Wherefore, Shakespeare? 04 | Race

The Stage Show

While some critics believe that plays like Othello and The Merchant of Venice are inherently racist, others argue that they simply portray, perhaps even criticise, the racist attitudes of the time.

Wherefore, Shakespeare? is a series that explores the dilemmas, conflicts, and controversies in Shakespeare's major plays.

In our fourth instalment, we interrogate Shakespeare's portrayal of race. We also explore the surprising racial dimensions of one of Shakespeare's final plays: The Tempest. We're joined by Wesley Enoch, a Quandamooka man and an award-winning playwright and theatre director, Professor David McInnis who teaches Shakespeare and Early Modern Drama the University of Melbourne, and Professor Jane Montgomery Griffiths, an acclaimed actor and the head of the School of Performing Arts at Collarts.