Yuri Nagira

James Baldwin’s Giovanni’s Room (1956) has attracted significant attention, yet few studies have noted Baldwin’s own attempt to adapt the novel for the stage. The play version ( GR -play) remains unpublished and has never been officially performed. This article analyzes its unpublished typescript, arguing that Baldwin, while writing the GR -play, drew crucial inspiration from William Shakespeare, whose works Baldwin learned to appreciate during his European stay. The essay “Why I Stopped Hating Shakespeare,” written the same year as the GR -play, reflects Baldwin’s discovery of Shakespeare’s “bawdiness,” a pulsating force of humanity akin to the vital energy underlying jazz and blues. Among Shakespeare’s works, this article examines Hamlet and Julius Caesar as key interpretive frameworks for understanding David’s self-denial and Giovanni’s tragic exclusion following Guillaume’s murder. This article concludes by emphasizing the enduring relevance of Baldwin’s works, particularly his critique of identity and self-awareness.