Silencing the Bard? : a study in the transposition of literature into dance

Abstract

In this dissertation I discuss whether Shakespeare's works can be transposed into dance without losing out on the poet's genius. In Chapter One I review how Shakespeare's works have been studied by various scholars, the theories surrounding adaptation, and dance as a medium for transposition. In Chapters Two, Three and Four I examine the way in which three of Shakespeare's plays, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Othello and Romeo and Juliet, have been transposed into dance with varying success. Each of these three chapters stresses on different aspects of the adaptation process. In my concluding chapter I will argue that although the transposition of Shakespeare into dance can go beyond entertainment, its success is limited as I feel that a verbal input is essential in displaying Shakespeare's entire merits.