Insults by Shakespeare

莎士比亚的侮辱 - April Gudenrath

Translator: Bedirhan Cinar

翻译人员: Geoff Chen 校对人员: Tingting Feng

（音乐）

Why do we cringe when we hear "Shakespeare?"

为什么当我们听到"莎士比亚"时会畏缩？

If you ask me, it's usually because of his words.

如果你问我，我会说 这通常是由于他所使用的言辞。

All those thines and thous and therefores

所有这些你（thou）、你的（thine）、因此（therefores）

and wherefore-art-thous can be more than a little annoying.

和你要去哪里（wherefore-art-thou）可能有些讨厌。

But you have to wonder, why is he so popular?

但你得想想，为什么他这么受欢迎？

Why have his plays been made and remade more than any other playwright?

为何他的作品比其他剧作家的作品 获得更多演出和重新编排的机会？

这是由于他的用字。

It's because of his words.

Back in the late 1500s and early 1600s,

在十六世纪晚期和十七世纪初，

that was the best tool that a person had,

词汇是最好的工具，

and there was a lot to talk about.

它时常掀起许多话题。

However, most of it was pretty depressing.

然而，大部分的作品都令人沮丧，

You know, with the Black Plague and all.

你知道，它们大多与黑死病 和其他什么的有关。

莎士比亚的确使用许多语汇，

Shakespeare does use a lot of words.

One of his most impressive accomplishments is his use of insults.

他最令人印象深刻的成就之一 就是他对侮辱的使用。

They would unify the entire audience;

侮辱的言辞把所有观众联系在一块儿，

and no matter where you sat, you could laugh at what was going on onstage.

不管你坐哪儿，你都可以 嘲笑舞台上发生的所有事。

言辞，特别是在戏剧中的对话，

Words, specifically dialogue in a drama setting,

are used for many different reasons:

由于许多不同的原因而被使用着：

to set the mood of the scene,

它们可以设置剧中情绪的基调，

to give some more atmosphere to the setting,

它们可以增添更多氛围，

and to develop relationships between characters.

它们也可以用来发展 剧中角色与角色之间的关系。

Insults do this in a very short and sharp way.

侮辱以非常简洁、犀利的方式来完成这些事。

Let's first go to "Hamlet."

首先，让我们看看《哈姆雷特》一剧。

Right before this dialogue,

就在这对话前，

Polonius is the father of Ophelia, who is in love with Prince Hamlet.

波洛纽斯是奥菲丽亚的父亲， 而奥菲丽亚深爱着哈姆雷特王子。

King Claudius is trying to figure out why Prince Hamlet is acting so crazy

克劳狄斯国王想弄清楚为什么 自从他和哈姆雷特的母亲结婚后，

since the king married Prince Hamlet's mother.

哈姆雷特的举止便如此疯狂。

Polonius offers to use his daughter to get information from Prince Hamlet.

波洛纽斯建议利用他的女儿

从哈姆雷特王子那里获得消息。

Then we go into Act II Scene 2.

接着我们进入第二幕第二场。

Polonius: "Do you know me, my lord?"

波洛纽斯：" 阁下，您认识我吗？"

Hamlet: "Excellent well. You're a fishmonger."

哈姆雷特：" 很熟啊，你是个鱼贩（fishmonger）。"

Polonius: "Not I, my lord."

波洛纽斯：" 不，阁下。"

Hamlet: "Then I would you were so honest a man."

哈姆雷特：" 那我希望你是个老实人。"

Now, even if you did not know what "fishmonger" meant,

现在，即使你不知道"鱼贩"意谓着什么，

you can use some contextual clues.

你可以使用一些上下文线索来了解。

One: Polonius reacted in a negative way, so it must be bad.

一： 波洛纽斯以消极的方式响应，所以这肯定很糟。

二： 鱼的气味不好，所以它肯定很糟。

Two: Fish smell bad, so it must be bad.

And three: "monger" just doesn't sound like a good word.

三："Monger"听起来就不像个好词。

So from not even knowing the meaning,

所以从对一个语汇的 真实意义毫无所悉开始，

you're beginning to construct some characterization

你正开始建构一些关系的特质，

of the relationship between Hamlet and Polonius,

这样的特质定义了哈姆雷特 和波洛纽斯之间的关系，

which was not good.

这关系并不很好。

But if you dig some more, "fishmonger" means a broker of some type,

但如果你继续往下探索， "鱼贩"意谓着某种类型的中间商，

and in this setting, would mean like a pimp,

在这个背景下，意味着，他就像个皮条客，

like Polonius is brokering out his daughter for money,

波洛纽斯就像中间贩， 利用他女儿攒钱牟利，

which he is doing for the king's favor.

他正为国王做这件事。

This allows you to see that Hamlet is not as crazy as he's claiming to be,

这使你可以理解，哈姆雷特并不 如他所自称一般的疯狂，

and intensifies the animosity between these two characters.

同时加剧了这些两个角色之间的敌意。

想要另一个例子吗？

Want another example?

"Romeo and Juliet" has some of the best insults of any of Shakespeare's plays.

《 罗密欧与朱丽叶 》 有 莎士比亚剧作中的最好的侮辱。

它是一部关于两个帮派

It's a play about two gangs,

and the star-crossed lovers that take their own lives.

