“This is one Lucianus, nephew to the king!:” Political Dynamics of Four Hungarian Translations of "Hamlet"

Zsolt Almási

doi:10.18778/2083-8530.28.13

Authors

Zsolt Almási Pázmány Péter Catholic University, Budapest, Hungary https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9405-8040

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18778/2083-8530.28.13

Keywords:

translation, Hamlet, Shakespeare, politics, Hungary, Ferenc Kazinczy, János Arany, István Eörsi, Ádám Nádasdy

Abstract

In this paper I endeavour to retell a partial history of the Hungarian translation of Hamlet’s commentary: “This is one Lucianus, nephew to the King!” (3:2:239) on the “Murder of Gonzago,” aiming to elucidate the intricate interplay between translation, cultural discourse, and socio-political dynamics. Hamlet’s commentary, seemingly straightforward yet laden with complexity, poses implications capable of reshaping the trajectory and purpose of his theatrical experiment, crafted to probe and establish Claudius’ guilt. The partial history of translations encompasses the epochs of Ferenc Kazinczy (18th century) and János Arany (19th century) up to the modern renderings of István Eörsi and Ádám Nádasdy (20th-21st centuries). Within this framework, I claim that exploring these translations of Hamlet’s commentary offers a gauge of Hamlet’s position in Hungarian cultural discourse. The evolving connotations of words, reflective of linguistic shifts, imbue layered meanings not only onto the statement itself but also onto the theatrical experiment it encapsulates. This exploration of translation, interpretation, and linguistic evolution sheds light on Shakespeare’s and Hamlet’s socio-cultural-political role in Hungary, as translations serve not merely as transparent channels of meaning but also as reflections on the political and cultural commitments of translators and their audiences.

Author Biography

Zsolt Almási, Pázmány Péter Catholic University, Budapest, Hungary

is an associate professor in the Institute of English and American Studies, Pázmány Péter Catholic University, Hungary. His book, The Problematics of Custom as Exemplified in Key Texts of the Late English Renaissance came off the press in 2004. He is the co-editor of journals (International Journal of Digital Humanities), Digitális bölcsészet (Digital Humanities) and was co-editor of books with Mike Pincombe, Writing the Other. Humanism versus Barbarism in Tudor England, (2008) and New Perspectives on Tudor Cultures (2012). More recently (2021) he co-edited with Kinga Földváry a special issue “Shakespeare in Central Europe after 1989: Common Heritage and Regional Identity” of Theatralia. He serves as the head of the Department of English Literatures and Cultures, the president of the Hungarian Shakespeare Society. His current research projects and publications focus on Shakespeare, Shakespeare in the contemporary Hungarian theatre, digital Shakespeare, and digital and visual culture.

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