A UNIQUE COMPLETE EDITION IN INDIVIDUAL EDITIONS OF SHAKESPEARE'S WORKS
- hugo2825
- 25. Jan.
- 3 Min. Lesezeit
There are numerous German translations of Shakespeare's plays and non-dramatic works, ranging from the very early ones by Wieland (from 1762) and Eschenburg (1775-1782) through Schlegel-Tieck-Baudissin (1789-1833) in the Romantic era to more recent translations by Richard Flatter, Rudolf Schaller (from the former GDR), Hans Rothe, Erich Fried, Thomas Brasch, and Frank Günther. The list of Shakespeare translators over the centuries is far from complete.
Shakespeare's work is complex; every single word carries weight, with a multitude of associations and hidden, often crude and obscene, allusions. Translations usually fail to unlock this almost inexhaustible depth of meaning and render it adequately in German. Dorothea Tieck's verse translation of Macbeth from 1833, for example, sounds beautiful, but the beauty of the verse often comes at the expense of the content. The rich meaning cannot be confined or forced into verse. The translation is imprecise, often almost inaccurate. Schiller experienced a similar fate with his adaptation of this drama in 1800, which is self-contained but nevertheless widely regarded as a pale imitation of the original.
The only German edition that allows readers to fully grasp the meaning of Shakespeare's plays, historical dramas, and non-dramatic works in German is the study edition published by the German Shakespeare Society . The German prose version on the left-hand page renders the original English text on the right as faithfully and accurately as possible. Extensive notes below the text provide valuable additional information for those wishing to delve deeper. Given the aforementioned insurmountable translational challenges, it goes without saying that a translation aiming for optimal understanding of Shakespeare's original text must forgo verse and instead use prose. This new translation is therefore primarily intended for readers who wish to understand the meaning of Shakespeare's plays as precisely as possible, though this does not preclude its use for performance.
In each volume, the English-German text in the middle is preceded by a unique and comprehensive introduction that presents the wealth of references to the play from its very beginnings to the present day – to English and German stage and literary reception history, to rewritings, to Macbeth in music, in the visual arts, in film, on television, even on radio, to name just a few areas.
The English-German text is followed by a detailed commentary on each scene, which reveals the complexity of the play and promotes a broader understanding, be it in terms of literary or theatrical history, staging today, references to philosophy, artistic representations of various kinds, and much more. A list of used and recommended literature on all aspects of the play can be found at the end of each volume.
The complete edition presents Shakespeare's works according to the current state of scholarly knowledge and is published by Stauffenburg Verlag in Tübingen ( www.stauffenburg.de ) under the careful management of Brigitte Narr . The complete works are nearing completion; a rich, final harvest is now being reaped.
One of the Bard's three greatest works is still missing: Macbeth . But "the Scottish play" will be released in spring 2024! For those who want to know more...
Why the brutal serial killer Macbeth nevertheless enjoys widespread public sympathy – whether Lady Macbeth is truly “a very wicked beast” (Heinrich Heine) – or whether feminist literary criticism rightly rehabilitates her – what downright absurd and bizarre rewritings have emerged from the framework of Macbeth – why Macbeth was rarely performed in the Third Reich – what role the drama played in the GDR – why Macbeth is one of the most frequently set plays to music (even though the text is entirely without music…) – why so many visual artists have adapted the play – which of the numerous film adaptations of the drama have which merits – whether Laurence Olivier succeeded in his role as Macbeth – which highly renowned actors and actresses from 1606 to the present day have played the roles of the protagonist couple, how well or how poorly – or why numerous great actors have actually often failed in this role – why Macbeth is considered a play of misfortune, whose name actors and actresses avoid even uttering – why…why…
Anyone interested in these and numerous other questions and aspects of Shakespeare's Macbeth should not miss the forthcoming volume.
The cover image will feature Johann Heinrich Füssli's (or, in its anglicized form, Henry Fuseli) painting "The Three Witches or the Weird Sisters" (1783), which, at the request of the undersigned editor, has been kindly provided to the Stauffenburg publishing house for the study edition by the Kunsthaus Zürich; and which, along with numerous other Shakespeare paintings by the great Füssli/Fuseli, can be admired at the Kunsthaus Zürich.
When shall we three meet again? In thunder, lightning, or in rain? (I.1.1-2)
