Modernity of Shakespeare’s Performances in Korea focusing on Romeo and Juliet by Oh Taesuk and A Midsummer Night’s Dream by Yang Jungung

Abstract

Romeo and Juliet by Oh Taesuk and A Midsummer Night’s Dream by Yang Jungung have been noted for their characteristics of Koreanness. However, this article aims to focus on the modernity of these two performances. Against the general opinion that these works represent only Koreanness, they have strong ‘modern’ characteristics that are immersed in themselves so that those qualities are not that manifest. Those qualities are the uses of montage technique, performativity, and body and gestures. The montage technique, which was a Brecht‘s concept, stresses the rupture of the flow of the plot. Therefore, the stop of the flow becomes noticeable to the audience so that the significance of the moment becomes stronger. Performativity refers to a coexistence of the stage and the audience. If performativity is strenghthened, then the stage can be more communicative with the audience and the audience participation in the work can be more possible. In addition, gestures are an active participator for thought, which means that gestures induce thought from the audience. Significant gestures are mostly poetic and are like images which have strong implications. In Romeo and Juliet by Oh Taesuk and A Midsummer Night’s Dream by Yang Jungung, these three qualities are broadly and deeply prevailed. For example, when Tybalt kills Mercutio, Oh Taesuk uses the stoppage of the performance and slow actions, therefore the continual flow of the plot is interrupted and the meaning of the moment is stressed. Its meaning is that those killings will strongly affect Romeo and Juliet’s love. Another example of the increased performativity is that Ryu and Hang play the roles of characters in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and a little later they become the members of a musical band on the stage, which implies that the work does not depend on the fictional illusion of the theatre. Instead, it provides the recognition of the audience. The audience is supposed to participate in the work by thinking that the work tries to dispel the illusory identification in the work by the audience. These three aspects are variously represented in the two performances. The montage technique represents the fragmented aspect of the modern world. Performativity stands for the flexible and unstable modern world in that every audience reacts to the stage and the work in his own way. This audience participation creates the new interpretation of the work. Furthermore, the use of the gestures are modern too because the use of gestures/bodies does not stand out the reason and logicality. Gestures distance themselves from Descartes’ reason.