Polemical and theatrical translation in interludes

Abstract

This article examines changes to source texts of three English interludes: the anonymous Everyman, John Heywood’s Johan Johan, and Jack Juggler (attributed to Nicholas Udall). It considers the differing religious contexts for each and addresses theatrical contexts of the originals and those to which they are moved. While each contains detailed word to word translation, aspects of language, religion and political contexts reveal new emphases. The work of others is substantially nuanced in the new versions, and in different ways changes to each of these plays may contribute to our understanding of the conscious and unconscious processes of translation.