Thanks to frequently updated translations that dispense with the archaic Renaissance language, foreign audiences often find the Bard easier to follow. In the original opening scene, the Earl of Kent reacts to being exiled by saying: "Sith thus thou wilt appear, Freedom lives hence, and banishment is here." There were howls of protest when the Oregon Shakespeare Company set out to translate his works into contemporary English in 2015 ("The danger to Shakespeare is real," thundered one petition). "English audiences are at a disadvantage because the language has evolved and is more and more distant. "He himself modernized the English language for the Renaissance era."

Source: Libya Today October 16, 2022 03:31 UTC