Macbeth's tragedy rewritten for children by Charles Lamb

Abstract

This paper aims to reflect on some questions regarding William Shakespeare's theatre plays rewritten for children, focusing on the Macbeth narrative, which was published in Tales from Shakespear. Designed for the use of young persons (1807) by the siblings Charles and Mary Lamb. The research was conducted in light of the concepts of Translation Studies, such as the conception of rewriting by André Lefevere and the Polysystems Theory by Itamar Even-Zohar. First of all, we make some considerations concerning the biography of the authors as well as the publication's contextualization into the children's literary system. Afterwards, we present some features of the textual source that can be considered complex issues in an adaptation for children. Then, the comparative analysis demonstrates which singularities of Charles Lamb's narrative transform it into a new original, that becomes the Shakespeare's true story for the readers who are not familiar with the tragedy of Macbeth.