So... Oregon Shakespeare Festival is "translating" Shakespeare's cannon.
A) Why didn't they call any of US with this job, because seriously? Someone's getting paid to do this?
B) Here's the thing...
First off, here's an article from NPR about the whole thing: http://www.npr.org/2015/10/17/449270557/o-romeo-romeo-what-the-heck-are-you-saying
I'll have to do more digging than just the NPR story when I have time (so, you know, November 18th), but I'm kind of ambivalent at first glance. UNLESS it catches on and becomes the norm. I think calling ANYTHING that's been translated by any other name than "TITLE OF PLAY by William Shakespeare, Translated by TRANSLATOR'S NAME" would be wrong. You don't call Elektra "Elektra by Frank McGuinness" you call it "Elektra by Sophocles, translated by Frank McGuinness." I say, go for it. But recognize that it's no longer Shakespeare.
You know, like, MOST of Shakespeare's works were borrowed stories, stolen plotlessness, and common folklore or history. Very little of his shit was new. But he was the one who wrote it down the way we know it. So he kind of gets the right to own that. But everything from R&J to Macbeth were existing stories, right down to the details.
That being said, if we're going to translate them and make them our own, they are no longer his words, and they can't really be called "SHAKESPEARE." Because, frankly, if you're not using his words and his poetry, you're not using HIM.
So, yeah, I guess I do have an opinion. Go for it. Translate the hell out of it. But don't you dare call it "Shakespeare" straight up with a twist of lime. Call it what it is. It's a cocktail that has 1 part Shakespeare, 1 part translator, and some bitters.
