When does an adaptation or translation of a play become a different play?
Are there essential elements of a play that define it, which would, if changed render a different piece of work? How much of the plot and characters can be modified or adapted and still retain the essence of the original work?
Let's look at Hamlet specifically. What about the play Hamlet makes it Hamlet? I mentioned before that I found a German version of the Hamlet story from 1710, called "Der Bestrafte Brudermord", which has enough similarities to Shakespeare's play that some scholars believe it is a translation of Shakespeare's Hamlet, but with enough differences that others believe it may be the Ur-Hamlet, or original Hamlet text that Shakespeare based his play on.
There are enough similarities, including some word-for-word direct translations of the Shakespearean text, that I would definitely consider this German play a version of Hamlet. It shares so many of the theatrical elements, such as the ghost haunting the watch on the battlements, Hamlet acting mad while plotting his revenge, the play-within-the-play that proves the king's guilt, Hamlet does not kill his uncle because he is praying, Hamlet goes to his mother and kills the chamberlain who is hiding behind the curtain, Ophelia dies, the chamberlain's son returns and challenges Hamlet, the king rigs the fight with a poisoned dagger and wine, the chamberlain's son is stabbed with his own poisoned dagger, the queen drinks the poisoned wine, all is confessed, Hamlet kills the king, then dies.
With all of these similarities it doesn't really matter that instead of Polonius and Laertes they are named Corambus and Leornardo. It doesn't really matter that instead of drowning Ophelia throws herself off of a mountain. It doesn't really matter that there is a strange prologue that has nothing to do with the rest of the play. Despite these differences, the general plot and characters are the same, so I would call this play a translation of Hamlet that is shorter and simpler, but Hamlet still the same.
Contrast this with the movie Strange Brew. Yes, that movie. Apparently, it is based off of Hamlet, but could you still call it a Hamlet story? Here are two articles that outline the similarities and the ways in which the movie is based on Hamlet. But there are so many differences, and the similarities are so subtle or misunderstood, like naming the brewery Elsinore, which is the name of the castle in Hamlet, but is only mentioned a few times throughout the play. From some quick internet searches it appears that most people are surprised when they hear that this movie is based on Hamlet, doesn't that tend to suggest that this is not a true adaptation of Shakespeare? Doesn't an adaptation or a translation need to have enough vestiges of the original that it is recognizable? How many liberties are authors or artists allowed to take, while still calling their work derivative of another?
Coming back to Shakespeare's Hamlet, what are the basic elements of Hamlet that define this play? Which elements of Hamlet would you have to have in order to call a piece of work a version, an adaptation, or a translation?
1. Names -- I would say that names are not necessary. We see so many film adaptations of Shakespeare or other works where names are changed, but enough of the other elements are similar that the connection is still recognizable. Even though Polonius is called Corambus in Der Bestrafte Brudermord, it is still obvious that they are the same character, which leads to the next point:
2. Characters -- As previously mentioned, names are not so important, but characters are. Even if they have different names the characters should be recognizable because of their quirks or traits. Bob and Doug McKenzie of Strange Brew, are recognizable as Rosencrantz and Guildenstern because of their clownish behaviour and their cluelessness to what is going on around them.
3. Plot -- The general elements of plot need to be similar enough that they are recognizable. As plot elements are changed the story is changed and you begin to lose your connection to the source material. What would happen if the ghost of Hamlet's father never visited him? What if Hamlet never acted crazy? What if Polonius or Ophelia never died? These changes would drastically alter the play that it would soon not be recognizable as Hamlet.
4. Setting -- Setting can easily be changed, as we see so many adaptations of Shakespeare that are set in modern settings, or in other countries. Because of Shakespeare's wonderful understanding of human nature, these plays still work. As long as the plot and the characters are still recognizable, setting can be whatever the director wants. I thoroughly enjoyed BYU's ETC production of Much Ado About Nothing which was set in post-WWII America, I think they did a great job of keeping the essential elements of the play, but modernizing it to make it accessible to a current audience.
What are your thoughts? When does an adaptation or a translation of a work cease being derivative and become a work on its own? What pieces of a play are the essential elements that can not be violated?
