This first bilingual edition 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 and unique perspective on global Shakespeare. Differing significantly from the original English, the translations are replete with biblical, rabbinic, and medieval Hebrew textual references and reflect a profoundly Jewish religious and cultural setting. The volume includes the full text of the two Hebrew plays alongside a complete English back-translation with a commentary examining the rich array of Hebrew sources and Jewish allusions that Salkinson incorporates into his work. The edition is complemented by an introduction to the history of Jewish Shakespeare reception in Central and Eastern Europe; a survey of Salkinson's biography including discussion of his unusual status as a Jewish convert to Christianity; and an overview of his translation strategies. The book makes Salkinson's pioneering work accessible to a wide audience, and will appeal to anyone with an interest in multicultural Shakespeare, translation studies, the development of Modern Hebrew literature, and European Jewish history and culture. Praise for The First Hebrew Shakespeare Translations

Introduction 1. The historical and literary background to the first Hebrew Shakespeare translations 2. Isaac Edward (Eliezer) Salkinson's life and works 3. Salkinson's Shakespeare translations 3.1 Publication and reception 3.2 Translation style 3.2.1 Domestication 3.2.1.1 Names 3.2.1.2 Christian references 3.2.1.3 Classical mythology 3.2.1.4 Other non- Jewish cultural elements 3.2.1.5 Shibbu ¿ 3.2.1.6 Foreign- language material 3.2.2 Poetry 3.2.3 Hebrew language 3.3 Salkinson's source text edition 4. This edition of Ithiel the Cushite of Venice and Ram and Jael 4.1 The Hebrew text 4.2 The English back- translation 4.3 The commentary Ithiel the Cushite of Venice Preface Letter from the translator to the publisher The names of the speakers First PartSecond PartThird Part Fourth Part Fifth Part Ram and Jael Letter to the translator Message from the translator The names of the speakers First Part Second Part Third Part Fourth Part Fifth Part References