Brothers,
By reading closely and carefully the work of literary masters such as Shakespeare, we learn how to write well ourselves. I know that it has been difficult and tedious work for you to understand the archaic English of Shakespeare's play. But hopefully the experience of interpreting his work will give you a greater appreciation for the richness of language and the many ways we can manipulate it to suit some greater, poetic purpose. That is at least my hope for you, anyway.
That said, I would like to have you flex your creative brain muscles once again: Please translate one of the following bits of dialogue from ACT III of The Merchant of Venice into plain, everyday speech.
You all seemed to do pretty well in the earlier translation exercises. Have a go at it again, and pay attention to how this activity is suited to help you understand the underlying themes and morals that come across in character speech.
III.1.ii 52-72 (Shylock's dialogue that begins, "To bait fish withal")
III.2.ii 1-24 (Portia's opening dialogue)
III.2.ii 42-74 (Portia's dialogue that begins, "Away then. I am locked in one of them...")
III.2.ii 75-110 (Bassanio's dialogue that begins, "So may the outward shows bet least themselves;")
III.2.ii 118-152 (Bassanio's dialogue that begins, "What find I here?")
III.2.ii 153-178 (Portia's dialogue the begins, "You see me, Lord Bassanio, where I stand...")
III.2.ii 261-282 (Bassanio's dialogue that begins, "O sweet Portia, / Here are a few of the...")
Monday, February 12, 2007
In Language We Learn: Translating Shakespeare
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
9 comments:
III.1.ii 52-72
My quest for revenge is so great anything could be consumed by it.
He had embarrassed me and held me up half a million times, laughed at me when I lost, made fun of me when I had excelled, disrespected my country, disrupted my deals, settled my friends, excited my enemies—and what was his reason? I am a Jew. I have the eyes of a jew, right? I have the hands of a jew, organs, size, senses, care, and enthusiasm. I am fed with the same food as them, hurt with the same weapons, exposed to the same diseases, cured by the same medicine, I am warmed by the same summer and cooled by the same winter aren’t I? If you stab us won’t we bleed? If you tickle us, don’t we laugh? If you poison us, don’t we die? And if you offend us, won’t we even it out? If we are like you in other things
as well, we will be similar to you. If a Jew offends a Christian, what is the matter? I would pay him back for what he had done.
If a Christian offend a Jew, what would he have done wrong by Christian morals? Why, he would avenge him. The evil you teach me I will show—and it would go down not so well but I would better the
teaching.
___________________________________
Original excerpt from Merchant of Venice:
To bait fish withal. If it will feed nothing else, it will feed
my revenge. He hath disgraced me and hindered me half a million, laughed at my losses, mocked at my gains, scorned my nation, thwarted my bargains, cooled my friends, heated mine enemies—and what's his reason? I am a Jew. Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions? Fed with the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject to the same diseases, healed by the same means, warmed and cooled by the same winter and summer as a Christian is? If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison us, do we not die? And if you wrong us, shall we not revenge? If we are like you in the rest, we will resemble you in that. If a Jew wrong a Christian, what is his humility? Revenge. If a Christian wrong a Jew, what should his sufferance be by Christian example? Why, revenge. The villainy you teach me I will execute—and it shall go hard but I will better the instruction.
III.2.ii 1-24
Please Bassanio, wait another day or two before making your choice. If you make the wrong choice i will lose your company. Somehthinng tells me, not love,but something else, that i do not want to lose you. you know that i if i did not like u i would not think that. But let me explain to you in case u dont understand. even though a woman should not be expressing thoguths. I am sayin that i would like you to stay a month or two before you take the test. i could tell you how to chose correctly but that would go against my fathers will. If you chose wrong you will lose me. If you do choose wrong i will wish for somehtin bad. id wish i had told you everything. your eyes have divided me in two. One half of me is your and the other half, my own belongs to you. I am all yours. But in these days people have no say of their property. So even if im yours, im not. If there is no way for me to be you than it is just bad luck. I am talkin to much, but i do this to make our time last longer and to keep you from making your choice.
III.2.ii 261-282
Portia, what I'm going to tell you is not very pleasant. Basically when I was brgging about all the money and riches I had, I should have been telling you that I had nothing--almost less than nothing. I received all the money from a friend that I actually consider an enemy, because he's Jewish. But what I'm asking is if Salerio's ventures have failed. He's been to Tripolis, Mexico, England, Lisbon, Barbary, and India, and not one of his vessels can escape the rocks that lie on the ocean floor?
