The political relevance of a love story: Thomas Otway’s interpretation of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet

The article is devoted to the reception of Shakespeare’s works in England in the last third of the 17th century, when Shakespeare’s plays were rewritten for the stage and adapted to the contemporary conditions and rules of English drama. Thomas Otway is considered one of the major translator-interpr...

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Main Author: E. M. Lutsenko
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration. RANEPA 2024-12-01
Series:Шаги
Subjects:
Online Access:https://steps.ranepa.ru/jour/article/view/16
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author E. M. Lutsenko
author_facet E. M. Lutsenko
author_sort E. M. Lutsenko
collection DOAJ
description The article is devoted to the reception of Shakespeare’s works in England in the last third of the 17th century, when Shakespeare’s plays were rewritten for the stage and adapted to the contemporary conditions and rules of English drama. Thomas Otway is considered one of the major translator-interpreters of Shakespeare plays into the language of his own modernity. The article examines how Otway treats the love story of Romeo and Juliet, namely, which elements he rewrites, which are left exactly as in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, and which are completely removed from the text of Otway’s play. Thus, the adaptation is regarded as a kind of translation within the framework of a single national tradition — from the language of the Elizabethan era to the language of the Restoration. Of particular importance are the changes made by Otway to the final episode of the play (the lovers get a chance to say goodbye to each other before their death, which does not exist in Shakespeare’s play). It is also important to mention that Otway’s play reflects the political situation of his epoch. Otway’s interpretation influenced all subsequent adaptations and European (German and French) translations of the 18th century.
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spelling doaj-art-2f3080e06cce401d9fdb1ca063c30b392025-08-20T03:27:42ZengRussian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration. RANEPAШаги2412-94102782-17652024-12-0110430332110.22394/2412-9410-2024-10-4-303-32115The political relevance of a love story: Thomas Otway’s interpretation of Shakespeare’s Romeo and JulietE. M. Lutsenko0Российский государственный гуманитарный университет; Российская академия народного хозяйства и государственной службы при Президенте РФThe article is devoted to the reception of Shakespeare’s works in England in the last third of the 17th century, when Shakespeare’s plays were rewritten for the stage and adapted to the contemporary conditions and rules of English drama. Thomas Otway is considered one of the major translator-interpreters of Shakespeare plays into the language of his own modernity. The article examines how Otway treats the love story of Romeo and Juliet, namely, which elements he rewrites, which are left exactly as in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, and which are completely removed from the text of Otway’s play. Thus, the adaptation is regarded as a kind of translation within the framework of a single national tradition — from the language of the Elizabethan era to the language of the Restoration. Of particular importance are the changes made by Otway to the final episode of the play (the lovers get a chance to say goodbye to each other before their death, which does not exist in Shakespeare’s play). It is also important to mention that Otway’s play reflects the political situation of his epoch. Otway’s interpretation influenced all subsequent adaptations and European (German and French) translations of the 18th century.https://steps.ranepa.ru/jour/article/view/16thomas otwaywilliam shakespearetranslationadaptationenglish theatre
spellingShingle E. M. Lutsenko
The political relevance of a love story: Thomas Otway’s interpretation of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet
Шаги
thomas otway
william shakespeare
translation
adaptation
english theatre
title The political relevance of a love story: Thomas Otway’s interpretation of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet
title_full The political relevance of a love story: Thomas Otway’s interpretation of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet
title_fullStr The political relevance of a love story: Thomas Otway’s interpretation of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet
title_full_unstemmed The political relevance of a love story: Thomas Otway’s interpretation of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet
title_short The political relevance of a love story: Thomas Otway’s interpretation of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet
title_sort political relevance of a love story thomas otway s interpretation of shakespeare s romeo and juliet
topic thomas otway
william shakespeare
translation
adaptation
english theatre
url https://steps.ranepa.ru/jour/article/view/16
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