First Hebrew Shakespeare Translations

This first bilingualedition and analysis of the earliest Shakespeare plays translated into Hebrew -Isaac Edward Salkinson's Ithiel the Cushite of Venice (Othello)and Ram and Jael (Romeo and Juliet) - offers a fascinating andunique perspective on global Shakespeare. Differing significantly from theoriginal English, the translations are replete with biblical, rabbinic, andmedieval Hebrew textual references and reflect a profoundly Jewish religious andcultural setting. The volume includes the full text of the two Hebrew playsalongside a complete English back-translation with a commentary examining therich array of Hebrew sources and Jewish allusions that Salkinson incorporatesinto his work. The edition is complemented by an introduction to the history ofJewish Shakespeare reception in Central and Eastern Europe; a survey ofSalkinson's biography including discussion of his unusual status as a Jewishconvert to Christianity; and an overview of his translation strategies. Thebook makes Salkinson's pioneering work accessible to a wide audience, and willappeal to anyone with an interest in multicultural Shakespeare, translationstudies, the development of Modern Hebrew literature, and European Jewish historyand culture.