Activity: Talk or presentation types › Invited talk
Description
Dr Todd Andrew Borlik, lecturer in the Department of English Literature at Hull University, proceeded to give a fascinating account of Natsume Sōseki’s negative response to Shakespeare. Sōseki (1867-1916) ‘audaciously’ criticised Shakespeare from ‘a Japanese point of view’, pointing out that the issue of suicide as seen in Hamlet is not so great a concern in a non-Christian country like Japan. Nor was the idea of a man marrying his sister-in-law – as with Gertrude and Claudius – problematic in Japan. Furthermore, the strong appetite for revenge in Japanese theatre can make Hamlet’s vacillation difficult to comprehend.
Period
7 Jul 2016
Event title
Hamlet and Japan: An Evening of Talks and Performances