The Klingon HamletFor too long, readers throughout the Federation have been exposed to The Tragedy of Khamlet, Son of the Emperor of Qo'nos, that classic work of Klingon™ literature, only through inadequate and misleading English translations. Now at last, thanks to the tireless efforts of the Klingon Language Institute, this powerful drama by the legendary Klingon playwright, Wil'yam Shex'pir, can be appreciated in the elegance and glory of its original tongue. This invaluable volume contains the complete text of the play, along with an English translation for easy consultation and comparison. In addition, an incisive introduction explains the play's crucial importance in Klingon culture, while copious notes illustrate how the debased English version diverges from the original, often distorting and even reversing the actual meaning of the verses. Khamlet, the Restored Klingon Version, is a work that belongs in the library of every human who hopes truly to understand what it means to be Klingon. |
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Or if thou hast uphoarded in thy life Extorted treasure in the womb of earth, For which, they say, you spirits oft walk in death, Speak of it: [Cock crows]—stay, and speak!—Stop it, Marcellus. Shall I strike at it with my partisan?
Claudius Cornelius & Voltimand Claudius Though yet of Hamlet our dear brother's death The memory be green; and that it us befitted To bear our hearts in grief, and our whole kingdom To be contracted in one brow of woe; Yet so far hath ...
'tis a fault to heaven, A fault against the dead, a fault to nature, To reason most absurd; whose common theme Is death of fathers, and who still hath cried, From the first corse till he that died to-day, 'This must be so.
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How fun to have a parallel edition with the English text of Hamlet on the left page and the corresponding Klingon text of Khamlet on the right page! Then in the back are the textual notes because when the humans stole the work for themselves, they made various changes to fit peculiarities of human culture. Face it, humans are wimps compared to Klingons! And humans have no sense of operatic drama.
As far as the story goes, this is a tale in which nearly all of the characters are supposed to be noble, but most of the deaths are dishonorable. How can these schemers and back-stabbers even claim to be Klingon? They have no place in Sto-vo-kor!
Fortunately, there are a few deaths that are glorious and honorable. They stir the heart.
Another fun part of reading this play is that so many of the speeches and archaic phrases have come into the collective memory of a large number of people. Even the human version has a certain amount of memorable verses. School children should memorize these and their elders should review them often. Modern readers should pepper their conversation with terms such as "Odds bodkin!" Our lives would be so much the richer.
Do you want a book that will be worth the time you spend on it, even though it takes you away from weapons practice and other worthwhile activities? Then this is a book you should read.
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| Title | The Klingon Hamlet Star Trek |
| Author | Lawrence Schoen |
| Publisher | Simon and Schuster, 2001 |
| ISBN | 0743406729, 9780743406727 |
| Length | 240 pages |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |