Evolution of the Shakespeare Adaptation

“For somebody who has been dead for nearly four hundred years, William Shakespeare remains awfully active. Hardly a month goes by, it seems, that there isn’t some fairly momentous claim or discovery relating to his life or work.”(9)
– Bill Bryson, Shakespeare: The Illustrated and Updated Edition

Bryson’s introduction to one of the most current publications of Shakespeare studies accurately illustrates the subsistence of Shakespeare’s life and work in global culture today. What makes this fact even more notable is how Shakespeare has been able to exist in the world as a renewable literary resource. The only logic explanation to justify Shakespeare’s perpetual literary presence lies within the text itself. As for any distinguished writer or dramatist, the thematic reading of the given piece should reflect the social practices and moral standards of the era in which it was written (or takes place). This fact holds validity in any adaptation, any art form like film or music that transports a preexistent idea into a new context. With this in mind, it’s essential to examine Shakespearean literature in a historic light, and to identify each work as a representation of a given social environment. Looking at Shakespeare’s plays, in particular, the reader is able to recognize numerous thematic and situational reoccurrences that seem to collectively exemplify one unified proposal of the social practices existent in the time of Shakespeare. One topic; however, stands as the most prevalent and revisited subject in Shakespeare’s plays. A social dilemma so universally understood that it has carried Shakespeare for hundreds of years to the present day. A captivating social normalcy that eventually provided for Shakespeare’s literary immortality: Love. To understand the Shakespearean perception of love, we must first acknowledge the environment in which he, himself, experienced this phenomenon. Said to have been born in April of 1564, Shakespeare’s entrance into the world seemed to ironically juxtapose the countless departures endured as a result of the plague. As Bryson astutely puts, “Shakespeare was born into a world that was short of people and struggled to keep those it had.”(40) Considering how death was such a familiar aspect of life for Shakespeare, it’s easy to draw connections between the impression of death seen in the plays and the actuality of death present in Shakespeare’s own community. Despite Shakespeare’s seemingly unending encounter with death and disease, he seems to have maintained a genuine affection towards the inner workings of love and relationships. Shakespeare’s own love story began at the age of eighteen when he married Anne Hathaway. During Bryson’s examination of Shakespeare’s marital history he mentions how “it was not unusual for a bride to be pregnant on her wedding day. Up to 40 percent of brides were in that state—It was unusual, however, for a young man to be married at eighteen, as Shakespeare was.”(62).
This information gives way to various connections between the literary life and actual life of Shakespeare. There are several references to young age in Shakespeare’s plays, in particular, Romeo & Juliet. In act II scene III of the play, Friar Lawrence states, “So soon forsaken? Young men 's love then lies not truly in their hearts, but in their eyes”, remarking on Romeo’s foolishness for falling in and out of love so swiftly. Shakespeare’s own marriage mirrors this same notion of a rushed relationship seeing as how he and is wife purchased a marriage bond, which “cost £40 and permitted the marriage to proceed with one reading of the banns instead of the normal three, so that it might be conducted the sooner” according to Bryson (62). The reasoning behind this rush to the altar is unknown, however, seeing as how the purpose of the banns is to enable anyone to raise any canonical or civil legal hindrance to the marriage, so as to prevent marriages that are invalid, it seems that Shakespeare was perhaps in fear of having his marriage invalidated. Dealing with only facts, a logical explanation for this fear of invalidation was Shakespeare’s young age. Bryson states, “Men tended to marry in their mid to late twenties, women a little sooner.”(62) Perhaps Shakespeare’s own experience with marital controversy from his truncation of the banns gives authority to his criticism of social expectancies concerning marriage and relationships throughout his plays. This criticism of socially constructed relationships is seen in plays like A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Taming of the Shrew, Hamlet, and, of course, Romeo & Juliet. What is known about Shakespeare’s personal, marital life is limited. We’re restricted to these few arbitrary facts, which can be drawn to a variety of conclusions. “Two of the few certainties of Shakespeare’s life”, Bryson states, “are that his marriage lasted till his death and that he sent much of his wealth back to Stratford as soon as he was able, which may not be conclusive proof of attachment, but hardly argues against it.”(64)
