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Popularising Shakespeare

24 December 2004, 18:00 PM
LIFESTYLE
By Fayza Haq
24 December 2004, 18:00 PM
Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan, Minister of Information and Communication Technology, speaking at the inauguration of the first Bangla biographical website on Shakespeare at the British Council, said that Shakespeare is known all over the world. He said that that he himself, at the secondary school level was eager to know about Shakespeare 45 years ago when he was given a gift of the complete works of Shakespeare. He also wanted to emulate the great writer in his power of speech. Even as a student of science, Shakespeare had been a part of his curriculum as a basic training to open up the minds. Now that the students have the website, the world is at their fingertips. After 450 years, Shakespeare's name is now a part of a Bangla website, Dr Moyeen Khan pointed out. When a piece of culture crosses time and geography, like Shakespeare's works, it becomes immortal, he said. With literature, he concluded, one not only learns but feels.

Harry K Thomas, the US Ambassador, speaking on the occasion, said that he was delighted with the Bangladeshi website project, as now many will learn to love Shakespeare. He pointed out that Shakespeare's love of common speech helped shape the English language. He said that Shakespeare happened to be his favourite author.

Margub Murshed said that he had been fascinated by Shakespeare's heroes and villains and that he had grown to worship the playwright, guided by his father. He said that reading Lamb's tales of Shakespeare had been an integral part of his childhood, and that his generation was more acquainted with Shakespeare than today's one is. He insisted that Shakespeare was as great as Homer or Dante. He too stressed on the fact that Shakespeare's plays and poems had appealed to people for four centuries. He believed that his talent flowered during 1600 when he wrote his great tragedies. He pointed out that his plays were based on the writings of Plutarch and Holinshed.

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Professor Mamtazuddin Ahmed, TV actor and dramatist, said that he had admired Shakespeare for 40years. He pointed out that Munier Choudhury had worked immensely to make him popular in Bangladesh and that it was a pity that he had been killed before he had completed his work of translation. Shakespeare had presented about 500 unforgettable characters to the world of theatre. Mamtazuddin Ahmed said that he himself would have liked to have been one of the Shakespearean characters, specially Falstaff. He commented that the Bangla website on Shakespeare was an ambitious project.

Theatre personality Mamunur Rahisd said that since his youth he and his colleagues had been intrigued by Shakespeare's quotations like 'To be or not to be'. Whatever you read or watch of Shakespeare's works is so mature, he said, whether you take Julius Caesar, Othello or Hamlet. Even in a place like Khulna, Mamunur Rashid pointed out, Comedy of Errors is produced with aplomb.

Helaluddin Ahmed, an advisor of the Bangladesh Shakespeare Association, said that the website dealt with the Shakespeare's comedies, tragedies and histories. It discussed his works like Hamlet, Romeo Juliet and Love's Labours Lost. It also dealt with his life and career.

Russell Ahmed, secretary general of the Bangladesh Shakespeare Association, said that the purpose of the website was to make Shakespeare popular in Bangladesh and that the project took four years to complete.