Paul Robeson

Why did early modern poetry and plays provoke the House Un-American Activities Committee? Marjorie Garber explores how Shakespeare became a magnet for suspicion during the Red Scare—and how he spoke to the moment.

Paul Robeson was the first modern African American to perform Shakespeare—to perform Othello, and he talks in his letters and in his essays about bringing his experiences as a student in a white arena, his experiences with racism, to the…

Paul Robeson as Othello Folger Finds delivers delightful and insightful moments with the Folger collection. Sarah Hovde, a cataloger at the Folger Shakespeare Library, unearths the contract between the producer, the director, and the star of the longest-running Shakespeare play…