BEYOND THE PAGE: THE SEMIOTICS AND CULTURAL TRANSPOSITION OF SHAKESPEAREAN ADAPTATION
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.58885/ijllis.v15i2.58bzKeywords:
Shakespeare's plays, film adaptation, adaptation theory, semiotics, cultural context.Abstract
This paper explores why directors adapt Shakespeare’s plays for film, with particular focus on the shift from strict fidelity to creative reinterpretation in Shakespearean cinema. The main argument this study makes is that adaptation is of great importance, serving as a bridge between contemporary visual language and Elizabethan style, as illustrated by these two contrasting masterpieces, taken as a case study: “The Merchant of Venice” and “Romeo and Juliet.” The study develops ideas in adaptation theory, moving beyond a narrow reading of the original text and from a literal accuracy toward a broader awareness of cultural and semiotic innovation. In addition, works by Hutcheon (2006), Stam (2005), Leitch (2007), and Jackson (2000) help build a framework for the entire analysis by examining how film techniques, visual symbols, and cultural transpositions resuscitate Shakespeare’s plays for film’s contemporary audiences.
The paper gives particular attention to two modern adaptations — Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet (1996) and Michael Radford’s The Merchant of Venice (2004) — which embody contradictory adaptive strategies: one radically reframing Shakespeare for a popular contemporary audience, the other tracking historical realism, naturalism, and emotional depth and authenticity. It argues that strong adaptations preserve the emotional and thematic core of Shakespeare’s works, while giving directors the freedom to generate new meanings for today's society. Then the study uses a blended methodology, integrating qualitative analysis of the films’ semiotic and cinematic strategies with quantitative audience data brought together through questionnaires and semi-structured interviews with actors, directors, and viewers. The study concludes that film adaptations are distinctive artistic works that keep Shakespeare relevant and encourage creative exchange between the historical past and the present. The most effective adaptations function as what Hutcheon calls “hypertexts,” restoring the social and political energies of the source to modern audiences.
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