Shakespeare in My Canada
If you ask my dad about Shakespeare, he will quote you a soliloquy from
Macbeth. If you ask my dad about Kathakali, he will instantly quote you a poetic epic
from the Mahabharata. If you ask my dad about how Shakespeare and Kathakali fit
together, in truth, he is not quite sure. I was not sure of the reasons myself, when I first
started thinking about what Shakespeare in my Canada meant to me, why I immediately
thought of Kathakali. Kathakali is an indigenous art form of Kerala, the southernmost
state of India, and my father's home. It is an extremely expressive form of dance-drama,
originally performed to tell the stories of the major Indian epics, the Mahabharata and
the Ramayana. In recent years, there have been attempts in both India and Canada to
adapt Shakespearean works to the Kathakali form, with varying degrees of success.
Through exploration of two such attempts, as well as brief examination of critical
responses to them, I would argue that Kathakali is in fact a viable form through which
Shakespearean works can be adapted in a Canadian and/or post-colonial context.
As we all know, Shakespeare himself based many of his plays on already existing
plays and stories. It is fitting then that "Shakespeare's works have, from their inception,
been both the product and the source of an ongoing explosion of re-creation" (Fischlin,
1). As a country once colonized by the British, Canada is especially familiar with
Shakespeare's near-universal power to lend a sense of cultural authenticity to any setting,
be it school-house stage, or tavern theatre. Today, despite being more than a century past
2
its colonial days, Canada is still struggling to define itself as a nation. Although we ma...
... middle of paper ...
...one
with great potential to open new artistic doors in both Canada and India in the future.
6
Works Cited
Fischlin, Daniel and Mark Fortier. "General Introduction." Adaptations of Shakespeare.
Eds. Daniel Fischlin and Mark Fortier. London: Routledge, 2000.
Khandwani, Sudha. "A Century of Indian Dance." Kala Nidhi Fine Arts of Canada.
Available: . 2005.
Raina, Arjun. Arjun Raina. Available: . 2004.
7
Appendix
Image 1
Annette Leday performing "Stuff of Dreams" at Kala Nidhi
Toronto, 2004
Available from
________________________________________________________________________
Image 2
Arjun Raina performing his KhelKali adaptation of Othello at Leela a Elahi
Delhi, 1997
Available from
To draw a conclusion it is inevitable to highlight the significance change not only to Canada´s self-understanding, but also in the world´s appearance that the Statute of Westminster caused. It was the last of the Imperial Acts of the Parliament of Great Britain applicable to all dominions and therefore it marks the end of the great, superordinate British Empire which was one of the major forces throughout many centuries in history. Even though the Commonwealth technically remains, new autonomous countries were finally able to be more than just an extension of the the mother-country. Thus, many of them became remarkable powers with an own identity and own intentions on the world stage themselves, such as the country we live in, Canada.
Is Canada a nation or has its control just switched empirical hands? As Professor Hutcheson asked, did Canada go from "Colony to Nation or Empire to Empire?" This question has greatly influenced Canada's changing identity since her birth as a British colony with Confederation in 1867 to the present day. The purpose of this essay is to critically analyse the shifting Canadian identities between the years 1890 to 1960. The objective is to illustrate Canada's transforming identity by using the novels The Imperialist by Sara Jeanette Duncan, Barometer Rising by Hugh MacLennan, and Fifth Business by Robertson Davies and to connect the stories of each of these works of fiction to the varying political, economic, and social issues of their times. Each book is written by a prominent author, and portrays an accurate reflection of the demanding political, economic, and social concerns throughout the late nineteen and first half of the twentieth century of Canadian history. All of the novels reflect Canada's peripheral view of the world, as opposed to a central point of view, because throughout its history Canada has always been perceived as a secondary player. As George Grant says in his literary piece Lament for a Nation, Canada is "a branch plant society" , meaning Canada is controlled by another power. The essential question is where has Canada's loyalties traditionally lay and how has this shaped the Canadian identity. The Imperialist by Sara Jeanette Duncan, written in 1904 reflects a very British influenced Canada. At this time, Canada is still a British colony under British rule, and the people of Canada are very content to consider themselves British. The novel predominately ill...
Lister Sinclair’s pamphlet Change Comes to Canada was distributed at the Canadian Government Pavilion during Expo 67. Sinclair looks at the meaning of the name Canada. She analyses common points in people’s daily lives such as the meaning of ‘our home and native land,’ Canadian history, Canadian resources, transportation, climate and culture that tie each Canadian together. She claims that “every Canadian who thinks about Canada has his own idea about the meaning of that dream.” She argues that there is no actual national identity but individual identities that made up our national identity. She challenges the questions related to a national identity. It is interesting that something that questions the national identity would be distributed at Expo 67; but, it provides in...
