Shakespeare and Extremism

What is at stake in reading, studying, and staging Shakespeare in an age of ‘extremism’, and in a context where responses to extremism are at best misguided and at worst counterproductive? Incorporating analysis of policy documents, contributions from anthropology, and discussions of literary texts, this paper explores what Shakespeare will mean under the UK Government’s ‘Prevent’ agenda, and the effects such an agenda might have on how we engage with extraordinary renderings of Shakespeare on stage now, not least those created by Sulayman Al Bassam.