Creative Engagement: Shakespeare's Animated Theater

Jessica Paranczak's rumination "Shakespeare on a TV near you" actually got me thinking about more interpretations of Shakespeare. By far the most interesting interpretations that I could find (on YouTube) is BBC's Shakespeare: The Animated Tales. I think this is a really good chance to see a Shakespeare play interpreted without being limited by the resources of the stage or even live-action, and in ways it may actually be closer to how Shakespeare might have thought about them.
Each play is given a totally different treatment under different directors and some in different mediums (claymation, cell animation, puppets, etc.). The semester is winding down and a lot of us are dealing with finals and research papers, but if you get the chance I would definitely recommend you check out at least one of these episodes.

It was really interesting to see a low-budget prison production of the Tempest. I believe that creativity works best when your resources are lowest. But watching the Tempest in animated form with actual Shakespearean (actual British) actors is incredibly rewarding. Stop-motion animation always creeped me out so I apologize ahead of time.

THE TEMPEST

 

 The dark, gloomy, and violent Macbeth was done serious justice in this episode. I've got to say this is my favorite out of the bunch although I'm personally partial to Macbeth anyway. Award-winning actor Brian Cox tears up Denmark as the voice behind Macbeth.

MACBETH

The infamous Romeo and Juliet is done here in a very colorful way. I actually haven't finished this one, but it's very uniquely animated and really well directed.

ROMEO & JULIET

If Macbeth didn't satiate your thirst for treachery and bloodshed, then the Julius Caesar will. This interpretation, like Macbeth, was done with a very surrealistic style that stays very true to the style of the play itself.

JULIUS CAESAR

Just to end on a positive note, here's A Midsummer Night's Dream. I'm not a big fan of the style in which characters are drawn, but the direction, voice acting, and artistry are all top notch. The donkey-headed Nick Bottom is voiced by Bernard Hill, best known as King Theoden from the Lord of the Rings and the Captain from Titanic. Again, I apologize for the somewhat terrifying style of animation, but you should give it a chance because it really is well done.

A MIDSUMMER'S NIGHT DREAM

It's hard to say whether Shakespeare is better suited for animation or live-action, but there is most certainly a huge difference. I still prefer to simply read the plays rather than watch them, but every interpretation of Shakespeare seems to add a totally new perspective on his plays.

A Moment of Weakness

Just as the actors in the documentary noticed, Shakespeare's plays are quite relevant to the lives of prison inmates. His plays tend to base themselves around characters who commit regrettable actions that haunt them for a time, generally, until they die. Of course, some sympathetic characters also find some kind of redemption shortly before or during death as well. This type of theme really seemed to resonate for the inmates as they themselves are seeking to atone for the heinous acts that they committed in their respective moments of weakness.

The Tempest is much more lighthearted compared to some of Shakespeare's other plays, and probably really appropriate for the purpose of rehabilitating prisoners. In this play, the need for revenge, a common theme in Shakespeare's previous play, is eventually exchanged for forgiveness. It's the same forgiveness that these men desperately look for in their own lives. They've realized that it's their carnal desires that brought them down to the depths that they've reached, and the only way to pull themselves up is to strengthen themselves to act within their own control.

What's really interesting and probably most important about this very unique prison program is that the prisoners are actually being taught to analyze Shakespeare's texts for themselves in order to fully understand it, portray it, and most importantly learn from it. Shakespeare had the rare ability to see the human condition and masterfully depict it in all of its glorious imperfections. To be honest, I feel like most people, especially most people in prison, don't have the chance or means to really appreciate or understand human nature in general. Perhaps it's the lack of this understanding or appreciation that leads some people to commit horrible crimes and injustices against each other.

This documentary really was a great change of pace that I think establishes a good way to think about most of the fictional works that we've read throughout the semester. It's wise to keep in mind that these expressions of humanity that we've been reading in print are interpretations of the real human struggle. Even though we may not be able to fully relate to the themes of honor, disgrace, love, fear, lust, greed, or salvation, there are many out there who have reached those peaks and plunged into those depths. The human struggle as depicted in literature, whether we see it in our lives or not, is all around us in the lives of others.