The Romance of Three Hamlets: Shakespeare through a Chinese Prism [Paperback]

Through a metaphorical journey of Shakespeare in traditional Chinese theatre, using three Chinese opera productions of?Hamlet?as signposts, the book discusses the relationship between Shakespeare and Chinese theatrical traditions.

Through a metaphorical journey of Shakespeare in traditional Chinese theatre, using three Chinese opera productions of Hamlet as signposts, the book discusses the relationship between Shakespeare and Chinese theatrical traditions.

A brief discussion of the Yue-opera Hamlet looks back at the role of Shakespeare in the Chinese discourse of renaissance and re-evaluation of traditions since the early twentieth century. A detailed analysis of the Peking-opera Hamlet shows what is lost and what is gained in the negotiation between Shakespeare and Chinese theatrical traditions, and why. The third Hamlet is an experimental Kun-opera production, leading to a discussion of the potential for Shakespeare and Chinese theatrical traditions to join hands and reach new depths of artistic expression.

The book will attract researchers, students, and enthusiasts of Shakespeare, cross-cultural Shakespearean recreation, Chinese theatrical traditions, and comparative literature.

I Introduction  II Yue-Opera Hamlet and the Dual Tradition  III Peking-Opera Hamlet and the Haunted Stage  IV Kun-Opera Hamlet and the I between Tradition and the Present  V Shakespeare and the Ageing Operas on the Scene

Hao Liu is associate professor of English literature and comparative literature at Tsinghua University. Her research interests are Shakespeare and Chinese literary tradl³,