HONG KONG SHAKESPEARE: A SOURCE OF INDIVIDUAL RECONSTRUCTION

Abstract

Despite the growing international circulations of productions of Shakespeare in Asia, there is a seeming lack of studies of the productions of Shakespeare in Hong Kong. Considering Hong Kong’s unique past position as a colony of the United Kingdom and its complex current relationship with China, Shakespeare not only embodies a classic play or playwright but also a form of cultural capital brought in during its period of colonization. As such, each production of Shakespeare in Hong Kong responds not only to Shakespeare as a playwright and his concerns during Sixteenth to Seventeenth Century, but the productions also in some ways reflect the environment that the production is performed in. Hence, it is important to understand how Hong Kong’s culture interacts with Shakespeare and how these productions represent Hong Kong’s position in relation to Shakespeare. This thesis studies Hong Kong’s Shakespeare via the productions of Hong Kong Director, Tang Shu-wing. I argue that they serve as a neutral ground to open negotiations of selfhood through three layers of selfhood. In my first chapter, I will explore the broadest layer of selfhood, the layer of humanity. I argue that through Tang’s careful investigation of violence, Tang renews the way audience members understand violence and re-establishes the relationship of violence to humanity. My second chapter will explore the layer of collective identity. Through Tang’s delicate treatment of Hong Kong’s position, Tang reflects the constantly shifting socio-cultural position of Hong Kong between China and Britain. My last chapter will study the layer of solitude where Tang encourages a re-understanding of the individual self through his treatment of solitude. Finally, after the negotiation of all three levels, audience members would be able to gain a renewed understanding of their entire beingness.