Image by Ronny Overhate from Pixabay
Should we rewrite the classics? My view is: Yes, kind of, but not in the way you might think. I’m not so arrogant as to think I have the right to tamper with other people’s writing, nor illiterate enough to believe that “fat” is a synonym for “enormously fat”, or so entitled as to think I know what people in the future will judge to be the right side of history (whatever that means) or so woke as to think children’s literature should be changed to avoid upsetting people who seem to be determined to find something to be upset about. No, what I’m referring to is not rewriting so much as reinterpreting, and I’m thinking in particular of some wonderful productions of Shakespeare’s plays I’ve seen.
I think putting the plays in a modern setting, for example, can make bring them to life for new audiences, and gives the director scope for a lot of playfulness.
For example, a production of Richard III in which his “heavy mob” all wore suits and dark glasses; the Hamlet production with David Tennant, in which CCTV is featured, or the production of Julius Caesar I saw in which the opening of Act 2 features somebody shredding some documents. That sort of thing is not merely playful: it is a great framing device that enables people to consider the text and the action in a different lighht.
As for rewriting the classics, I’ve collated a few articles on that subject, or related to it, starting with a marvellous article from Amanda Clark. It’s a lot of fun, so don’t let the title put you off reading it!