APPROPRIATING SHAKESPEARE: ISSUES
APPROPRIATING SHAKESPEARE: ISSUES

Summary/Abstract: Shakespeare is an active literary force whose works have been revised over and over again during the twentieth century on stage and on film. The so called Bardbiz has proven to be profitable across the planet mainly due to the "universal" nature of his plays, i.e., the social and psychological issues that he raises and which resonate equally in anglophone and non-anglophone cultures. Yet, a distinction must be made between appropriations and adaptations. For the purpose of this paper, this distinction is based on the one that Julie Sanders proposes. This paper focuses on the potential problems that appropriations, which are loose reinterpretations of the original text, may bring. The paper shows scenes from films that have adapted Shakespeare's plays in one way or another. The aim of this comparison is to show how adaptations work with the text and bring it to life, while appropriations often distort the original and leave the viewer with a false representation of the original play. There is a genuine and valid concern that future generations will know of distorted versions of Shakespeare's plays and believe them to be the same as the text. The problem arises with loose appropriations, which have become popular in the movie industry worldwide. For people who have read Shakespeare's plays, it is not a problem to recognize the differences and changes in the original text. However, for younger generations, especially Millennials and those born after them, these appropriations can be misleading. Younger generations who consider themselves computer natives are bound to online sources and databases and would rather get a visual tutorial/representation then read a book. Hence, for them, film adaptations are always the preferred choice when it comes to understanding literature. This is particularly important since film versions are supported by elaborate marketing and appeal to younger generations with popular A-list actors and setting which is relatable to the contemporary audience. Unfortunately, loose appropriations of original texts give them a false sense of acquired knowledge. Loose appropriations tend to distort the original text by changing the characters (mostly adding new ones) and/or the text (the plot). Furthermore, this paper opens the discussion on textual fidelity, which needs to be brought back and re-examined after the film adaptation frenzy of Shakespeare's works that has happened especially in the Americas, Asia, and Africa. For example, Vishal Bhardwaj has made quite a few successful adaptations of Shakespeare's plays while incorporating social and political issues in India. Finally, the purpose of this paper is not to discourage adaptations; rather, it is to raise awareness of the dangers of appropriations and to preserve the original text for future generations to enjoy and adapt to some future times, which will be different than our own.

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