和相爱的人引领自己生命的剧作。

Well, with any fisticuffs

嗯，你知道那儿有一些严重的台词对话，

you know that there is some serious smack talk going on.

And you are not disappointed.

你并不感到失望。

In Act I Scene 1, right from the get-go

在第一幕第一场，从一开始

we are shown the level of distrust and hatred

剧本向我们展示了不信任和仇恨的水平，

the members of the two families, the Capulets and Montagues, meet.

蒙太古家族与凯普莱特家族势不两立。

格雷戈里："我路过时会对他们横个白眼，

Gregory: "I will frown as I pass by, and let them take it as they list."

看看他们会怎样。"

Sampson: "Nay, as they dare, I will bite my thumb at them,

桑普森："我谅他们不敢怎样，我会向他们咬我的大拇指，

which is a disgrace to them, if they bear it."

这是羞辱他们，看看他们受不受得了。"

Enter Abraham and Balthasar.

亚伯拉罕和巴萨哲进来了。

Abraham: "Do you bite your thumb at us, sir?"

亚伯拉罕："你向我们咬你的大拇指吗？"

Sampson: "I do bite my thumb, sir."

桑普森："我是咬了我的大拇指。"

Abraham: "Do you bite your thumb at us, sir?"

亚伯拉罕："你是向我们咬你的大拇指吗？"

好吧，所以这发展如何帮助 我们理解剧中人心境或角色？

Okay, so how does this development help us understand mood or character?

Well, let's break it down to the insult.

嗯，让我们分解一下侮辱。

Biting your thumb today may not seem like a big deal,

在今天，咬你的大拇指 可能听来不是个大问题，

but Sampson says it is an insult to them.

但桑普森说这是对他们的侮辱。

If they take it so, it must have been one.

如果他们这样说，肯定当时是如此。

This begins to show us the level of animosity

这向我们显示了为两家工作的人之间

between even the men who work for the two Houses.

所拥有的敌意程度。

And you normally would not do anything to someone

你通常不会对某些人 做什么，除非你想要挑衅，

unless you wanted to provoke them into a fight,

which is exactly what's about to happen.

这正是正要发生的事。

Looking deeper, biting your thumb in the time in which the play was written

更深地看来，咬你的大拇指在这出戏写就时

is like giving someone the finger today.

就如同今天给向某人亮出那手指。

一个很强烈的感觉随之而来，

A pretty strong feeling comes with that,

所以我们现在开始感到这一场的紧张气氛。

so we now are beginning to feel the tension in the scene.

Later on in the scene, Tybalt, from the House of the Capulets,

在稍后的一场，来自凯普莱特家族的提伯尔特

lays a good one on Benvolio from the House of the Montagues.

对势不两立的蒙太古家族成员 班伏里奥展示了一个明确示范，

Tybalt: "What, art thou drawn among these heartless hinds?

提伯尔特："怎么，你跟这些没用的奴才吵架嚒？

过来，班伏里奥， 让我结束你生命。"

Turn thee, Benvolio, and look upon thy death."

Benvolio: "I do but keep the peace; put up thy sword,

班伏里奥："我不过维持和平而已；收起你的剑，

or manage it to part these men with me."

不然就帮我分开这些人。"

Tybalt: "What, drawn and talk of peace!

提伯尔特："什么？你既拔出了剑，休谈和平！

I hate the word, as I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee.

我痛恨这个词，如同我痛恨地狱， 和痛恨你们所有蒙太古家族人一般。

Have at thee, coward!"

看剑，懦夫 ！"

Okay, heartless hinds.

好吧，不中用的奴才。

We know that once again, it's not a good thing.

我们知道，再一次地，它不是一件好事。

Both families hate each other, and this is just adding fuel to the fire.

两家族痛恨对方，这只是火上加油罢了。

但这毒刺有多糟？

But just how bad is this stinger?

A heartless hind is a coward,

不中用的奴才是懦夫，

and calling someone that in front of his own men, and the rival family,

当着这人和敌方家庭这么叫他，

means there's going to be a fight.

意味着，有一场决斗就要发生了。

Tybalt basically calls out Benvolio,

基本上，提伯尔特臭骂了班伏里奥，

and in order to keep his honor, Benvolio has to fight.

为了保持荣誉，所以班伏里奥必须决斗。

This dialogue gives us a good look

这个对话给让我们得以好好看出 这两个角色之间关系的表征。

at the characterization between these two characters.

Tybalt thinks that the Montagues are nothing but cowardly dogs,

提伯尔特认为蒙太古家族的人 只不过是懦弱的狗罢了，

and has no respect for them.

他对他们毫无尊重。

Once again, adding dramatic tension to the scene.

再一次地，这添加了整场戏的张力。

Okay, now here's a spoiler alert.

好吧，现在这里有个警报。

Tybalt's hotheadedness and severe hatred of the Montagues

伯尔特的顽固以及他对蒙太古家族的严重仇恨

is what we literature people call his hamartia,

就是我们文学人所说的悲剧性弱点（Hamartia）

or what causes his downfall.

或者是导致他垮下的原因。

哦，是的。他毁于罗密欧的手。

Oh, yes.

He goes down at the hands of Romeo.

所以，当你观看莎士比亚时，

So when you're looking at Shakespeare, stop and look at the words,

停下来，并看看那些言辞语汇，

because they really are trying to tell you something.

因为它们真的在试图告诉你一些事。