HOW SUCCESSFULLY HAS THE MODERN COMPOSER TRANSFORMED THE CLASSICAL TEXT FOR THE MODERN AUDIENCE?

Transformations of texts have occurred for centuries, as stories have been adapted to contemporary situations, while the inspiration of the known reflects upon the new, and the new resonates the known, styles are manufactured to give the former work a creative edge, not to mention a change in perspective. Tom Stoppard changed Hamlet, a Shakespearean tragedy, into Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, an Absurdity piece, in an attempt to make sense of contemporary society through a canonical text. Stoppard transformed themes and issues, characters and techniques, emphasising the intricacies of modern life, creating a new perspective on arguably the most well known play in history. Altering the philosophies of Hamlet, abandoning both, structure and development within the parameters of the stage, creating an importance for the ?bit-players? instead of monitoring life from the top, Stoppard took Shakespeare?s idea and made it new and inviting to the contemporary age.
The transformation o...