Hamlet

To thine own text be trueâ"Lisa Petersonâs translation of Hamlet into contemporary American English makes the play accessible to new audiences while keeping the soul of Shakespeareâs writing intact. 
 
Lovers of Shakespeareâs language take heart: Lisa Petersonâs translation of Hamlet into contemporary American English was guided by the principle of âFirst, do no harm.â Leaving the most famous parts of Hamlet untouched, Peterson untied the language knots that can make the rest of the play difficult to understand in a single theatrical viewing. Petersonâs translation makes Hamlet accessible to new audiences, drawing out its timeless themes while helping to contextualize "To be, or not to be: that is the question," and âSomething is rotten in the state of Denmark,â so that contemporary audiences can feel their full weight.

This translation of Hamlet was written as part of the Oregon Shakespeare Festivalâs Play On! project, which commissioned new translations of thirty-nine Shakespeare plays. These translations present work from "The Bard" in language accessible to modern audiences while never losing the beauty of Shakespeareâs verse. Enlisting the talents of a diverse group of contemporary playwrights, screenwriters, and dramaturges from diverse backgrounds, this project reenvisions Shakespeare for the twenty-first century. These volumes make these works available for the first time in printâ"a new First Folio for a new era.