In this article, Kennedy writes about the implications of foreign adaptations of shakespeare. He writes that, "Though the condition of Shakespearean studies is natural [Anglocentric] it has been unfortunate in at least one regard, for it has tended to cloak Shakespeare's vast importance in the theatre in languages other than English." Kennedy continues, reflecting that, "The cultural attitudes that inhere in the work, and that the Anglo-centered approach has assumed to be the common heritage of Shakespeare's art, require not only linguistic translation but also cultural adaptation when they are transferred to a foreign environment." This article continues, focusing on the importance of Shakespearean adaptations and their universal relevance to historical and political issues throughout the world.
Shakespeare in the Bush:
Laura Bohannon begins her article with the assertion that "...human nature is pretty much the same the whole world over..." and that, therefore, the core themes and ideas of Shakespeare are universally similar and relevant. However, Bohannon's position quickly changes and finally, she asserts that there is no way that Shakespeare's plays can be literally translated throughout the world because in certain areas, the concepts Shakespeare writes about are unheard of or the ideas he contemplates have different connotations. A quote from her trip best exemplifies this idea by the way the tribal elders interpret the situation in which Hamlet kills Polonious, who is hiding behind a curtain: "The old men looked at each other in supreme disgust. 'That Polonius truly was a fool and a man who knew nothing! What child would not know enough to shout, 'It's me!'' With a pang, i remembered that these people are ardent hunters always armed with a bow, arrow, and machete; at the first rustle in the grass an arrow is aimed and ready, and the hunter shouts 'Game!' If no human voice answers immediately, the arrow speeds on its way. Like a good hunter, Hamlet had shouted, 'A rat!'"
What a great post!
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