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Abstract: This Master’s Thesis is based on a stylistic analysis and comparison of Shakespeare’s Macbeth and Nikolai Semyonovich Leskov’s Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, in particular the two accomplices and their direct speech. Shakespeare's Macbeth is a well-known tragedy with five homicides committed in fight for the throne. Leskov's Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk is a lesser-known Russian novel, in which an oppressed wife Katerina and her lover commit a series of crimes to achieve their goals. These works feature four protagonists: Macbeth and Katerina, and their partners and accomplices Lady Macbeth and Sergei. Because of the latter two, the plots lead the heroes to their bitter ends. Even though these works do not seem to have much in common, further analysis shows various parallels and shared elements. Shakespeare’s Macbeth is a dramatic tragedy, while Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk is a novel. Even though Aristotle (1959, 8) claims that tragedy is intrinsically connected with the dramatic genre, we were able to determine that this novel contains numerous elements of tragedy and can be analyzed as a tragedy. Furthermore, we discovered many parallels between the two: both follow the life of the protagonist, who each have one accomplice (i.e., Lady Macbeth and Sergei). They all desire a better life, and in order to achieve their dreams, they are willing to commit crimes. They all make fatal mistakes and are doomed to fail. In both texts, four murders take place. Our goal was to determine if the crucial murders are more thoroughly presented than the others. Then we analyzed the direct speech (figures of speech) of Sergei and Lady Macbeth in some crucial moments: when manipulating their loved ones and towards the end, when desperation and aggression strike out. When manipulating their partners, they mostly use echphonesis, repetition, antonomasia, sarcasm and antithesis. Towards the end, they become aggressive and anxious. They mostly use erotemas, ecphonesis, antonomasia, irony and sarcasm.
Keywords: William Shakespeare, Nikolai Semyonovich Leskov, Macbeth, Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, stylistic analysis
Published in DKUM: 21.01.2021; Views: 1195; Downloads: 117
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Abstract: The use and formation of diminutives in English and Slovene differ to a considerable extent. The main categorization of diminutives into two groups according to their morphological structure classifies them into analytic and syntactic diminutives. On the one hand, it seems that in the English language it is difficult to find syntactic diminutives; this language apparently favors the analytical ones. On the other hand, there is a high frequency of syntactical diminutives in Slovene. These general characteristics of the two languages are expected to be replicated in literary works, therefore, also in drama, which – at least in theory – comes as close to spoken discourse as possible. These differences will therefore become evident in the contrastive analysis of Shakespeare’s Hamlet and its three Slovene translations. Furthermore, it will be interesting to see how the diminutives, their structure, function and even existence will vary in the process of translation from one language into the other. This thesis thus explores diminutives in four versions of this famous play by William Shakespeare: the original Hamlet and its three Slovene translations, which were completed over a relatively long time span by three different Slovene translators. Contrastive analysis shows that there are significant differences when it comes to the usage of diminutives. It is not just their presence, absence or modification that is interesting, but more importantly it is their stylistic function. Diminutives in the traditional sense mark “smallness,” but several other important functions emerge within dramatic texts. Emotional nakedness proved to be one of the most important roles and functions. In this role, they can express endearment, sarcasm, irony, facetiousness and many other stylistic and semantic nuances. If a diminutive is present in the original and carries emotional markedness, it is highly important for the translator to do his or her best to preserve this markedness (or compensate for it with a similar type of markedness) in the translation and thus retain the style of the original. If the translator is unsuccessful in this undertaking, regardless of whether objective reasons for such translation shifts exist, the translation inevitably loses. Questions related to changes in the interpretative potential of the translation versus the original represent one of the central issues in this Master’s thesis. Shakespeare has a long tradition in the Slovene cultural space and, therefore, in the Slovene context – and vice versa: Slovene readers and theatregoers have been acquainted with his plays for a long time. Hamlet has been translated into Slovene more than five times, and even more adaptations exist. The first translation of Hamlet dates back to the late 19th century, and the most recent to 2013 (translated by Srečko Fišer), which makes a time span of more than a hundred years. Because of multiple existing translations, this drama is a perfect candidate for a contrastive analysis such as this thesis and its research into the preservation of stylistic elements in translation. Only three translations are examined in this thesis, but they differ from each other in many respects. Considering their core characteristics, we could afford to label each of them with a distinctive adjective: Oton Župančič’s translation could be seen as the “traditional” one, Janko Moder’s as “experimental” and Milan Jesih’s as “modern.” Each translator has his own approach to the translation of diminutives, their employment, function and even formation; in some cases (but not all), one could even call it strategy. This means that if there is a diminutive in the original, it is not necessary that all (if any) of these translators will preserve it.
Keywords: William Shakespeare, Hamlet, contrastive analysis, translation, stylistics, diminutives, emotional markedness
Published in DKUM: 03.10.2018; Views: 1214; Downloads: 111
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Abstract: William Shakespeare's plays have had countless adaptations on stage and film, because his 16th century plays can still be made modern and interesting nowadays. They can be adapted to the modern world or played out in costumes and settings appropriate for their original contexts. This thesis will explore whether the temporal and cultural context alters the way the play is interpreted over decades. That is why the thesis will deal with three films: The Tragedy of Othello: The Moor of Venice, directed by Orson Welles, made in 1952; Othello, directed by Oliver Parker, made in 1995; and O, directed by Tim Blake Nelson, made in 2001. Each screenwriter and director has their own vision of a story they are trying to tell, whether it be an adaptation, appropriation or an original work. This thesis will explore whether the main theme of Othello remained intact across all three adaptations or whether, despite being changed to some extent, the adaptation can still be recognised as Othello.
Keywords: William Shakespeare, Othello, Iago, Desdemona, adaptation, appropriation, film, play, director, Orson Welles, Oliver Parker, Tim Blake Nelson, theme, cultural context, temporal context
Published in DKUM: 04.01.2016; Views: 1742; Downloads: 116
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