The Klingon Hamlet
Encyclopedia
The Klingon Hamlet was a project to translate William Shakespeare
's Hamlet
into Klingon
, a constructed language
first appearing in the television series Star Trek
.
in which the Klingon Chancellor Gorkon stated:
The phrase "the undiscovered country" comes from Hamlet, Act 3 Scene 1, line 79, in his famous "To be, or not to be
" soliloquy
. The speech explicitly describes said country as "after death" (line 78), whereas Chancellor Gorkon interprets it as "the future".
The play was translated over several years by Nick Nicholas and Andrew Strader of the Klingon Shakespeare Restoration Project, with feedback and editorial assistance from Mark Shoulson, d'Armond Speers, and Will Martin.
Shakespeare in the "original Klingon" is an echo in the novel of Vladimir Nabokov
's eponymous hero Pnin
, who taught his American college class that Shakespeare was much more moving "in the original Russian."
According to a disclaimer, the project is written in a satirical style implied by Chancellor Gorkon's quote — that Shakespeare was actually a Klingon (named "Wil'yum Shek'sper") writing about the attempted coup of the Klingon empire. This is implied because the plot is based on predominantly Klingon themes and motifs as opposed to human themes and motifs, which were considered too primitive in comparison to the story of Hamlet during the time period in which it is set.
The notion that Shakespeare was a human writing during Renaissance times was only introduced after the United Federation of Planets
instigated a large propaganda campaign in order to rally people against Klingons.
(KLI) printed and published a limited edition hardback version in 1996, entitled Hamlet Prince of Denmark: The Restored Klingon Version (ISBN 0-9644345-1-2)
Star Trek publisher Pocket Books
published the work as a trade paperback (ISBN 0-671-03578-9) in 2000.
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
's Hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
into Klingon
Klingon language
The Klingon language is the constructed language spoken by the fictional Klingons in the Star Trek universe....
, a constructed language
Constructed language
A planned or constructed language—known colloquially as a conlang—is a language whose phonology, grammar, and/or vocabulary has been consciously devised by an individual or group, instead of having evolved naturally...
first appearing in the television series Star Trek
Star Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
.
Impetus
The impetus for the project came from a line from the motion picture Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered CountryStar Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country is the sixth feature film in the Star Trek science fiction franchise and is the last of the Star Trek films to include the entire main cast of the 1960s Star Trek television series. Released in 1991 by Paramount Pictures, it was directed by Nicholas Meyer and...
in which the Klingon Chancellor Gorkon stated:
The phrase "the undiscovered country" comes from Hamlet, Act 3 Scene 1, line 79, in his famous "To be, or not to be
To be, or not to be
"To be, or not to be" is the opening phrase of a soliloquy from William Shakespeare's play Hamlet , Act III, Scene 1. It is the best-known quotation from the play and probably the most famous in world literature but there is disagreement on its meaning, as there is of the whole speech.- Text :This...
" soliloquy
Soliloquy
A soliloquy is a device often used in drama whereby a character relates his or her thoughts and feelings to him/herself and to the audience without addressing any of the other characters, and is delivered often when they are alone or think they are alone. Soliloquy is distinct from monologue and...
. The speech explicitly describes said country as "after death" (line 78), whereas Chancellor Gorkon interprets it as "the future".
The play was translated over several years by Nick Nicholas and Andrew Strader of the Klingon Shakespeare Restoration Project, with feedback and editorial assistance from Mark Shoulson, d'Armond Speers, and Will Martin.
Shakespeare in the "original Klingon" is an echo in the novel of Vladimir Nabokov
Vladimir Nabokov
Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov was a multilingual Russian novelist and short story writer. Nabokov wrote his first nine novels in Russian, then rose to international prominence as a master English prose stylist...
's eponymous hero Pnin
Pnin
Pnin is Vladimir Nabokov's 13th novel and his fourth written in English; it was published in 1957.-Plot summary:The book's eponymous protagonist, Timofey Pavlovich Pnin, is a Russian-born professor living in the United States...
, who taught his American college class that Shakespeare was much more moving "in the original Russian."
Style and format
The original English version of the play appears alongside its "original Klingon" translation. The "original Klingon" version has been adapted to reflect the play's history as originating from a Klingon source. Reference sections in the book show some literal translations of the Klingon body text.According to a disclaimer, the project is written in a satirical style implied by Chancellor Gorkon's quote — that Shakespeare was actually a Klingon (named "Wil'yum Shek'sper") writing about the attempted coup of the Klingon empire. This is implied because the plot is based on predominantly Klingon themes and motifs as opposed to human themes and motifs, which were considered too primitive in comparison to the story of Hamlet during the time period in which it is set.
The notion that Shakespeare was a human writing during Renaissance times was only introduced after the United Federation of Planets
United Federation of Planets
The United Federation of Planets, also known as "The Federation" is a fictional interplanetary federal republic depicted in the Star Trek television series and motion pictures...
instigated a large propaganda campaign in order to rally people against Klingons.
Publication
The Klingon Language InstituteKlingon Language Institute
The Klingon Language Institute is an independent organization located in Flourtown, Pennsylvania, USA. Its goal is to promote the Klingon language and culture.- General :About 2500 members in over 50 countries all over the world have joined the KLI...
(KLI) printed and published a limited edition hardback version in 1996, entitled Hamlet Prince of Denmark: The Restored Klingon Version (ISBN 0-9644345-1-2)
Star Trek publisher Pocket Books
Pocket Books
Pocket Books is a division of Simon & Schuster that primarily publishes paperback books.- History :Pocket produced the first mass-market, pocket-sized paperback books in America in early 1939 and revolutionized the publishing industry...
published the work as a trade paperback (ISBN 0-671-03578-9) in 2000.