Rhetoric in Shakespeare s Hamlet

This dissertation is an empirical descriptive research into the differences of the rhetorical device translations in the 12 Chinese versions of William Shakespeares Hamlet. The frequent use of rhetorical devices is one of the writing norms during Renaissance； however, the reason why Shakespeares plays can stand out among his contemporary works and why he can become one of the worlds famous playwrights have much to do with his creative and skillful usage of rhetorical devices. Rhetorical devices are no longer the ornament to the language in his plays, but the means to his construction of the plays theme, atmosphere and characters. In China, the past one hundred years have witnessed the emergence of many translations of Shakespeares plays and relevant researches. Nevertheless, among the researches, there are very few that take rhetorical devices as the main topic, and even fewer that focus on their translations. Moreover, most of the existing studies take a prescriptive approach, comparing and making judgment about the pros and cons of different translations instead of looking into the factors that make what the translations are. This dissertation will take this niche and research into the rhetorical device translations of Hamlet. A model of rhetorical device translation methods will be applied to find out the different translation strategies applied by different translators. Based on the data found, the dissertation then tries to figure out the possible factors that affect the decision-making process of the translators. The dissertation has found that the form and content of the devices, the style adopted by the translators either prose or verse), the translation purpose either for reading or for performing), the translation approach either domestication or foreignization), and the personal preference of the translator will all affect the translation results. Finally, regularities about the interrelationship of these factors are concluded. Keywords: Hamlet,