Shakespeare in a Postmodernistic Light

To be bored or not to be bored... that is the question most people pose when faced with the task of reading a Shakespeare play. The language is usually the culprit in every instance whether one is reading a Tragedy or a Comedy. For in itself, Will was a masterful storyteller whose stories pretty much can be applicable in any time period. But when bringing Hamlet or Taming of the Shrew to the stage or big screen, reflecting the work in a postmodern vein renders the story more accessible to broader audience. Some proponents of the Classically structured art as true art would reduce Taymor's Titus or Lurhmann's Romeo to the level of pop-art and thus not worthy of serious consideration. The point of modernizing such works, I believe, is not to take away from the Classical seriousness of the work. Rather, to bring the themes and story into a more digestible form so that everyone may be able to appreciate the message in the work. I have read Romeo and I've seen a Classical production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. While I was able to appreciate the beauty of these pieces, I got more enjoyment from a more contemporary or modernized version, even when the original dialogue is used. The coupling of a modern setting with the traditional language helps the audience to see the work as not just an updated version of a Shakespeare piece, but it brings the issues within the play into a comprehendable view. Yes, Othello may say, ""... An honorable murderer, if you will; for nought I did in hate, but all in honor.", but we see Laurence Fishburn has killed his wife thinking she's been unfaithful and we understand exactly how he feels.

The OverKill of Titus Andronicus

While it could be said that Taymor's adaptation of W.S.'s Titus went waaaayyyyy over the top, I would argue that she, as well as old W.S., were utilizing their creativity to simply tell a powerful story. What meaning of the story is up to the individual. It was clear for me. Of course we all know that real life doesn't work that way... then again, maybe it does? Maybe in someones sad and twisted world, if they are not shown the mercy - the kindness - that they ask for then maybe it does become their life mission to bring about the systematic and total annihilation of their enemy. Maybe. And then what could we say about that person - that they have lost their humanity, that they have become a "ravenous tiger" (Shakespeare, 106, Act V.3) and thus they are only to be foul carnage for the "beasts and birds to prey" (Shakespeare, 106, Act V.3)? But then, who was the more inhumane, the one who got screwed over and eventually went on a vengeful rampage, or the one of whom kindness was requested and yet withheld it? It could be said that the focus of the story is not so much on spending one's life being a total b**** when you're screwed. I looked at the texts as a glimpse into the potential madness the human being can slip into when immersed in a quagmire of hatred. Yes, the story was about Titus in title but there'd be no story without Tamora and Aaron. Titus was a reactionary and a pawn in their game of deception and retaliation. She used her 'wiles' to manipulate and twist Titus and Saturninus, and got not one drop of blood directly on her calculating little hands. She was clever, indeed. But was she right? Here lies the question of our humanity. To say that she wasn't, considering the tragic and cold-blooded act that drove her to her scheme, would be to say that a mother who violently and needlessly loses a child should just mourn and move on. Sorry, but it ain't that easy. To say that she was justified would reveal the respondent as having the potential to be just as animalistic as Tamora was. Ah, now here's the rub. There are goo-gobs of moms right here in the good ol' U.S. of A. who've lost children to the savage and inhumane acts of gang violence. Many of these moms never got to ask the shooters for mercy before their babies were slaughtered. And yet many of these moms do seek revenge. Like Tamora, they fight back. They take their battle to the streets and to the political officials to get handguns off the streets, to get more frequent and proactive police presence, and to systematically and totally annihilate the gang activity in their neighborhoods. And they never get a drop of blood on their hands. Tamora fought back. Taymor and ol' Willy may have gone over the top with the violence. But in looking beyond labeling the texts as campy, one could find a deeper meaning within the actions of the players.