Another notable reoccurrence in Shakespeare’s writing is the monarchy, and the many hidden controversies associated with the sovereigns of various kingdoms. What’s remarkable about the rule of England during the time of Shakespeare is the fact that a woman, Elizabeth I, was able to come to power as the Queen of England in an utter patriarchal society. There was endless debate over whether or not Elizabeth was fit to rule seeing as how she was viewed as an outlaw and a bastard in Catholic eyes. In addition, her ability to produce a male heir was in constant question. Bryson writes, “Even while Elizabeth survived, the issue of her succession remained a national preoccupation throughout her reign—and thus through a good part of Shakespeare’s life.”(48) It was illegal to even speculate about the Queens successor, and this topic soon emerged as a popular controversy that would eventually build a “quarter of Shakespeare’s plays around questions of royal succession.”(48) Shakespeare always seems to cleverly intertwine romance and politics, and the conflicts existent in his plays seem to be, at the very least, inspired by the many controversies of Elizabethan rule. Shakespeare’s illustrations of nobility take on a certain bias, however, seeing as how his society was woman-ruled. Whether this bias would entail negative or positive views of femininity is still questionable, considering how Shakespeare illustrates both demeaning and empowering images of women throughout the plays. Only dealing with facts, it seems that Shakespeare: citizen, laborer, brother, husband, and father, was simply a common man working towards a good life for he and his family. This comes to show that Shakespeare’s very existence in the commoner, middle-class is what ultimately allows his literature to maintain applicability throughout the ages. By identifying with the everyday contemplations of life, love and its tribulations, and the quandaries concerning the reality of noble life, Shakespeare is able to accompany the eternal reader by placing thematic significance on the undying realities of life. By writing through the perspective of a middle class commoner, Shakespeare is able to remark on the struggles of agency and identity experienced by the mediocrity of his community. Although Shakespeare’s conceptualization of love and relationships may no doubt be at variance with today’s ultramodern system of ‘online relations’, there still remains a surprising amount of congruencies concerning the social normalcy’s associated with gender. Gayle Rubin, author of The Traffic in Women, provides an accurate reading of the expectancies associated with femininity through the ages, “It is precisely this "historical and moral element" which determines that a "wife" is among the necessities of a worker, that women rather than men do housework, and that capitalism is heir to a long tradition in which women do not inherit, in which women do not lead, and in which women do not talk to god.”(31) This gender analysis provides an ideal layout to illustrate the status of women in a historical light. As a result of this established view of femininity, it seems that the lens through which the reader perceives Shakespearean literature should expect this gendered reading of social norms through the ages. In Shakespeare’s world renowned Hamlet, the issues associated with masculinity and gender identity are ever present. Hamlet’s dilemma is a complex one. He’s an adolescent returning from university just shortly after the death of his father, the beloved King of Denmark. Not only does the reader recognize the plays association with death, but also the affairs of the monarch. As mentioned previously, Shakespeare shares a direct connection to both of these matters. The main conflict of the play deals with the fact that Hamlet’s widowed mother has married the brother of her late husband. Textually, Hamlet’s moment of suspicion seems to commence in his first appearance in the play. This suspicion is greater seen in film adaptations such as Laurence Olivier’s production of Hamlet, in which Hamlet is portrayed as an unendingly resentful boy. Much of Hamlet’s struggle in coming to terms with the death of his father is precipitated by his failure to obtain a sound self-identity. Given Hamlet’s youthful state, there are several expectancies associated with his character, and his inability to cope with these inescapable growing pains is what ultimately brings forth the demise of his character. As a result of the Queens marital corruption with her brother-in-law, what Hamlet ultimately fears is the institution of marriage. In addition to Hamlet’s skepticism towards love and marriage, his affectionate relationship with Horatio remains curious. As Kimmel tells us in Guyland, ‘‘Masculinity is a homosocial experience, performed for, and judged by, other men.” An interesting feature of this relationship is that they address each other by the formal "you" in company, but always by the intimate "thee, thou" when they 're alone. One of the more ‘homoerotic’ scenes occurs in Act I scene V when Hamlet and Horatio are conversing:
“Hamlet Why, right; you are i ' the right;
And so, without more circumstance at all,
I hold it fit that we shake hands and part:
You, as your business and desire shall point you;
For every man has business and desire,
Such as it is; and for mine own poor part,
Look you, I 'll go pray.” (133-139)
This seems like a nearly direct allusion to Hamlet’s puzzlement towards his own sexuality. Especially when he says, “For every man has business and desire” it appears to allude to Hamlet’s own hidden desires, and perhaps an insinuation of his love for Horatio. Considering the Guyland premise that men are in constant performance for the other men around them, Hamlet seems to struggle with the terms associated with heterosexuality, marriage in particular, and this very skepticism towards sexuality generates a fear that Hamlet is unable to conform to the normalcy’s of masculinity. As a result, he’s at risk for appearing feminine and ‘unmanly’ as his devious uncle puts it. In terms of the social construct associated with the story, Hamlet seems to be a representative of opposition. He is unable to procure his sexual identity and, as a result, he is enveloped in an ocean of indecision. This aspect of indecision is what ultimately defines Hamlet’s character in terms of gender. Due to Hamlet’s unending fear of being unable to avenge his father, being unable to bear the treacheries of marriage, and being unable to find stability as a maturing male, he convinces himself that the path of inaction is better than doing anything at all. Hamlet’s experience with love, as illustrated by his mother, is that of deceit and corruption, and