Shakespeare Videogames, Adaptation/Appropriation , and Collaborative Reception

Abstract

This essay analyzes two Shakespeare-based video games to revisit longstanding assumptions regarding Shakespearean adaptation and appropriation. In it, I pay close attention to the role of the player to explore reception as a collaborative process in order to better understand the complex relationships that exist between source text, game, and player, and to expand the scope of what works are considered within Shakespearean adaptation and appropriation studies. Through a discussion of the two games, I argue that adaptation and appropriation need to be considered on a spectrum that accounts for how audiences play an active role in defining and redefining what Shakespearean adaptations and appropriations are and can be.