A study of intercultural rewritings of Othello in Kerala

Abstract

The dominant use of English language in business, media, information technology, and in every aspect of the globalized world has led to linguistic colonialism affecting the mind-set of people. The research, analyses, multiple malayalam mediations of Shakespeare s The Tragedy of Othello: The Moor of Venice from the nineteenth century to the present, by exploring the received culture s varied socio-political, literary norms, that gave rise to these alternative productions. From the introduction of Shakespeare, in the colonial education, there are about 150 different translations of Shakespeare in Malayalam. A translation produced in this period, using the literal method makes attempts to foreignise the target text and language by fully incorporating features of English syntax and diction. Apart from different inter lingual renderings, many of his plays are rendered into transcultural and trans-generic forms in several indigenous performance formats. This study examines such translations, adaptations and examines how he has been refashioned within the literary poly system of Malayalam creating discourses and addressing specific needs in colonial, post-colonial and in post-globalization contexts, as intercultural communication, which can be understood in more elaborated ways, than mere rewording of texts. This study analyses ten different inter lingual renderings of Othello as drama and fiction, and three inter semiotic indigenous adaptations like kathaprasangam, kathakali and cinema. newline