Narguess Farzad

Available for over a year

As part of the Shakespeare Unlocked season on the BBC, writers from Sierra Leone, Brazil, India, Iran and China explain why a playwright from sixteenth century Stratford resonates so powerfully in their own countries. With Eldred Jones, Aimara Resende, Poonam Trivedi, Narguess Farzad and Yong Li Lan. In the second essay in the series, Narguess Farzad explores the continuing hold Shakespeare has in Iran and the Persian speaking world. These essays explore Shakespeare's place on the global stage; with writers and scholars from around the world explaining his importance within their own culture. There are references to Hamlet and Othello in Iranian literature, for example, as well as in African and Chinese works. Othello was first translated into Persian around 100 years ago by a Persian prince because the themes of jealousy and honour struck a chord with the Iranian psyche. Authors the world over have recognised a profound affinity between Shakespeare's themes and their own traditional culture, be it in Chinese, Indian or African.