During the Cold War, Shakespeare’s works revealed again their universal appeal by their use as both propaganda for the Soviet state and in anti-Communist rebellions. Paradoxically, Soviet censors, while taking full advantage of Shakespeare’s themes and power as early as World War II to boost morale on the fronts against the Nazis, largely ignored or glazed over reviewing productions in the Iron Curtain. As such, Shakespeare’s plays. particularly those containing themes of conflict, suppression, and power struggles such as Hamlet and Romeo & Juliet, flourished in Eastern Europe. In addition to showing pro-Soviet (green) and anti-Soviet (blue) productions, occurrences that are pro- and anti-establishment are also depicted (light green and light blue, respectively).
