A host of heroes - April Gudenrath

Transcriber: Andrea McDonough Reviewer: Bedirhan Cinar

譯者: Jephian Lin 審譯者: 盧 曉天

"I need a hero!"

「哪位英雄來救我！」

So many people in distress have said this,

許多人在苦惱的時候會這麼說，

but why?

為什麼呢？

What kind of hero do we need

我們須要怎樣的英雄

and do we even really even need a hero at all?

或我們真的須要英雄嗎？

Well, if you look at any piece of literature

嗯，如果你試著看看

written for page,

各種文學作品、

script,

電影劇本、

or stage,

舞臺劇，

the answer is yes!

那答案是「我們須要」！

But, heroes come in all shapes and sizes,

然而，有各式各樣的英雄，

depending on what needs to be dealt with.

取決於他將解決什麼樣的問題。

First, you have your epic heroes.

首先，你有聽過 史詩英雄。

Epic heroes usually come from a famous family,

史詩英雄通常來自名門望族，

have super-human strength,

有著超人般的力量，

are unusually good-looking.

而且不可理諭地帥。

They take on challenges that no one else will

他們接受別人不敢的挑戰

and succeed.

而且成功了。

They have great journeys and adventures,

他們會踏上偉大的旅程 並展開冒險，

some supernatural

有時候在神話裡，

and some, right here on Earth.

而有時候在地球上。

Beowulf does all of this.

上述這些 貝武夫全做了。

He travels across the sea with his band of warriors

他帶著一群戰士遠渡重洋

to help another king defeat a supernatural monster

去幫助另一個國王 打敗一隻神話怪獸，

that has been terrorizing his kingdom.

這怪獸已經威脅那王國很久了。

He defeats the monster

他在史詩的戰役中

and the monster's mother

打敗了怪獸

in an epic battle,

還有怪獸的母親，

and then goes back home

然後回家

and becomes king himself.

並自己成為君王。

In his old age, he has one more monster to face,

在他老年時，他面臨了另一隻怪獸，

one more threat that he must keep from his people,

一頭龍， 他必須保護人民免於威脅。

a dragon.

一頭龍， 他必須保護人民免於威脅。

Now, being an epic hero,

而身為史詩英雄，

of course he wins,

他當然地贏了，

but he is also human,

但他同時也是人類，

and so he also dies.

所以他也死了。

But he leaves behind stories

但他留下的故事

to inspire others even today.

至今日都還在激勵著我們。

Next, we have our tragic heroes.

接下來，是悲劇英雄。

Tragic heroes are usually leaders or powerful characters,

悲劇英雄通常是領導者 或是很有能力的角色，

but the tragic hero is also majorly flawed

但悲劇英雄通常也很有缺點

and that flaw usually leads him down the path

而這缺點通常導致他走向

to a horrible and tragic death.

恐怖與悲劇般的死亡。

Take the story of Oedipus the King, for example.

舉例來說， 伊底帕斯國王的故事。

One day, a young man travels to a town called Thebes.

有天，一位年輕人旅行到一個 叫做底比斯的小鎮。

On the way, he kills a man

在路上，他因為對方不讓路

for not yielding to him on the road

而殺了一個人，

in the first documented case of road rage.

堪稱是文獻記載的 第一次道路衝突。

He also defeats a magical creature

他也打敗了一隻魔法怪物

and is rewarded by becoming the King of Thebes,

然後被獎賞 成為底比斯的王，

and thus, marrying their queen.

順理成章地娶了他的王后。

Well, that's not so tragic, right?

聽起來不太悲劇，對吧？

Wrong!

錯了！

The queen he just married is actually his birth mother!

他娶的王后恰恰就是他的生母！

Oedipus was supposed to have been killed

伊底帕斯原本被計劃 在孩提時

as a child by a servant,

就會被僕人殺掉，

but instead he was given to another family.

但他被送到別人家裡。

Oh, and the man he killed on the road,

噢，那位他在路上殺死的人，

the previous King of Thebes

正是前任底比斯王，

and his dad.

他的父親。

So he killed his father and married his mother.

所以他殺了自己的父親 並娶了自己的母親。

Now that is quite tragic.

實在還蠻悲劇的。

Not tragic enough for you?

還不夠悲劇嗎？

Try this one.

試試這個。

Romeo Montague is a guy born into a wealthy family

羅密歐．蒙特克是出生在有錢人家的小孩，

and finds the love of his life at a party, Juliet.

而在宴會中發現他的摯愛──茱麗葉。

But, Juliet is from a different family

但是茱麗葉是來自另一個家族，

that just so happens to hate his family.

恰巧地這兩家是世仇。

Instead of being patient

羅密歐沒有耐心

and working through the family feud,

化解這場家族間的恩怨，

Romeo decides he must have his love now,

反而決定他現在就要 得到他的摯愛，

and his impatience leads to bloodshed and death,

而他的性急 導致了流血與死亡，

including his own and Juliet's.

包含他自己和茱麗葉。

Moving on to romantic heroes.

換談談浪漫英雄。

Now these guys might sound like

這種英雄可能有點像：

they might have a better love life and chance at happiness,

他們原本有一段更好的愛情 以及美滿的生活，

but that's not always the case.

但最後總不是那樣。

These heroes are emotional

這些英雄富有情感

and very human.

並且與人性相符。

But there is something magical about them.

但他們身上又有神奇的元素。

Some have a miraculous birth

有些是奇蹟般地出生

and then are separated from their family.

然後與家庭分離。

Others use enchanted swords

有些則會用魔法劍

or get help from magical beans.

或者有魔豆的幫助。

They could also reject the expectations of society

他們屏棄世俗的規範

and adhere to their own code of morality.

然後遵從他們 自己的一套道德。

And in the end,

而最後，

the hero triumphs over evil in an idyllic way,

英雄巧妙地戰勝邪惡

but at great personal, emotional sacrifice.

但賠上自己與情感的犧牲。

King Arthur is a good example of a romantic hero.

亞瑟王是典型的浪漫英雄。

Sure, he became king and married the love of his life,

當然，他成為國王然後娶了王后，

but he was also killed by his son,

但他也被他的兒子殺死，

who was born out of wedlock,

實際上他的私生子，

and had his wife cheat on him with his best friend.

而他的王后也瞞著他 和他最好的朋友密會。

So, although he, too, like Beowulf, was a great king,

所以，儘管他像貝武夫一樣 是一位偉大的君王，

he suffered much more

他因為

for the greater purpose of society,

社會的將來而受苦，

which makes him more human and relatable to us all.

這讓他更富有人性 也和我們更習習相關。

There are different heroes for different situations.

在不同情境下會有不同英雄。

Sometimes we need the strong warrior

有時候我們須要一個強壯的戰士

to slay the evils of the world.

來打擊世上的邪惡。

At other times,

而有時候，

we need a common person who becomes great

我們須要一個平凡人來 成就非凡，

so that they can inspire us all to be better.

好來激勵我們向上。

So do we need heroes?

所以我們須要英雄嗎？

Absolutely!

當然！

No matter what the time or place,

不論在何時何地，

we still need something to believe in.

我們都須要某些人來 讓我們相信。

They remind us of the good in each of us,

他們提醒我們 心中的善念、

and the need for hope

對希望的依賴、

and the importance of knowledge.

以及知識的重要性。