The Taming of the Shrew by A.N. Ostrovsky: some aspects of reception and the principles of translation of Shakespeare’s comedy

Abstract

Albeit being an experienced translator of foreign drama, A.N. Ostrovsky translated only one Shakespeare’s piece — The Taming of the Shrew. His first attempt at its translation resulted in an abridged prose version entitled The Taming of the Spiteful Wife, which served as an embryo of the later prosimetric translation. While the interest in Shakespearean allusions in Ostrovsky’s plays may be traced back to the works of contemporary critics, it was not until mid-20th century that a comprehensive study of the play’s translation was written by a Shakespearean scholar M. Morozov further revisited and revised by Iu.D. Levin, V.I. Malikov, and N.K. Il’ina. Bearing on these studies, the author of this article demonstrates how the language of Ostrovsky’s translation is related to the basic language principles of the playwright and shows his reliance upon the editorial practice of the 18th–19th centuries. The article highlights the translator’s strategies in using verse and prose, blank verse and rhyme as a means to interpret Shakespearean characters, the genre and the style of the play. It also examines the synthesis of “domesticating” and “estranging” tendencies in the translated play.

Keywords

• a.n. ostrovsky the translator
• shakespeare
• the taming of the shrew
• principles of translation
• methods of translation
• domesticated translation
• estranged translation
• reception
• interpretation.