Shakespeare on Trial: An Appraisal Analysis of Law-Infused Discourse in Shakespeare’s Othello and Its Two Slovene TranslationsBarbič, Aja (Avtor) Onič, Tomaž (Mentor) William ShakespeareOthelloappraisallegal discoursecontrastive stylisticsThe thesis explores the connection between literature and law through an appraisal-based linguistic analysis of thirteen selected excerpts from William Shakespeare's Othello and its Slovene translations by Oton Župančič (1923) and Milan Jesih (2013). Excerpts exemplify courtroom rhetoric as characters employ legal roles, such as judge, witness, and solicitor, thus engaging in discourse that mirrors judicial proceedings. The focus of the analysis is therefore on the legal discourse and how this discourse is either maintained or omitted in the Slovene translations. Using Martin and White's appraisal framework, developed in 2005 within systemic functional linguistics, this study examines how attitude, graduation, and engagement contribute to the usage of legal discourse. The comparative analysis of the original and the translations also reveals key differences in how evaluative meaning is preserved or transformed, highlighting the similarities and discrepancies. The research demonstrates that in Othello, legal discourse helps reveal character's intentions, while appraisal analysis reveals moral evaluations of the character's behavior, their emotions, and the aesthetic evaluation of circumstances, as well as how these evaluations are graded and how characters use their voice to either confirm the accusations or deny them.A. Barbič20252025-09-16 21:47:49Magistrsko delo/naloga95408sl