SHAKESPEARE IN THE BUSH

The general point made by Laura Bohannan in her work Shakespeare in the Bush is that human nature is the same all over the world, apart from certain details. More specifically, Bohannan argues that the elders of the Tiv culture will understand the plot of the story of Hamlet in the same way our society does. She writes; “I was quiet sure that Hamlet had only one possible interpretation, and that one universally obvious.”(pg 29) in this passage, Bohannan is suggesting that every culture will understand the story just like Shakespeare wanted us to. In conclusion, it is Bohannan’s belief that all cultures will get the same meaning out of every story.

 
In my view, Bohannan is wrong because the elders of Tiv kept questioning the story of Hamlet. For example, when she was talking about how Hamlet’s mother should have mourned for two years over her husband’s death. In the Tiv culture in this culture women are completely dependent on the men." 'Who will hoe your farms for you will you have no husband?' “(pg. 31) Although Bohannan might object that all cultures see the same meaning in a story, I maintain that from this story we find that elders in every society feel that they know what is best. Therefore, I conclude that everything is open to interpretation and experience depending on your culture.