Why should you read Shakespeare’s “The Tempest”? - Iseult Gillespie

Prevodilac: Milenka Okuka Lektor: Tijana Mihajlović

Claps of thunder and flashes of lightning illuminate a swelling sea,

Udari groma i sevanje munja osvetljavaju nadošlo more

as a ship buckles beneath the waves.

dok se brod povija pod talasima.

This is no ordinary storm, but a violent and vengeful tempest,

Ovo nije obična oluja, već nasilna i osvetoljubiva bura,

and it sets the stage for Shakespeare’s most enigmatic play.

i ona postavlja pozornicu za Šekspirovu najzagonetniju dramu.

As the skies clear, we are invited into a world

Kako se nebo razvedrava, pozvani smo u svet

that seems far removed from our own, but is rife with familiar concerns

koji se čini prilično udaljenim od našeg, ali je ispunjen nama bliskim brigama

about freedom, power, and control.

o slobodi, moći i kontroli.

The Tempest is set on a desert island, exposed to the elements

„Bura” se dešava na udaljenom ostrvu, izloženom silama prirode,

and ruled with magic and might by Prospero, the exiled Duke of Milan.

a kojim putem magije i moći vlada Prospero, izgnani milanski vojvoda.

Betrayed by his brother Antonio, Prospero has been marooned on the island

Kada ga je izdao brat Antonio, Prospero je proveo u izolaciji na ostrvu

for twelve years with his daughter Miranda and his beloved books.

dvanaest godina sa svojom kćerkom Mirandom i svojim voljenim knjigama.

In this time he’s learned the magic of the island

Za to vreme, savladao je ostrvsku magiju

and uses it to harness its elementary spirits.

i koristi je kako bi ovladao duhovima prirode.

He also rules over the island’s only earthly inhabitant,

On je i vladar jedinom zemaljskom stanovniku ostrva,

the dejected and demonized Caliban.

utučenom i satanizovanom Kalibanu.

But after years of plotting revenge, Prospero’s foe is finally in sight.

Međutim, nakon godina spremanja osvete, Prosperov zlotvor je konačno na vidiku.

With the help of the fluttering sprite Ariel,

Uz pomoć vazdušnog duha Arijela,

the magician destroys his brother’s ship and washes its sailors ashore.

mađioničar uništava bratovljev brod i njegove mornare izbacuje na obalu.

Prospero’s plotting even extends to his daughter’s love life,

Prosperovo spletkarenje se čak proteže i na ljubavni život njegove kćerke,

whom he plans to fall for stranded prince Ferdinand.

za koju je isplanirao da se zaljubi u nasukanog princa Ferdinanda.

And as Prospero and Ariel close in on Antonio,

A kako Prospero i Arijel sateruju Antonija u ćošak,

Caliban joins forces with some drunken sailors,

Kaliban se pridružuje nekakvim pijanim mornarima

who hatch a comic plot to take the island.

koji smišljaju komičnu zaveru da preuzmu ostrvo.

The play strips society down to its basest desires,

Drama ogoljava društvo na osnovne nagone,

with each faction in hot pursuit of power- be it over the land, other people,

gde svaka frakcija grabi moć - bilo nad zemljom, drugim ljudima

or their own destiny.

ili sopstvenom sudbinom.

But Shakespeare knows that power is always a moving target;

Međutim, Šekspir zna da je moć meta koja je stalno u pokretu;

and as he reveals these characters’ dark histories,

i kako razotkriva mračne prošlosti svih tih likova,

we begin to wonder if this vicious cycle will ever end.

počinjemo da se pitamo ima li kraja ovom vrzinom kolu.

Although Prospero was wronged by Antonio,

Iako se Antonio ogrešio o Prospera,

he has long inflicted his own abuses on the island,

on je i sam naneo štetu ostrvu,

hoarding its magical properties and natural re-sources for himself.

grabeći njegova magična svojstva i prirodne resurse za sebe.

Caliban especially resents this takeover.

Naročito Kaliban prezire ovu vlast.

The son of Sycorax,

Sin Sikorakse,

a witch who previously ruled the island,

veštice koja je nekada vladala ostrvom,

he initially helped the exiles find their footing.

u početku je pomagao izgnanicima da se smeste.

