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[Servant Corps]

Anthropologist explains the play of 'Hamlet' to an African tribe. Hilarity ensures.

[Vector]

This is amazing.  Thanks much for the link.

[Aqizzar]

Well, it's a humorous story to be sure.  I think some of the difficulty in explaining Hamlet to the audience wasn't so much cultural barrier as cultural isolation on the audience's part.  For instance, here in the west, everyone basically knows what a djinni is (even if they don't know how to spell it), even though the concept of the djinni has essentially nothing to do with any western culture.  It's osmosis from hearings lots of little pieces from lots of other places, which isolated bushmen wouldn't have.

The other important take-away is that Shakespeare wrote some goddamn rambling tales.  I'll admit I'm barely familiar with the whole story of Hamlet, but that paragraph about Polonius' son seemed completely unnecessary, just for starters.  At least the story of the story didn't devolve into what I was expecting.  Not totally anyway.

[Neonivek]

Ehh Shakespeare is sort of over-rated as well, outside his greats you start to see... not so great ones.

Several of his plots seemed more like standard "Teach you a lesson" fanfare done in the more grewsome way possible (Dang it, Ill never get over that play!) where if you studied the plays and books of the time was actually quite standard and in fact often done better (not all, just some)

Though remember Aqizzar what we have now isn't Shakespeare's actual plays but a worked on collaberation between actors and other playwrights distilled into lines distilled into text.

So for all we know Polonius' son could have been very topical for the time. Heck Historians already figured MacBeth was fanservice for a very important patron.

[Willfor]

Shakespeare's primary advantage was not in his plotting (he generally took what had already been done and put his own spin on it), but the language he used. While you need a translator almost to find the real meaning behind the words, when you know what they are actually saying and you see good actors playing it you can see why he could put his audience in stitches. Everyone kind of had a good idea of where his plots were going to go (with a few surprises), but his poetry (back when poetry wasn't out of pop culture) drew them in.

And of course, Hamlet is just a bunch of modern quotes strung together.

[PenguinOverlord]

That was good.

[DJ]

Actually I think their interpretation is quite profound. Someone should present it to the literary community at large.

[scriver]

everyone basically knows what a djinni is (even if they don't know how to spell it)

Surely you're not saying people are wrong for spelling the word in English rather than than it's "original" form.

[Muz]

Lol, I enjoyed this. They sort of derailed the story, though, and it ended up some other story.

But heck, I thought the cultural barrier was really amusing. It's the sort of thing I bump into with Westerners when I try to explain why population control doesn't work in poor countries, or general paranormal stuff. Interesting to see it reversed.

[cowofdoom78963]

Everybody seems to understand Hamlet except for him.

[darkflagrance]

Though this story is humorous, it says more about the bad storytelling of the author and the isolation of the bushmen than it does about Shakespeare.

[Neonivek]

Though this story is humorous, it says more about the bad storytelling of the author and the isolation of the bushmen than it does about Shakespeare.

Well it is a lot like the video of the critical book analysis people who were given a children's book about I think the numbers... and they attributed it to wonderful wonderful worldly universal themes.

[Ampersand]

Though this story is humorous, it says more about the bad storytelling of the author and the isolation of the bushmen than it does about Shakespeare.

I think you missed the point. The point is that the author begins with the idea that certain concepts are universal, that everyone must understand the primary conflict of Hamlet because of this. The story that Shakespeare was telling cannot be misinterpreted by anyone, Shakespeare's intention and voice are too clear.

But if you throw out the western European family structure, super natural concepts, Christianity, an understanding of what it means to be crazy, Chivalry, western Honor, and romantic love, nothing makes sense.

[Neonivek]

Though this story is humorous, it says more about the bad storytelling of the author and the isolation of the bushmen than it does about Shakespeare.

I think you missed the point. The point is that the author begins with the idea that certain concepts are universal, that everyone must understand the primary conflict of Hamlet because of this. The story that Shakespeare was telling cannot be misinterpreted by anyone, Shakespeare's intention and voice are too clear.

But if you throw out the western European family structure, super natural concepts, Christianity, an understanding of what it means to be crazy, Chivalry, western Honor, and romantic love, nothing makes sense.

What!?! are you saying that Europe isn't the one true culture of the world!?!

wow

[Sir Pseudonymous]

But if you throw out the western European family structure, super natural concepts, Christianity, an understanding of what it means to be crazy, Chivalry, western Honor, and romantic love, nothing makes sense.

And if you throw out the meaning of words themselves, then nothing makes sense.


Besides, Hamlet's easy to understand: Hamlet was a violent schizophrenic who thought his dead father was telling him to murder his uncle.


I am reminded of the joke news item from Mass Effect about the all-elcor cast of Hamlet, whose director wanted the audience to "judge Hamlet by his actions, and not his emotions."