Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Uh-Oh

Shakespeare’s Plays to be Translated into Modern English: Bad news for Shakespeare purists, good news for struggling English students: The Oregon Shakespeare Festival recently announced a project called “Play On!” which will task 36 playwrights with translating the plays attributed to the Bard into “contemporary modern English.”

8 comments:

Jerry House said...

Shott me now.

Deb said...

"I'm gonna kill my stepfather."

"My closest friend tells me my wife is unfaithful."

"Don't you date that boy.. We hate his family."

"My wife keeps pushing me to go after that cushy job Duncan has."

"I found out too late that two of my daughters were very greedy."

/I mean, if this is all they want...

Don Coffin said...

Words fail me...which just proves I ain't no Shakespeare, now, don't it...

Unknown said...

Actually, one of the choicest items on my HAMLET shelf is a modernized version published in 1965, written by Rouben Mamoulian no less, and signed by the author--Mamoulian, not Shakespeare.

Lawrence Person said...

The problem isn't on Shakespeare's end...

Jeff Meyerson said...

Somewhere, Orson Welles is smiling.

Jeff

RHovey, CA said...

Yes indeed Dan, I have a translated volume too from long ago, which I first chose to read to get ahold of the Bard. On the main topic, hey, whatever works for readers, but HEARING and seeing them is the key. That's why I chase a half dozen festivals around every summer. And Jeff, Dan, speaking of Orson Welles, I still need to read "Put Money in Thy Purse,", which I have cuz Dan recommended it many years ago in the apa, and of course reviewed it eloquently.

Words, words, words...

Unknown said...

RHovey--

Lemmeknow if you want to borrow my copy.

That's the thing with me & the Bard; In my youth, I disliked Shakespeare because he was too damn hard to read--and then I saw Olivier's HAMLET and I realized it's not supposed to be read, it's supposed to be performed--which made all the difference.

Speaking of modernizing, I'm currently developing a video game based on who really wrote Shakespeare's plays. Calling it ANGRY BARDS.