But he’s since become their slave, and rants with furious regret:

Međutim, kasnije je postao njihov rob koji izgovara tirade sa besnim kajanjem:

“And then I loved thee,/ And showed thee

„Tada sam te voleo, sve ti pokazivao

all the qualities o’ th’ isle/ The fresh springs,

na ostrvu: i sveže izvore

brine pits, barren place and fertile./

i škrape pune vode slankaste i jalova i plodna zemljišta.

Cursed be I that did so!”

O, proklet bio što to činih!”

With his thunderous language and seething anger,

Svojim prodornim jezikom i kuljajućim besom

Caliban constantly reminds Prospero of what came before:

Kaliban stalno podseća Prospera na ono što je bilo nekad:

this island’s mine by Sycorax my mother, Which thou takest from me.

„Ostrvo ovo meni pripada po mojoj majci Sikoraksi, a ti ga od mene preote.”

Yet Sycorax also abused the island,

Međutim, i Sikoraks je zloupotrebljavala ostrvo

and imprisoned Ariel until Prospero released him.

i držala je Arijela u zarobljeništvu dok ga nije Prospero oslobodio.

Now Ariel spends the play hoping to repay his debt and earn his freedom,

Sada, tokom čitave drame, Arijel se nada da će da otplati dug i zaradi slobodu,

while Caliban is enslaved indefinitely, or at least as long

dok je Kaliban zarobljen na neodređeno vreme

ili bar dok je Prospero na vlasti.

as Prospero is in charge.

For these reasons and many more,

Iz ovih i mnogih drugih razloga,

The Tempest has often been read as an exploration of colonialism,

„Bura” je često tumačena kao istraživanje kolonijalizma

and the moral dilemmas that come with en-counters of “brave new world(s)."

i moralnih dilema koje prate susrete sa „vrlim novim svetovima”.

Questions of agency and justice hang over the play:

Pitanja odgovornosti i pravde lebde nad dramom:

is Caliban the rightful master of the land?

da li je Kaliban zakoniti gospodar zemlje?

Will Ariel flutter free?

Da li će Arijel da odleprša u slobodu?

And is Prospero the mighty overseer-

I da li je Prospero svemoćni nadzornik -

or is there some deeper magic at work, beyond any one character's grasp?

ili je na delu nekakva veća magija, nedokučiva bilo kojem liku pojedinačno?

Throughout the play,

Tokom drame,

Ariel constantly reminds Prospero of the freedom he is owed.

Arijel stalno podseća Prospera na slobodu koju mu duguje.

But the question lingers of whether the invader will be able

Međutim, ostaje pitanje da li će osvajač ikada biti u stanju

to relinquish his grip.

da olabavi svoj stisak.

The question of ending one’s reign is particularly potent given that The Tempest

Pitanje okončanja vladavine je naročito, snažno imajući u vidu da se za „Buru”

is believed to be Shakespeare’s final play.

veruje da je poslednja drama koju je napisao Šekspir.

In many ways Prospero’s actions echo that of the great entertainer him-self,

Na razne načine, Prosperovi postupci podsećaju na one samog velikog zabavljača,

who hatched elaborate plots, maneuvered those around him,

koji je kovao razrađene zaplete, manevrisao onima oko sebe

and cast a spell over characters and audience alike.

i bacao čini kako na likove, tako i na publiku.

But by the end of his grand performance of power and control,

Međutim, pred kraj njegove velike izvedbe moći i kontrole,

Prospero’s final lines see him humbled by his audience -

Prospero se poslednjim stihovima ponizno povlači pred publikom -

and the power that they hold over his creations.

i moći koju ona ima nad njegovim tvorevinama.

"With the help of your good hands./ Gentle breath of yours my sails/

„Uz pomoć vaših milostivih ruku, ako mi jedra svojim blagim dahom

Must fill or else my project fails,/ Which was to please."

ne nadimate, propašće mi naum u tom da vama nebesa se smeše.”

This evokes Shakespeare’s own role as the great entertainer

Ovo evocira Šekspirovu sopstvenu ulogu kao velikog zabavljača

who surrenders himself, ultimately, to our applause.

koji se, naposletku, predaje našem aplauzu.