Professor Choi Jong-cheol, "Macbeth is the Most Difficult Work" in 30 Years of Shakespeare Translation

"The most difficult work to translate was 'Macbeth.' The reason I first translated Macbeth in 1993 was because I thought that if I could translate Macbeth into our language, I could handle the rest."

Professor Emeritus Choi Jong-cheol of Yonsei University cited Macbeth as the most challenging work while translating Shakespeare's plays over 30 years. Professor Choi dedicated over 30 years to translating all of Shakespeare's poetic works, completing a complete collection. It was published by Minumsa in 10 volumes. The collection includes 10 tragedies, including Shakespeare's four great tragedies?Hamlet, Macbeth, Othello, and King Lear?13 comedies, 15 other plays including histories and romances, 3 poems, and 154 sonnets. The entire set totals 5,824 pages.

At a completion commemorative press conference held on the 3rd at the Roh Moo-hyun Citizen Center in Jongno-gu, Seoul, Professor Choi said, "The joy that came from the arduous (translation) work outweighed the pain, so I endured for 30 years," adding, "It was something I did because I loved it."

Professor Emeritus Choi Jong-cheol of Yonsei University is expressing his thoughts at a press conference commemorating the completion of the Shakespeare Complete Works held on the 3rd at the Roh Moo-hyun Citizen Center in Jongno-gu, Seoul.
[Photo by Minumsa]

Although more than half of Shakespeare's plays are in verse form, they have been translated into prose until now. This is because the first translations were made during the Japanese colonial period.

Professor Choi explained, "Korean translations began to appear from 1923, but they were based on Japanese translations. Since Japanese uses three types of characters?kanji, hiragana, and katakana?it is almost impossible to translate compressed verse, so only prose translations were done, and Korea followed suit with prose translations only."

Professor Choi translated Shakespeare's plays preserving the original verse form and sought to differentiate his work by capturing the beauty and rhythm of the Korean language.

"When the rhythm carried the meaning well and later when I read it myself, I felt the translation was really well done, it made me feel very good. Also, when I got stuck in translation, sometimes while running at the Sky Park near the World Cup Stadium near my house, I suddenly found a solution. I experienced this several times, and it felt great then as well."

Professor Choi said the reason Macbeth, which is not very long in length, was difficult to translate was because of the density of the text. Shakespeare's works are generally dense, but Macbeth is especially so.

"As many critics say, among all of Shakespeare's characters, Macbeth is the most poetic. This means there are many compressions, metaphors, and symbols. Macbeth's length is about two-thirds or half that of Hamlet, so it is short, but it is written in extremely compressed sentences. Although short in length, it took the most time to translate."

[Photo by Minumsa]

He cited Hamlet as the most interesting and relatable work because Hamlet shows various complex emotions while seeking revenge.

"Shakespeare expressed the human mind most broadly and deeply through his characters. Before Shakespeare, characters seeking revenge were single-minded about revenge. They overcame obstacles and ultimately took revenge. Hamlet doubts revenge itself and even tries not to take revenge midway. He expresses various emotions that a person seeking revenge can have. In many ways, he is a very original, creative, and perhaps a character closest to the truth."

Shakespeare's works are still frequently performed today. Recently, the theater company Shinse Company produced Hamlet, starring Jeon Mu-song, Park Jung-ja, Son Sook, and Jung Dong-hwan, which was staged at the Hongik University Daehangno Art Center until the 1st. At the National Theater's Haeoreum Theater, Macbeth, produced by Sam Company founded by Hwang Jung-min, was performed until the 18th of last month.

Professor Choi explained that the reason Shakespeare's works continue to be performed today is because they fully embody the Renaissance spirit of humanism. To explain this, Professor Choi gave the example of the ancient Greek tragedy Oedipus. Oedipus's fate is already decided by an oracle. In other words, in Oedipus, human fate is determined by an external great power, whereas Shakespeare's works focus on internal human conflicts and show the truth of human nature as it is. Professor Choi explained that the Renaissance began in 13th-century Italy and took several centuries to spread to England, reaching England in the 16th century when Shakespeare lived, and that Shakespeare embodied the humanist tradition of the Renaissance in his works.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.