Why should you read "A Midsummer Night's Dream"? - Iseult Gillespie

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: Ann Chen

藉著月光，

a group of youths sneak into the woods,

一群年輕人溜進了樹叢裡，

where they take mind-altering substances,

在那裡，他們吃下了 會產生幻覺的物品。

switch it up romantically,

將上述情景寫得浪漫些，

and brush up against creatures from another dimension.

再加入碰到一些幻想的怪物。

"A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream" sees Shakespeare get psychedelic –

《仲夏夜之夢》呈現的 是莎士比亞的幻覺——

and the result is a treat in the theatre and on the page.

不論是在舞台上或書上， 這部作品都是讓人享受的傑作。

First performed in the 1590's,

這齣劇最早是在 1590 年代演出，

this play is one of Shakespeare’s friskiest works,

它是莎士比亞最歡鬧的作品之一，

filled with trickery, madness and magic.

充滿了詭計、瘋狂，和魔法。

Set over the course of one night,

故事發生在一整個晚上，

Midsummer progresses at a rollicking pace.

《仲夏夜之夢》 以嬉耍的快節奏進行。

The plot is structured around patterns of collision and dissolution,

劇情圍繞著衝突 以及關係離散的模式，

where characters from different worlds are thrown together and torn apart.

來自不同世界的角色 被聚在一起，又被分離開來。

Shakespeare uses these patterns to mock the characters’ self-obsession

莎士比亞用這些模式 來嘲笑角色的自我迷戀，

and question authority with a comic twist.

並用喜劇轉折來質疑當權者。

The action is set in Ancient Greece,

這情節發生在古希臘，

but like many of Shakespeare’s plays it reflects his contemporary concerns.

但和莎士比亞的許多劇作一樣， 它反映出他對時下議題的關心。

The magical setting of the woods at night

晚上樹林裡的魔法場景

disrupts the boundaries between separate groups, with bizarre results.

瓦解了不同群組間的界線， 產生出怪異的結果。

Here, the bard plays with the rigid class system of his own time,

在這裡，吟遊詩人玩弄 他那個時代的死板階級制度，

taking three distinct groups and turning their society upside-down

在一個凡人沒有控制權的世界中，

將三個不同群組的社會 弄得天翻地覆。

in a world where no mortal is in control.

The play opens with young Hermia

這部劇作從年輕的赫米婭開始，

raging at her father Egeus and Theseus, the King of Athens,

她很氣她的父親伊吉斯 以及雅典國王忒修斯，

who have forbidden her to marry her lover Lysander.

因為他們禁止她嫁給 她所愛的拉山德。

Hermia has no interest in her father's choice for her of Demetrius –

赫米婭對於她父親為她選的對象 狄米特律斯完全不感興趣——

but her best friend Helena definitely does.

但她最好的朋友 海倫娜倒是很感興趣。

Furious at their elders, Hermia and Lysander elope under cover of darkness,

赫米婭和拉山德對於 他們的長輩感到很憤怒，

在黑夜的掩護下私奔了，

with Demetrius in hot pursuit.

而狄米特律斯則窮追不捨。

This is further complicated by Helena’s decision

這一切變得更複雜，

因為海倫娜決定 跟隨著他們進入樹林，

to follow them all into the woods, in the hope of winning Demetrius’ heart.

希望能贏得狄米特律斯的心。

At this point, the woods are getting crowded,

在這個時點， 樹林裡越來越擁擠了，

as the lovers are sharing the space with a group of “rude mechanicals”—

愛人們和一群「粗魯工人」 正聚集在同處——

a troupe of workers drunkenly rehearsing a play, led by the jovial Nick Bottom.

他們是一群在排演 一齣劇的酒醉工人，

由天性快活的尼克·博特姆領軍。

Unbeknownst to them, the humans have entered into the world of the fairies.

他們完全不知道， 人類已經進入了精靈的世界。

Despite their magical splendor, Oberon and Titania,

儘管精靈的國王奧布朗 和皇后提泰妮亞

the king and queen of the fairies, have their own romantic problems.

有魔法般的光彩， 但他們也有自己的愛情問題。

Furious at his inability to control Titania, the jealous Oberon

奧布朗對於無法控制提泰妮亞 感到很憤怒，嫉妒之下，

commands the trickster Puck to squeeze the juice of a magical flower over her eyes.

他命令妖精巴克

將一種魔法花朵的汁 擠在她的眼睛上。

When she wakes up, she’ll fall in love with the first thing she sees.

當她醒來時，她就會愛上 第一眼看見的東西。

On his mission,

巴克執行任務時，

Puck gleefully sprinkles the juice over the eyes of the napping Demetrius

順便欣喜地將汁灑在午睡中的 狄米特律斯和拉山德的眼睛上，

and Lysander, and transforms Bottom’s head into that of a donkey for good measure.

並將博特姆的頭變成驢子的頭。

As eyes flicker open,

隨著眼睛邊眨邊睜開，

a night of chaos commences that includes broken hearts, mistaken identity,

混亂的晚上開始了， 有著破碎的心、

搞亂了的身份，還有著變形。

and transformations.

Out of all the characters, Bottom probably fares the best –

在所有的角色中， 博特姆可能算遭遇最好的——

when the bewitched Titania lays eyes on him,

當被迷惑的提泰妮亞看見他時，

she calls on her fairies to lavish him with wine and treasures

她召來她的精靈， 慷慨給予他美酒和寶藏，

and sweeps the transfigured donkeyman off his feet:

並讓變身的驢人傾心於她：

“pluck the wings from painted butterflies/

「摘下蝴蝶斑斕的彩色翅膀，

To fan the moonbeams from his sleeping eyes.

扇去他睡眼上的瑩瑩月光。

Nod to him, elves, and do him courtesies.”

小精靈們，來，向他點個頭。」

While magic is the catalyst to the action,

雖說魔法是這情節的催化劑，

the play reflects the real drama of the things we do for love –

該劇卻很真實地反映出 我們為了愛會做的事——

and the nonsensical behavior of the people under its spell.

以及在愛的魔咒之下， 人們會做出的無理行為。

The moon overlooks the action “like a silver bow,”

月亮「像是銀色的弓」， 俯瞰著這些事情發生，

signifying erratic behavior, the dark side of love,

代表變幻莫測的行為、 愛的黑暗面、

and the bewitching allure of a world where the usual rules don’t apply.

以及一個常規不適用的世界 所帶來的迷人誘惑。

Although the characters eventually come to their senses,

雖然角色最後都恢復了理智，

"A Midsummer Night's Dream" raises the question

《仲夏夜之夢》帶出了一個問題：

of how much agency we have over our own daily lives.

我們對於自己日常的生活 有多少的主控權。

But it’s not the more realistically rendered lovers, rulers or workers

但並不是比較真實的角色

愛人、統治者或工人 來為這齣劇收尾，

who have the last word,

but the impish Puck who queries whether we can ever truly trust what we see:

而是頑皮的巴克詢問，

我們是否能真正相信 我們所看見的：

If we shadows have offended,

「若我們精靈有所得罪，

Think but this and all is mended:

只要這麼想，一切好解決，

That you have but slumbered here

您不過在這兒打了個瞌睡，

While these visions did appear.

當這些幻象如實顯現。」

And in so doing,

透過這麼做，他帶起了一種效應，

he evokes the effect of entering into the magical world of great theatre

就是進入到偉大劇院的魔法世界，

that plays with the boundary between illusion and reality –

這個世界玩弄著 虛實之間的界線——

and dramatizes the possibility that life is but a dream.

並演出「人生只是一場夢」的可能性。