A Cognitive Study Of Conceptual Metaphor Translation Of Two Main Themes In Hamlet

Shakespeare?s plays are the invaluable artistic treasures of human beings. In these works, Hamlet is the most classical one. It attracts much attention of translators and scholars who have done a lot of research of Hamlet. Metaphor is regarded as an important rhetorical device among various rhetorical devices. The study of metaphor translation from the perspective of cognition and metaphor remains a relatively new approach. This thesis employs the conceptual metaphor theory of Lakoff & Johson as the theoretical basis. It systematically studies the translation of conceptual metaphors of two main themes: the theme of tragedy and the theme of revenge. This thesis uses the Chinese translations of Hamlet by Zhu Shenghao and Liang Shiqiu as research materials. In comparing the two versions, this thesis attempts to conduct a comprehensive cognitive study of the translation of metaphors and its translation strategies. It is hoped to find a new way to the study of the metaphor translation of Hamlet and the appreciation of their artistic values.The thesis consists of three parts. The first part is the introduction, which surveys the background, questions, research purpose as well as the research significance. The second part is the main body, which contains five chapters. Chapter one is the theoretical background, which chiefly explains the conceptual metaphor theory proposed by Lakoff & Johnson and its related key terms. It prepares the theoretical basis for the research. The following four chapters are the main parts of this thesis, which provide a systematic cognitive analysis and interpretation of the main themes of Hamlet and their translations. The thesis explores the major translation strategies used in translating conceptual metaphors of Hamlet. The last part is the conclusion, which summarizes the main research findings. Generally speaking, both of the two versions retain the metaphorical meaning of metaphors of the original text. The translations have an important effect on the understandings of the target readers and metaphor translation. However, in order to make the translation more brief and straightforward for readers to understand, some of the metaphorical expressions of the source language are ignored or deleted during the process of translation. This research of metaphor translations in Hamlet also provides a new cognitive perspective for the understanding of the traditional strategies of literal vs. free translation and domestication vs. foreignzation in literary translation from English to Chinese.