24 August 2008
How to lose a reader in two pages
Posted by Greg under: Uncategorized .
BERNARDO
Who’s there?
FRANCISCO
Nay, answer me: stand, and unfold yourself.
BERNARDO
Long live the king!
FRANCISCO
Bernardo?
BERNARDO
He.
FRANCISCO
You come most carefully upon your hour.
BERNARDO
‘Tis now struck twelve; get thee to bed, Francisco.
FRANCISCO
For this relief much thanks: ’tis bitter cold,
And I am sick at heart.
BERNARDO
Who’s there?FRANCISCO
No. Answer me. Stop there and reveal yourself.
BERNARDO
Long live the king!
FRANCISCO
Bernardo?
BERNARDO
Yes. It’s me.
FRANCISCO
You come right on time.
BERNARDO
It’s just striking twelve. Go to bed, Francisco.
FRANCISCO
Thanks for relieving me. It’s bitterly cold out, and I’m sick at heart.
When someone puts Shakespeare’s name on a graphic novel adaptation, a reader might expect there to be some Shakespeare inside. If not, perhaps a note on the cover would be polite. Front or back would be fine. Perhaps a note on the title page. Or in the acknowledgments. Or the publishing information…?
The sad thing is, I loved the art. I flipped through the pages in the store, and it’s pretty good stuff. But why on earth use this neutered “translation”? And, on choosing to do so, why not acknowledge this choice on the cover?Though, given that’s Francisco on the front cover I imagine not a whole lot of thought went into its design.
The snob-quotes around the word translation are necessary, because so much has been lost – stand, and unfold yourself ; You come most carefully upon your hour; For this relief much thanks - these are not dense lines, but they do hold multiple levels of meaning that are lost in the clunk.
I’ll try writing more on this once I’ve read more than two pages, but that’ll be some time yet I fear.
3 Comments so far...
lydia sarcosi Says:
25 August 2008 at 8:58 pm.
I tried a couple of these, plus a ‘Manga’ Shakespeare. The translations appalled me. It wasn’t an edit, it was slash and burn. I’m using/reading/enjoying these now, http://www.classicalcomics.com great artwork and the original text version is exactly what it says, full original text.
Having said all of that, for less able or younger readers, wouldn’t these be good?
Greg Says:
25 August 2008 at 9:53 pm.
They might be ok for younger readers, if they were labelled as such. I’d actually prefer either a complete retelling – the story not the play – or the original thing. The purpose of having pretty much the full text with words swapped in and around without regard for rhythm or depth of meaning eludes me – I think the “translated” text was originally published facing the original in a straight text of the play. That makes sense, to an extent. This really doesn’t.