Sunday, March 28, 2010
27/3/10 - John Marsden - Hamlet
OK - I know I'm not a Shakespeare purist to even read this - but isn't Hamlet a great story. This is updated to use normal C21 language - but seems to pretty much stick to the original story and includes some of the famous quotes almost verbatim. I think it worked well - although I dn't think I have read the original. It is certainly an easy read - in plain English.
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Who the fuck needs Hamlet in plain English?! Surely the point is the original language and the variety of complex meanings it transmits? Hamlet's just a story about a boy who can't get over himself and his sense of betrayal. But the language of Shakespeare plays on the uncertainties and decisions, the ambiguity of choices and the effects this has on others. It's like getting a cartoon version of a Picasso, or a lego model of the Eiffel tower! Go read the original and discover what Shakespeare can do with words.
ReplyDeleteBut maybe you are just hero worshiping Shakespeare - maybe he was just writing in the language of his time - and the academics of today love it being more obscure now.
ReplyDeleteNo he wasn't writing in the language of his time. He was inventing it! He's no hero to be worshipped. Just a fine bard. Your book shaved off his bard!
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