Shakespeare Brings Respite to Refugees Amid Their Homeland’s Conflicts

All of Shakespeare’s literary works are absolutely beautiful and timeless classics. We feel pretty confident saying that, regardless of where you are from or where you grew up, chances are high that at one point or another, you were handed a book and provided an opportunity to learn one of his classics.

With that said, Shakespeare’s Hamlet has been performed many times and in many settings, but this may be a new one: a refugee camp in the Calais region of France. Shakespeare’s Globe performed the tragedy for a primarily Afghan audience.

Refugees are obviously in need of medicine, food, shelter, and other basic supplies, but they have other types of needs too, one of which is some form of entertainment. So this theater group happily obliged with an artful display of the classic play Hamlet. We’re so glad they did, and we’re sure their audience appreciated the gesture as well! The best part is that copies of the play were handed out in a variety of languages so that everyone could read along, regardless of their language!

Just in case you were looking for any more evidence of Shakespeare’s enduring global influence, check out this story of Syrian refugees performing his work; we think you will really appreciate and enjoy this performance.