Why tragedies are alluring - David E. Rivas

譯者: Crystal Yip 審譯者: MQ L

The story goes something like this:

故事通常如此展開：

a royal, rich or righteous individual, who otherwise happens to be a lot like us,

一位皇族、富有或正義的人， 而這個人在其他方面如同一般人一樣

makes a mistake that sends his life, and the lives of those around him,

犯了一個錯誤， 引致他和周圍的人

spiraling into ruin.

墮進毀滅的漩渦

Sound familiar?

聽來熟悉？

This is the classic story pattern for Greek tragedy.

這是希臘悲劇故事的經典結構

For thousands of years,

數千年來

we've spun spellbinding tales that fit this pattern,

我們按照這個結構，編寫迷人故事

and modern storytellers around the world continue to do so.

現代說故事的人仍然繼續這個傳統

Three critical story components influenced by Aristotle's "Poetics"

亞里士多德在《詩學》提出 三個主要的故事元素

help us understand the allure.

幫助我們理解這些故事的迷人之處

First, the tragic hero should be elevated in rank and ability,

第一、悲劇英雄 應有高人一等的地位和能力

but also relatable.

但同時要能引起一般人的共鳴

Perhaps he is a king, or extraordinary in some other way.

也許，他是國王，或有某方面的特長

But because you and I are neither unusually good

但因為你或我都不是非常善良

nor unusually bad,

也不是十惡不赦

neither is the hero.

悲劇英雄亦是同樣

And he has one particular tragic flaw, or hamartia,

而他有一個悲劇性的弱點， 即「哈馬提亞」

something like ambition, tyranny, stubbornness, or excess pride

例如野心、專制、固執，或過份自負

that causes him to make a critical mistake.

導致他犯下一個致命錯誤

And from that mistake comes disaster and downfall.

那個錯誤引來災難和墮落

As an example of these elements in action,

為了說明這些故事元素如何運作

let's look to Sophocles's "Oedipus Rex,"

我們以索福克勒斯的《伊底帕斯王》為例

about a man who doesn't know he was adopted,

一個不知道自己是被收養的男人

and is warned by an oracle that he's destined to murder his father

被神諭警告：他命定殺害自己的父親

and marry his mother.

並會娶自己的母親為妻

In trying to escape this fate,

為了逃避這個命運

he kills a man who won't get out of his way at a crossroad.

他殺了一個攔阻在路口的男人

He then cleverly answers the riddle of the monstrous Sphynx,

然後，他解開 獅身人面獸「斯芬克斯」的謎題

freeing the Kingdom of Thebes from a plague.

從而解救底比斯王國，使它免於瘟疫

He marries the widowed queen and becomes king.

他娶了守寡的皇后，成為底比斯國王

But after he finds out that the murdered man was his father,

但之後他發現所殺的是自己的父親

and the queen he married is his mother,

而他娶的皇后是自己的母親

Oedipus gouges out his eyes and retreats into the wilderness.

伊底帕斯自挖雙眼，隱身荒野

At the beginning of his story,

在這個故事之初

Oedipus is elevated in ability, and he's elevated in rank.

伊底帕斯能力過人，而且身位顯貴

He's neither unusually evil nor saintly.

他並不特別可惡，也不特別善良

He's relatable.

他能引起一般人的共鳴

Notice the height of the fall.

留意他墮落的高度

Once a king, but now homeless and blind.

他曾經是國王， 最後卻無家可歸，雙目失明

It's more tragic, after all, if a king falls from a tall throne

國王從崇高的王位墮下

than if a jester falls off his step stool.

比小丑從踏腳矮凳跌倒， 要悲劇性得多

Oedipus's tragic flaw is hubris, or excessive pride,

伊底帕斯的悲劇性弱點是 「休布瑞斯」，或過份自負

and it causes him to attempt to avoid the fate prophesied for him,

這驅使他嘗試避免預言中的命運

which is exactly what makes it happen.

但這正是促成預言成真的原因

He's a particularly unlucky soul

他是一個特別不幸的靈魂

because his mistake of killing his father and marrying his mother

因為他犯下殺父娶母的錯誤時

is done in complete ignorance.

皆毫不知情

Of course, these narrative principles transcend classic Greek tragedy.

當然，這些敍事原則超越經典希臘悲劇

In Shakespeare's canon,

在莎士比亞的經典中

we see Hamlet's indecisiveness lead to a series of bad decisions,

我們看出哈姆雷特的猶豫不決 引致一連串的壞決定

or perhaps non-decisions,

或者不作決定

that culminate in the death of almost every character in the play,

最終導致劇本中絕大部分角色的死亡

and Macbeth's ambition catapults him to the top

馬克白的野心使他到達權力高峰

before sending him careening to his grave.

然後墮進墳墓

Even modern pop culture staples like "Game of Thrones" and "The Dark Knight"

即使是現代流行文化產物， 例如「權力遊戲」和「黑暗騎士」

resonate with the tropes Aristotle identified over 2000 years ago.

也相通於亞里士多德 2000多年前提出的修辭技巧

So what's the point of all of this suffering?

那麼，這樣的苦難是為了甚麼？

According to Aristotle, and many scholars since,

依照亞里士多德和後世學者的說法，

a good tragedy can evoke fear and pity in the audience:

一齣好的悲劇能引起觀眾的恐懼和同情

Fear of falling victim to the same or similar catastrophe,

恐懼會和受害者掉進相同或類似的災難

and pity for the height of the hero's downfall.

並同情英雄的墜落

Ideally, after watching these tragic events unfold,

理想地，觀看悲劇後

we experience catharsis,

我們會經歷「卡塔西斯」，

a feeling of relief and emotional purification.

感到安慰和情感上的淨化

Not everyone agrees why this happens.

不是所有人都同意這感覺出現的原因

It may be that empathizing with the hero

有可能是因為與英雄的同情共感

allows us to experience and release strong emotions that we keep bottled up,

讓我們經驗並釋放 平日密封的強烈情感

or maybe it just lets us forget about our own problems for a little while.

或它只是讓我們暫時忘記自己的問題

But regardless of how you feel when you watch poor Oedipus,

但無論你觀看可憐的伊底帕斯時， 感覺如何

never has there been a more salient reminder

最明顯的提醒是

that no matter how bad things get,

無論事情有多壞

at least you didn't kill your father and marry your mother.

至少你並沒有殺父娶母