To bait fish withal. I shall have my sweet revenge. He disgraced me and cost me half a million and then laughed at my losses, mocked my gains, scorned my fellow Jews, thwarted my bargains, cost me my friends, and greatened my enemies all because I am a Jew. Aren't Jews human too? Don't Jews have eyes? Don't Jews have hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions? Aren't Jews fed by the same food, hurt by the same weapons, vulnerable to the same diseases, healed by the same means, warmed and cooled by the same seasons as Christians? If you cut a Jew dosen't he bleed? If you tickle a Jew doesen't he laugh? If you poison a Jews dosen't he die? And if you mess wit a Jew won't he take revenge? If we are like you in these ways we are like you in all ways. If a Jew crosses a Christian waht happens? The Christian takes revenge. If a Christian harms a Jew what should he do in order to keep with the Christian model? Why take his Revenge!The evil ways you have shown me will be done, and it will be done hard as I will make it clearer.
III.2.ii 261-282
Dear Portia, These are not the nicest words. When I first met you I told you that all I had to offer was myself. Although this was true then, you will soon see that I would be bragging by calling myself nothing. When I told you I was nothing, I was lying, I was worse than nothing because I owed money to a friend. I let my friend suffer because of my debt. Here is a letter which holds the fate of my friend. Did all his expeditions really fail, Salerio? Not one of them made it back across the sea?
please,bassanio wait a few days before you pick a chest. If you are wrong then i will loose your companionship.I do not want to loose you,I feel special feelings for you, but they are not love.You could stay hear for several months, we could grow close and you could learn how to choose the right the chest.that would be dishonest so i could not do that,but you have split me in two one half is yours the other is ours to share. If you do choose wrong however i will wish i had cheated or sinned. Today people are too caught up in property, they should have no choice in who thier daughters marry but it i my father will. At this point i am rambling on but it is because i enjoy you so much and it is the best way to keep you in my presence
Bassanio III.2.ii 75-110
The outward appearance reveals not at all what the person really is. The world believes that a person is how he looks. A person, corrupt and bad can cover it up with a gracious voice and pleasing way. In religion a wrong doing can be blessed by a priest and made better with a prayer. Almost all sin or bad habit has on the outward appearance a virtuous side. Some men have outward appearances of strength but are inwardly shiftless and weak. Things that we purchase for beauty though actually weigh us down but wearing them makes us feel light and happy by some miracle and they are not heavy at all to the wearer. Portia has golden hair, that makes her seem to have a gentle spirit. Portia’s hair may not be hers because the hair came from someone else now dead and buried.
Beauty can lure even the wisest man to forsake his daily routines and come to shore, trapping him. But beauty covers up truth and that place beauty takes him to is deceiving.
I perceive the gold to be showy and false and I want nothing to do with it. It is unworthy for Portia. I don’t need her worth only her. I want your basic self the core of human beings. I am most moved by the simplest form of your character. The consequence of that simple nature without decorations is joy. Choose me as I have chosen you and my choosing will bring us joy.
III.2.ii 1-24 (Portia's opening dialogue)...
I beg that you slow down for just a day or two
Because if you mess up, and pick the wrong chest than I can't see you anymore
So slow down a bit
Something (that is not love) tells me that I do not want to lose you
And you know that you don't want to lose me either
If you don't understand me (sometimes people can't express exactly what they want to in words)
I would keep you here for a month or two before you try to guess a chest
I could tell you what is the right one, but I would have to punish myself
Therefore I will miss you and I can only hope that you miss me, too
But if you do come back after you've chosen wrong, then my wishes will have become a sin
Open your eyes, you haven't seen me for me, yet
Half of me is my own and half me is yours and in the end if you choose right I am all yours
These naughty (?) times but barriers between the owners and their rights (referring to herself and her own love, possibly?)
What is said to be yours really isn't yours in the long run
Let FORTUNE go to hell for it, but not me
I have spoken for too long to waste more time, to draw out your arrival as long as I possibly can,
To keep you from choosing the wrong chest
III.2 ii 1-24
I pray you spare us for a a day maybe two
Before you make a mistake and do wrong
I lose your support; therefore losing you
Something attracts me to you
I don't doubt you and you know that
You have note toward me
But you must understand where i am coming from
I will leave you for a time
But you will come find me
I could teach you to decipher what is right from wrong but you would not listen if i tried.
You will miss and therefore wish bad upon because i left you.
Then i would be hated upon.
You have what made what i am.
Half of me is me and the other half is you.
And half of you is me and the other half of you is you.
What's mine is yours and what is your's is mine.
These bad times have put bars in between us.
Let what happens happen for a reason.
I speak so long to you to get a message across to you that we have been changed for the worse.
Post a Comment