Expanding the Circle

This is what I've been able to dig up so far in attempting to expand my social media outlets:
I posted my question about Shakespeare in translation, and received two helpful comments on goodreads.com.

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1080666-shakespeare-in-translation
One user wrote this:

"I've often wondered about this. I remember a professor of German (he was English) telling me how much easier S was to follow at the theatre in German than in English. The German was modern and all the difficulties and complexities of language had, to some extent, been translated out."

I feel that I can relate to this experience, because reading Richard III in Spanish was much easier to understand than in English. While the English version has sentences dripping with words full of meaning, the Spanish text put the idea Shakespeare was trying to convey in a straightforward, unmistakeable manner. 


Which leads me to the conclusion that Shakespeare can only be enjoyed as he truly is in English. Here are a few responses I had on Facebook that made me rethink this idea:

"While the language of Shakespeare is beautiful, the messages and themes in his plays are universal."

But in contrast, another wrote: 

"I don't think Shakespeare can truly be appreciated in different languages. Sure, the themes and stories can be told, but Shakespeare has so much more to it than just a story and characters. The way the words sound invoke certain feelings simply through their sound. The rhythm of the words would be thrown off as well."

And this one from a professional translator:

"Shakespeare's words and even his ideas might carry over, but actual literary appreciation and enlightenment would be more rare among the readership . . . The real problem is appreciating the work in a new language. Here's an anaolgy: Say you're a stand-up comedian. You tell a joke and nobody laughs. Do you wish you never told it and try to move on to something else, or do you try to explain it because you think the joke is so awesome and everyone's life would be better by being able to laugh at something that made you laugh? We want to share a cultural gem with others, but the very act of sharing it could very well destroy it."

His final word was "So it depends on the work, and it depends on the readership, but *not*, in my opinion, on the language itself."

I guess the point I'm at right now is trying to find where I stand on my thesis. Originally, I decided Shakespeare can only be appreciated in English, but based on feedback people are saying his themes are adaptable and universal. Which begs the question, what about other playwrights/authors (see Lope de Vega, previous post) being translated worldwide? I know some are, but nothing to the extent of Shakespeare. To me, it seems like his works are translated because of his themes, but English speakers idolize him for his language.