considering the magnitude of the mother/son relationship, he finds difficulty in finding the pomp and triumph of marriage his mother and uncle so easily do. Hamlet eventually becomes portrayed as a victim of his very own social environment, and his resistance to gender conformities is the ultimate cause of his death. What can be said regarding Shakespeare’s supposed implications of social environments may vary, however, on the surface of the play, it seems as if Shakespeare is saying that resistance to the predestined progression of sexual identity is a path that cannot guarantee survival. Hamlet could’ve either accepted the order of the world as it was, or acted upon creating a better world despite his unfortunate circumstances. Hamlet, however, is unable to do either, and thus he’s consumed by the continuance of the corrupt environment in which he lives. In terms of agency, Romeo of Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet juxtaposes Hamlet’s course of inaction when faced with questions of sexuality. Perhaps reminiscent of Shakespeare’s own personal experience with a rushed, youth impulsed love, seeing as how he was married at the early age of eighteen, not to mention his truncation of the banns for a speedier ceremony. Romeo’s character is love stricken from his first appearance in the play, in contrast to Hamlet who is to confused to concentrate his affection. Romeo is seen constantly immersing himself in the idea of love. This is seen in Romeo’s aimless affection for Rosaline, and his incomprehensibly rapid transition from one girl to the other. Although the flowery language and romance of play give the impression that the love between Romeo & Juliet is genuine, there are consistent foreshadows and warnings concerning the repercussions of a hurried love. Romeo represents the alternative side to the fears associated with masculinity. He and Mercutio, similar to Hamlet and Horatio, share a strong, seemingly homoerotic relationship that’s exercised throughout the play. Romeo’s encounter with questions of sexuality, however, differs from Hamlet’s in the sense that Romeo embraces action to provide satisfaction while Hamlet accepts inaction in attempt to alleviate his worst fears. Love, as Shakespeare illustrates in the play, has consequences of its own. It was only until Romeo became infatuated with Juliet that Romeo’s relationship with Mercutio became compromised. In Romeo’s ‘performance’ of masculinity, he chases women around non-stop and inundates himself in the idea of love. This hurried manner of Romeo’s affection, in terms of his masculine ‘performance’, seems to be a display of normalcy’s associated with masculinity. An especially captivating example of this is seen in Baz Luhrman’s adaptation of the play in 1996. Just after Juliet has agreed to marry Romeo and Romeo has returned to his gang-like setting of friends, he begins to make sexual remarks like “My pump is well flowered”(ii. IV.), and he is showing a side that he would not dare show the precious Juliet. This illustrates the dividing identities associated with homo and heterosexual relations. Moments later in the scene, the nurse approaches and suddenly all of the sexual slurs were silenced, as Romeo sees his ultimate goal in his performance of masculinity to be in love with a woman. This love is what eventually leaves Romeo and Juliet victims of their social environment. Shakespeare seemed to have created a two dimensional view of relationships: one being married with a woman, and the other being same sex relationships. Through the death of Mercutio, the reader learns that the embracing of one relationship will, in turn, cancel out the other. Seeing as how Romeo’s romance with Juliet caused Tybalt to wound and kill Mercutio, it’s apparent how these binary relationships come to cancel each other out. It was the impulsive action behind Romeo’s love, after all, that precipitated the tragedy of his death, and Romeo’s attempt at this constant masculine performance caused him to lose all that he loved. Considering the social positioning of masculinity in this period, it seems that not much has changed in regards to communal expectancies. Even today, society continues to press influence upon the youth, and virtually instruct them to do what is commonly accepted. Conforming is a familiar feature of life, as Shakespeare realized, and the most interesting stories revolve around the people who expose the commonly accepted system as a corrupt, and devious institution. When we ask ourselves how a man has maintained such presence throughout the ages, all of the answers seem to point to the fact that love, death, and tragedy are all familiar aspects of the readers psyche. Shakespeare was able to associate with the everyday pains associated with love and sexuality. Although Shakespeare recognized the fact that love is, indeed, a bitch, it seemed as if he believed that a life without love isn’t a life worth living.

Works Cited
- Shakespeare, William, and Alan Durband. Romeo and Juliet. Woodbury, N.Y: Barron 's, 1985. Print
- Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Shakespeare: The Complete Dramatic and Poetic Works of William Shakespeare Red Letter Edition. Intr. Frederick D. Losey. Philadelphia: John C. Winston Company, 1952. 1000-1040.
- Bryson, Bill. Shakespeare : the Illustrated and Updated Edition. New York, NY: Atlas, 2009. Print.
- Ruben, Gayle. "The Traffic in Women." (1975). Print.

Cited: - Shakespeare, William, and Alan Durband. Romeo and Juliet. Woodbury, N.Y: Barron 's, 1985. Print - Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Shakespeare: The Complete Dramatic and Poetic Works of William Shakespeare Red Letter Edition. Intr. Frederick D. Losey. Philadelphia: John C. Winston Company, 1952. 1000-1040. - Bryson, Bill. Shakespeare : the Illustrated and Updated Edition. New York, NY: Atlas, 2009. Print. - Ruben, Gayle. "The Traffic in Women." (1975). Print.