A Shakespeare Sketchbook
Shakespeare du MondeEver wonder what Hamlet's "To be or not to be" speech would sound like in German or French or Japanese? You can find out! Hamlet has been translated into more than one hundred languages. In fact, Shakespeare's works are available in most languages, either in literal translations or as adaptations.The universality of Shakespearean themes makes the plays attractive for translation. Envy, hate, passion and ambition do not belong to the western mind alone. But the interpretations may vary from culture to culture, with their different mores and rules.The Japanese film director Akira Kurosawa adapted the themes of King Lear and Macbeth for his films Ran and Throne of Blood, respectively. Although the dialogue and characters may change in an adaptation, the important message of the play is sometimes more faithfully preserved when a director creates a unique cultural adaptation, than a strict translation.Shakespeare bequeathed to us a raft of characters, relationships and ideas, which express, questions, and illuminate the human condition. His gift to us was the power of his imagination, and a vision and understanding that still engages our minds, stimulates our senses, and touches our souls.We long for what Shakespeare has to say and for his sweeping metaphors and piercing commentary. A Shakespeare Sketchbook, with the delightful artwork of James C. Christensen, matched with lively tellings of the plays and Elizabethan life, fills that longing. It combines the artistry of the painter with the artistry of a consummate writer, to engage our imaginations and in doing so, makes these stories and their characters totally accessible. (from the introduction by Fred C. Adams, Founder and Executive Producer of the Utah Shakespearean Festival)