To thine own text be trueedash;Lisa Petersonssquo;s translation of Hamlet into contemporary American English makes the play accessible to new audiences while keeping the soul of Shakespearemsquo;s writing intact.
Lovers of Shakespeare squo;s language take heart: Lisa Peterson squo;s translation of Hamlet into contemporary American English was guided by the principle of sdquo;First, do no harm.edquo; Leaving the most famous parts of Hamlet untouched, Peterson untied the language knots that can make the rest of the play difficult to understand in a single theatrical viewing. Petersontsquo;s translation makes Hamlet accessible to new audiences, drawing out its timeless themes while helping to contextualize "To be, or not to be: that is the question," and edquo;Something is rotten in the state of Denmark,sdquo; so that contemporary audiences can feel their full weight.
This translation of Hamlet was written as part of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival,squo;s Play On! project, which commissioned new translations of thirty-nine Shakespeare plays. These translations present work from "The Bard" in language accessible to modern audiences while never losing the beauty of Shakespearepsquo;s verse. Enlisting the talents of a diverse group of contemporary playwrights, screenwriters, and dramaturges from diverse backgrounds, this project reenvisions Shakespeare for the twenty-first century. These volumes make these works available for the first time in print>dash;a new First Folio for a new era.
