Title: On the Theatrical Quality of Cao Yu’s Translation of Romeo and Juliet

Abstract: Cao Yu’s translation of Romeo and Juliet, a typical theatre translation oriented for stage performance instead of personal reading experience, highlights movements, conversational objects, and other stage facilities to boost dramatic conflicts. Compared with Xu Zhimo and Zhu Shenghao’s translation, Cao’s version is particularly written for the stage. Therefore, a study of Cao’s translation strategy and assessment of its theatrical quality provides valuable information for later stage translation initiatives of Shakespeare’s drama.

Keywords: Shakespeare, drama, translation, Romeo and Juliet, Cao Yu

Author: Yunyan Liu, Lecturer, Foreign Studies College, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan, China.