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Shakespearean Variations: A Case Study of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark

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2009, Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, English/Literature.
In this thesis, I examine six adaptations of the narrative known primarily through William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark to answer how so many versions of the same story can successfully exist at the same time. I use a homology proposed by Gary Bortolotti and Linda Hutcheon that explains there is a similar process behind cultural and biological adaptation. Drawing from the connection between literary adaptations and evolution developed by Bortolotti and Hutcheon, I argue there is also a connection between variation among literary adaptations of the same story and variation among species of the same organism. I determine that multiple adaptations of the same story can productively coexist during the same cultural moment if they vary enough to lessen the competition between them for an audience.
Stephannie Gearhart, PhD (Advisor)
Kimberly Coates, PHD (Committee Member)
51 p.

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Barrie, S. J. (2009). Shakespearean Variations: A Case Study of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark [Master's thesis, Bowling Green State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1245428198

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Barrie, Steven. Shakespearean Variations: A Case Study of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. 2009. Bowling Green State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1245428198.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Barrie, Steven. "Shakespearean Variations: A Case Study of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark." Master's thesis, Bowling Green State University, 2009. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1245428198

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)