granted.