Community Chat

[QueenDanceALot]

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@Noel7 wrote:

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@Burnsite wrote:

Translation/updating of Shakespeare's language has often been done.  I think someone (Maurice Charney?) did a hipster type version back in the 70s.  Charles and Mary Lamb turned the plays into prose for chidlren:  Tales from Shakespeare, early 1800s.

The original text will always be there for those who want to hear the style of the author himself.

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I just read this from @Burnsite

I remember that well, and it was so important!  Kids in very poor neighborhoods knew nothing of Shakespeare and didn't want to know.  There was nothing they could relate to.

He turned it into rap, if I recall, and they loved it.  That's where they began, with the stories.  Later they went on to read it as originally written.

NOW THAT IS A TEACHER!

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I couldn't agree more!!!

[jaxs mom]

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@Noel7 wrote:

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@Maudelyn wrote:

The Bible has been translated into easily understandable language, making it more accessible and understandable to those who wish to read it.  I see no problem with doing the same for other types of books. 

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That's true @Maudelyn and the same is done for operas.  I was going to the opera with my mother by the time I was eight.  She would get the story and read it to me before we saw it so I knew what was going on.  Most were sung in Italian, so it was a great help. I can pick up a lot in French opera but I can't in Russian opera. 

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A libretto in the vernacular is usually available. Now days with Live at the Met they even put translations on the screen. 

[Moonchilde]

IMO, Shakespeare will never be an integral part of school curriculum and culture in the US like it is in the UK, because - Shakespeare is English. Childen in the UK are exposed to the plays, and the words and their meanings, at a much earlier age. We get it "dropped on" us in HS, usually. All the frackin' vocab notations continually take you out of the story.

Like most HS-ers I thought Shakespeare was a pain. Then I saw Zeffirelli's Romeo & Juliet, and I understood. I saw Branagh's Mucho Ado About Nothing, and I understood; same with Branagh's Henry V. I began to seek out local productions in the park, etc.

I think the key to enjoying Shakespeare is to see it, not read it. Watch first, discuss language/meanings second, because when watching, much of the language is explained before your eyes. You won't get all of it, but you will get 3/4 of it.

[HappyDaze]

How sad, really. I love shakespeare and find many of stories very funny, intense and thought provoking. I feel like whenever something is "translated" for us, we don't get the full benefit of critical thinking. If someone were to translate it for me intitally, I don't think I'd get all that I got out of it. It was hard, at first, to understand Shakespeare but once I figured it out, it was worth the effort and I very much enjoy Shakespeare now. I don't think I'd feel the same if the hard work was done for me and I was spoon fed someone's interpretation of what the various works.

[jaxs mom]

I actually took Shakespeare in 7th grade in public school in the US. I also took French and Russian that year although I don't remember much of the Russian except for some letters of the alphabet. 

[Carmie]

When I was in High School I studied lit for two years.  The subject was Shakespeare and only Shakespeare.  He was the only author taught 

Sometimes,I needed help understanding and there was no internet available like today's students have, so I purchased Cliff Notes.  Oh how I loved them and Shakespeare.

I don't think anything should be changed.  Students can turn to their teacher, the internet or Cliff Notes if they need help.  Education means learning where to find info, not just having it handed to you.

[Cakers3]

Let Shakespeare remain as Shakespeare.

Those who cannot interpret can use Cliff Notes, which is the way many students "interpret" Shakespeare anyway. lol

[Noel7]

My daughter saw Hamilton a few days ago, at the beautiful Orpheum theater in SF.

About half of it is in rap, which says to me that story is getting to a large crowd, it's for everyone, not just a select group who believe they get it when so many others don't.

I guess it comes down to whether we want the stories out there or to just keep them to ourselves.  We already know a significant part of the population has no interest in Shakespeare. Or opera, for that matter.

[Maudelyn]

Does anyone feel that the Bible/the Catholic Mass has been dumbed down because they are now written/spoken in plain English?

[Noel7]

Interesting...

A Facelift for Shakespeare

29 September 2015

From The Wall Street Journal:

The Oregon Shakespeare Festival will announce next week that it has commissioned translations of all 39 of the Bard’s plays into modern English, with the idea of having them ready to perform in three years. Yes, translations—because Shakespeare’s English is so far removed from the English of 2015 that it often interferes with our own comprehension.

Most educated people are uncomfortable admitting that Shakespeare’s language often feels more medicinal than enlightening. We have been told since childhood that Shakespeare’s words are “elevated” and that our job is to reach up to them, or that his language is “poetic,” or that it takes British actors to get his meaning across.

But none of these rationalizations holds up. Much of Shakespeare goes over our heads because, even though we recognize the words, their meaning often has changed significantly over the past four centuries.

More here:

http://www.thepassivevoice.com/2015/09/a-facelift-for-shakespeare/