A Study of New Posthumanism in Contemporary Shakespeare Performances in Korea: Focusing on the Traditional Adaptations of A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Abstract

This article examines how post-humanistic insights are reflected in contemporary Shakespearean performances in Korea. Looking at the trend of Shakespearean productions in Korea since 2000, a number of directors have been inspired by traditional Korean philosophies exploring the position of human in relation to its surroundings such as nature, animals, and objects. Among others, this article focuses on how the ecological views of Korean culture are reflected in Lee Jong-Hun’s Moon Night at Shilla and Yang Jung-Ung’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream by examining the characters’ physical transformation into different species or creatures. Both directors deconstruct and readdress Shakespeare’s Dream to emphasise the concept of dokkaebi, which is presented in the aesthetic of performers’ physical expressions based on traditional Korean performance forms. By presenting the actors’ bodies changing their forms and roles into natural elements, they attempt to show a dynamic spectrum of physical sensations as a means of exploring human bodies full of potential and understanding the characters’ desires. In this way, Lee and Yang’s performances allow the audience to think about the meaning of human-object interaction and harmony and emphasises the importance of their dynamic relationships. In other words, the existence and meaning of the body are always changing through complex relationships with other theatrical elements, which stresses that human beings are not perfect in themselves but have infinite possibilities depending on the conditions around them. By studying Lee and Yang’s Dreams, this article reveals how post-humanistic interpretation of Shakespeare’s play presents diverse ways of understanding human identity in different cultural contexts.