In my ongoing project about how Shakespeare has affected YA literature, I've spent a lot of time looking at direct adaptations and spinoffs in YA novels. As such, I've been using primary texts far more than scholarly materials. To rectify this inadequacy, I read through one of the chapters in Heirs to Shakespeare that I mentioned in this post.
The chapter I read is titled "Hamlet: Prince of the Schoolyard" and it discusses how Hamlet shows up in modern YA lit beyond direct adaptations. The chapter discusses several novels that use Shakespearean themes and character types, but what I found most interesting was the comparison between Hamlet and Bridge to Terabithia. You may be thinking, what in the world does that novel have to do with Hamlet?? Okay, that's what I thought when I started reading. But Megan Lynn Isaac actually points out some surprising parallels.
First, Jess's relationship with his parents resembles Hamlet's; although Jess's father isn't dead, he's emotionally inaccessible, as is Jess's mother, who is too caught up in taking care of her other kids to pay much attention to Jess. Second, Jess himself resembles Hamlet with his choice of artistic activities: Hamlet writes love letters and gives dramatic speeches, and Jess draws. Finally, Leslie, Jess's Ophelia, drowns when Jess is absent, just as Ophelia dies (accidentally or suicidally) when Hamlet has left Denmark
Upon examination, Isaac's argument for the parallels between Hamlet and Bridge to Terabithia is a bit thin but interesting in its own right. Bridge is not supposed to be a retelling so the parallels aren't supposed to be obvious, but Shakespeare's play is still a useful tool for examining the text's themes. Isaac goes on to explain that Bridge is both "conservative and subversive" (67) because it examines and reevaluates gender roles but reverts to the sacrifice of a female character to restore "patriarchal paradigms" (69), referencing how Leslie's death reconciles Jess and his father.
What I learned from this chapter is that Shakespeare can be used to interpret many facets of YA literature beyond direct adaptations and spinoffs. I will apply this idea to my future research when I read Henry V; I can't find any YA retellings of that play, but maybe I can find similar themes in YA books that I've read.
ETA: See a second post for another scholarly article response here.
Source
Isaac, Megan Lynn. "Hamlet: Prince of the Schoolyard." Heirs to Shakespeare: Reinventing the Bard in Young Adult Literature. Portsmouth: Boynton, 2000. Print.
See also my source page.
