In a recent editorial titled “Great Republican Shakespeare Festival,” a Minnesota man bemoaned the presence of a Republican politician at a local Shakespeare Festival. While the majority of the article criticized the actions of the politician, the title of it made me wonder if there could be such a thing as a Republican, Democrat, or Green Shakespeare Festival. Which plays would speak most to which demographic? Could Shakespeare play a part in the 2008 elections?

The comedies are an easy fit for the Democrats, particularly A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Twelfth Night. The former recognizes non-Christian religious practices in a statement of religious tolerance. The latter, which plays with cross-dressing and ambiguous sexuality, clearly seeks to embrace people of all identities. The Tempest would be an ideal centerpiece for the Green Party. After all, isn’t it a kind of Elizabethan precursor to An Inconvenient Truth? Finally, for the Republican Shakespeare Festival that our friend from Minnesota envisioned, my choice would be Coriolanus. The title character is a hero who understands the sacrifices of war, and when the people turn against him and he’s tempted to join the other side, he’s saved by—what else?—a mother’s love. That’s family values, people. So here’s a memo to candidates Clinton, Romney, Obama, McCain, and all the rest: brush up your Shakespeare.

Posted Mon, 30 Jul 2007 06:39:36 and filed under Coriolanus, The Tempest, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Twelfth Night. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.