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Laura Bohannan believed that the universality of Shakespeare would be clear to everyone, regardless of cultural differences. However, she found that her assumptions were challenged when she visited the Tiv in Africa. The Tiv had different ideas about ghosts and omens, which made it difficult for Bohannan to explain the plot of Hamlet to them. Ultimately, she found that her understanding of the play was greatly enriched by Tivs different perspective (Bohannan, 1966). Bohannan realized that cultural differences could provide new insights into even the most familiar works.
The biggest difference in custom is that the Tiv do not believe in ghosts or that dead people can walk and talk. This made it difficult for Laura Bohannan to explain the plot of Hamlet to them. Additionally, the Tiv have different ideas about family relationships and marriage. In their culture, it is customary for the younger brother to marry the elder brothers widow and for a man to have multiple wives. This confused her when Bohannan tried to explain that Hamlets mother had remarried too quickly after his fathers death (Bohannan, 1966). Finally, the Tiv do not have a written language, so Bohannan had to rely on translation and interpretation by the people she spoke to, which led to miscommunication and misunderstanding.
There was a difference between Laura Bohannan and the Tiv in terms of what they got from this experience. Bohannan was mainly interested in the plot and motivation of the story, while the Tiv were interested in the meaning and interpretation of the story (Bohannan, 1966). This is likely because Bohannan is an anthropologist interested in understanding the Tiv culture, while the Tiv were more interested in understanding the story itself and its implications.
Reference
Bohannan, L. (1966). Shakespeare in the Bush. Web.
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