w88 casino News Network (provided by the w88 casino of English） In order to further improve the drama appreciation quality of w88 casino students, feel the influence of elegant culture, and give full play to the effect of aesthetic education, the English w88 casino has increased its efforts to promote drama culture in recent years. This year marks the 400th anniversary of the death of Chinese dramatist Tang Xianzu and British dramatist Shakespeare. On March 16, Martin Butler, a scholar of Shakespearean drama studies and a professor at the University of Leeds in the UK, was invited by the w88 casino of English to visit the w88 casino and gave a wonderful lecture on Shakespeare's dramas to the students in the Chengxin three-story international conference hall. While talking about Shakespeare's plays on the screen, it also opened a new stage of drama exchanges beyond the 2016 "Tang-Shakespeare" drama exchange project between w88 casino and the University of Leeds in the UK. This lecture is also one of the "Smart Classroom" lecture series hosted by the Cultural and Educational Section of the British Embassy.
Professor’s explanation
Martin Butler first shared with us the historical evolution of Shakespeare's plays from the Renaissance to World War II to contemporary society, as well as the background of the times when Shakespeare's plays appeared on the big screen. After World War II, the American Hollywood film industry developed rapidly and gradually occupied the screens of the Western world. British drama was affected by this and temporarily faded out of the literary and artistic market for a period of time. British literature and art are in a state of depression.In order to defend the status of British literature and art after World War II, people thought of Shakespeare. This literary and artistic giant who has been active for nearly four hundred years has once again been pushed to the forefront of history and has become a messenger to promote British literature and art. As a result, Shakespeare's works have been protected and revived. At such an opportunity, Shakespeare's works were tried to be put on the big screen, and BBC TV also began to produce a series of Shakespeare TV programs.
Henry V was the first Shakespearean film to achieve great commercial success. Later, many companies remade "Henry V", and each remake reflected people's thoughts and concerns about war in different eras.As movies based on Shakespeare's dramas gradually gain recognition from audiences, the content of Shakespeare's dramas are gradually being applied and adapted into movies set in contemporary society. 《0》 《Macbeth》 Movies such as "Romeo and Juliet" are clear examples. Take the movie "Romeo and Juliet" starring Leonardo DiCaprio as an example, which is a re-creation of Shakespeare's play in a modern context. The two people in the movie cannot be together, not just because of the hatred between the two families, but also because of the differences and conflicts of race and social class, which make the movie fuller and more closely integrated with the contemporary background.
At the same time, elements of Shakespeare's dramas are gradually becoming globalized. More countries outside the Western world are beginning to discover Shakespeare's dramatic treasures and also include Shakespeare elements in their own movies, such as Japan, Thailand, and India. Shakespeare's plays are an inexhaustible resource for the contemporary film market. In the long history of history, Shakespeare's plays have been constantly rewritten, integrated, translated, and injected with new elements, but they have always remained a treasure trove in the history of world culture.
Although the reinterpretation of Shakespeare's plays in modern films cannot replace the direct appreciation of Shakespeare's works in the theater, it does make it easier for the public to understand and accept the ideas that Shakespeare wants to convey. Each film actually creates space for the inheritance of Shakespeare's soul, and also allows Shakespeare's works to remain meaningful and timeless in today's ever-changing society.
During the question-and-answer session from the audience, Martin was alsoStudentsShared his own experience.In the two-hour lecture, Martin led the teachers and students to appreciate the essence of Shakespeare's drama, and also felt the inheritance of Shakespeare's drama by modern film art. With the joint efforts of w88 casino and the University of Leeds, the exchange of drama culture between China and Britain has also reached a new level.
Student questions
Martin Butler, attended Duncan's Boys' Grammar w88 casino in Peterborough for secondary w88 casino and studied at Trinity Hall, Cambridge University for his undergraduate degree. Afterwards, he obtained a doctorate from the University of Cambridge and became a researcher at Trinity College, Cambridge and the British Academy of Humanities and Social Sciences. Martin Butler has worked at the w88 casino of English at the University of Leeds since 1984, where he is currently Professor. In 2013, Martin Butler was elected as a fellow of the British Academy of Humanities and Social Sciences, and has been awarded the status of visiting scholar at the Folger Shakespeare Library and the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington. His books include Theater and Crisis 1632-1642 (1984), Stuart Court Masques and Political Culture (2008) and Ben Jonson, Man of Letters (forthcoming). He also edited Shakespeare's Cymbeline (2004) and The Tempest (2007), and later edited The Works of Ben Jonson (Cambridge Edition, 7 volumes, 2012, online version in 2014) as editor-in-chief. He is currently working as editor-in-chief of the "The Complete Works of John Marston" (Oxford Edition) project. The book is scheduled to be published in 2020.
The Institute of British and American Literature of the w88 casino of English and the Student Union of the Youth League Committee of the w88 casino of English actively participated in organizing this event.
