Post-World War II Romeo and Juliets in Finland and Sweden, 1946–1947

In this essay, we discuss two productions of Romeo and Juliet that took place in close chronological and geographical proximity, at the Finnish National Theatre in 1946, and at the new city theatre of Norrköping-Linköping in Sweden in 1947. This juxtaposition allows us to examine how Shakespeare was used in the processes of reparation just after World War II. Although the two neighbouring countries had been affected in quite different ways by the war, we suggest that both productions of this play about young lovers signal new beginnings and a spirit of optimism and rebuilding in two emerging welfare states. By analysing reviews and other news reports on these much-publicized productions, we examine the underresearched area of immediate post-war Shakespeare, and how a play like Romeo and Juliet could be used not only to process the recent past but to point towards the future, towards renewal and consolidation.