"From the Farthest Steep of India"

Alternative title: Shakespeare in India
Synopsis: Podcast from the Folger Shakespeare Library. What impact has Shakespeare’s writing had on Indian theatre? And, how has Indian theatre shaped and altered Shakespeare’s work? Shakespeare’s interaction with India came in the context of India’s experience with British colonisation and colonialism. In 1600, Queen Elizabeth I gave a charter to the East India Company to trade with the Shahs, emperors and Maratha princes who’d ruled the subcontinent for the previous century. Over the 150 years that followed, the East India Company transitioned from being merchant traders into a kind of quasi-government. After Indians rebelled in 1857, Queen Victoria closed down the East India Company and ruled India directly as a British colony. During the run-up to the rebellion, English had become India’s language of instruction. Among the Indian elite, you needed to know Shakespeare in order to appear truly educated.
In this podcast episode, Barbara Bogaev interviews Jyotsna Singh, Professor of English at Michigan State University, and Modhumita Roy, Associate Professor of English at Tufts.
Series: Shakespeare Unlimited
Language: English
Country: United States
Medium: Audio
Recording date: 27 Jan 2016
Duration: 16 mins