Cymbeline: A Shakespeare Transgender Play

A reader's edition, modernized language ("you" for "thee," etc.) and glossary for unfamiliar words. Cymbeline is one of seven plays of Shakespeare featuring a transgender character. Cymbeline, an early King of England, is actually a minor character in this play about true love and trust through dastardly deeds, shenanigans, deceit, disguise, and an unnecessary war. History? Tragedy? Comedy? Who cares? All plays in this transgender series are modernized as reading copies, retaining some characteristics of the script format. As editor, I keep changes in Shakespeare’s language to a minimum, just enough to be understood immediately without stopping to look up obscure words, expressions, or references. Why change Shakespeare’s golden words? Rachel Burke said it best: Why translate Shakespeare into modern Eng-lish? In a word bardophobia. Bardophobia can be des--cribed as that sweaty discomfort one experiences when seeing the word “thee.” Or “thou.” Or “eft-soons.” Too many students give up on Shake---speare and buy the Cliffs Notes, which all too often are read instead of the play… Why do some critics object to an edited ver-sion of Shakespeare? They object because many editors watered down the original until it is nearly unrecognizable, taking out the similes and metaphors that Aristotle called “the heart of poetry”… The most infamous example is the Family Shakespeare, Henrietta and Thomas Bowdler’s 18th-century ex-pur-gated edition in which all the “nastiness” was simply cut out.… Where Shakespeare wanted his characters to sound crude, they sound crude. If he wanted the to speak in iambic pentameter, they speak in iambic pentameter. I heartily agree. Cymbeline is also included in Seven Plays by William Shakespeare with Transgender Characters, Plus Hamlet (www.createspace.com/3735284). The Shakespeare Playbook series (for directors and producers) can be seen at http://www.bandannabooks.com/drama.php