Canada has undergone a wealth of changes in the past fifty years, many of which have progressed this country from loyal soldiers of Britain to prominent world bankers. Through the evolution of legislature, economic policy, and the actions of the Canadian Forces, Canada’s global image has developed since the end of World War II. Canada’s current global image, an amalgamation of actions in the past fifty years, demonstrates Canada to be an independent entity of substantial belief in people’s well-being and equality, strong economic policy that is widely regarded, and a military that is equal parts peacekeeping and combatant forces.
Our government’s predecessors have attempted to eradicate Canada’s first people, which is not only an insult to the indigenous people of the past, but to the present. This country did not start off as a joint endeavor of the two general groups of people that inhabited it during its birth, but decimation and forced assimilation of great traditions and people. The assimilation of a great culture, the destruction of oral histories, and the forced loss of language destroyed the chance trust. Only by teaching disgust towards that type of attitude and action, by not excusing it or attempting to justify, will begin a new age of
Newman, Garfield, Bob Aitken, Diana Eaton, Dick Holland, John Montgomery, and Sonia Riddoch. Canada: A Nation Unfolding. Toronto: McGraw-Hill, 2000. 252-53. Print.
Newman, Garfield et al. Canada A Nation Unfolding. Toronto: Mc Graw – Hill Ryerson Limited, 2000.
Many people across the globe argue that nationalism within Canada is simply not feasible. It is said that we as a people, differ so greatly with our diverse cultures, religions, and backgrounds that we cannot come together and exist together as a strong, united nation. In his book, Lament for a Nation, George Grant tells the reader that “…as Canadians we attempted a ridiculous task in trying to build a conservative nation in the age of progress, on a continent we share with the most dynamic nation on earth. The current history is against us.” (1965) Originally directed towards the Bomarc Missile Crisis, the book argues that whatever nationalism Canada had was destroyed by globalization as well as the powerful American sphere of influence. Although it is true that the book was initially written as a response to the events that took place in the late 1950s, many of the points are still valid today.
Thompson, John Herd, and Mark Paul Richard. "Canadian History in North American Context." In Canadian studies in the new millennium. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2008. 37-64.
Canada has had a long and storied history especially in the 20th century. A key part of this history is Canada’s road to autonomy. The first step on this road is Canada’s role in fighting and ending World War I. The second step is Canadian involvement in the United Nations’ early days to the mid 1950’s. The last step on the road to autonomy is the Constitution Act, 1982. These three moments in time form the backbone of Canada’s road to autonomy.
This dance they get into nature by way of rhythm and it can make your body
Currently, Canada remains the world’s second largest country, full of vast and rich resources from all corners of the nation. None of the accomplishments and achievements that Canada has made to date would have been possible without Confederation. Without intense pressure from the Americans, and without the common goal that a few men shared of unifying a country, Canada would not be the strong, free, independent and united nation that it is today.
In conclusion Canada gained independence because of a series of events that took place during the twentieth century. If it hadn’t been for these events, Canada to this day might have been a part of the British Empire. Through discussion on the Chanak affair we signalled that we wanted autonomy. Through our hard work and lives, the world knew we had the ability to stand alone as a strong nation. While, our international reputation of being a “peacekeeping” country the right to stand as an independent self-governing nation. But finally through the Canada Act, we stood solely independent from our Empire. It is obvious that the twentieth century provided us with great chances to become an independent strong nation.
Have you ever pondered why Canada has the Queen on the twenty dollar bill despite Europe and the United Kingdom being a whole ocean away? Canada is often said to be a peaceful country, but have you heard about our war with America? In the novel Barometer Rising, Hugh MacLennan describes Canada 's place in the world. Although Canada is commonly grouped with the United States, Barometer Rising proves with its strong themes of nationalism, that Canada’s role in the world is to be a strong nation, independent of the United States and well linked to Europe.
Canada’s own identity starts with our remarkable sense of culture and customs. For the native peoples, the Canadian identity stretches thousands of years into the search of struggles to retain elements of their ancient culture. From a colonial perspective, the traditions which surface in Canadian culture seem to be born of an earlier time, of different origins and places, of old-fashioned rituals, and customs. Unlike the United States, its senior neighbor, Canada’s aged-like identity is more reserved and skillful, unwilling to commit it self to anything specific. Within each region of Canada-