講起韋小寶，不得不說說莎翁筆下的一位爵爺：史劇《亨利四世》
及《亨利五世》內的約瀚.浮士塔法爵士（Sir John Falstaff).
浮士塔法之於英王亨利五世，有丁點像韋小寶與康熙。他是一個沒
落貴族，整天在倫敦東城區的酒吧留連，為人粗俗魯鄙但又機靈風
趣。學者Maurice Morgan 說他集"忠義、勇敢和當代社會的反面及
矛盾於一身." 因緣際會下，浮士塔法和哈爾王儲（Prince Hal)做了
朋友。王儲他即為英國人稱頌的賢明聖君：亨利五世了。
王儲少年時跟浮士塔法及一班酒友投契非常，一起花天酒地，夜夜
笙歌。未幾，亨利四世駕崩。在《亨利四世》一劇的下半部中，哈
爾王儲登基成為亨利五世。他接手的英國，跟康熙治下的大清國一
樣，有非常多暗湧。斯時，英倫王室對內要抑制封建地主和教廷，
對外要面對既為遠親亦屬近鄰的法國。故事描述皇儲繼位後，行事
作風來個180度的大轉變，"親賢臣，遠小人"。以前的酒友們雖然
都給封候封爵，但往日的"手足情誼"日漸消逝。浮士塔法可不懂得
與時並進，上朝時還像以前般跟王上玩玩笑笑，結果為亨利五世所
棄，給放逐了。總之，酒友們的下場都不太好，有些在「英法百年
戰爭」中戰死，有些則因不守法被英王處死；倒是浮士塔法他可以
善終。他死在一間酒館中，"像一個未滿月的嬰兒安詳睡去"。
在莎翁的妙筆下，浮士塔法雖然滿口髒話，常常自吹自擂，做事馬
虎又不正經，跟韋爵爺一樣缺點數不清。但因為他們都快活機智又
妙語連珠，多年來一直係深受觀眾及讀者喜愛的快樂角色。從寫作
角度看，浮士塔法這角色實在太閃鑠，他若不消失只會把英明的亨
利五世的戲搶去，更會破壞《亨利五世》一劇的氣氛，浮爵今回可
真是"功高震主"，不死不成咯！
4 comments:
Actually love Auden too.....
one of my favourites is Lullaby....
Lay your sleeping head, my love
Lay your sleeping head, my love,
Human on my faithless arm;
Time and fevers burn away
Individual beauty from
Thoughtful children, and the grave
Proves the child ephemeral:
But in my arms till break of day
Let the living creature lie,
Mortal, guilty, but to me
The entirely beautiful.
Soul and body have no bounds:
To lovers as they lie upon
Her tolerant enchanted slope
In their ordinary swoon,
Grave the vision Venus sends
Of supernatural sympathy,
Universal love and hope;
While an abstract insight wakes
Among the glaciers and the rocks
The hermit's sensual ecstasy.
Certainty, fidelity
On the stroke of midnight pass
Like vibrations of a bell,
And fashionable madmen raise
Their pedantic boring cry:
Every farthing of the cost,
All the dreaded cards foretell,
Shall be paid, but from this night
Not a whisper, not a thought,
Not a kiss nor look be lost.
Beauty, midnight, vision dies:
Let the winds of dawn that blow
Softly round your dreaming head
Such a day of sweetness show
Eye and knocking heart may bless,
Find the mortal world enough;
Noons of dryness see you fed
By the involuntary powers,
Nights of insult let you pass
Watched by every human love.
-- W.H.Auden
Online Collection of Shakespeare's work:
http://www.arts.cuhk.edu.hk/humftp/Faculty/kwan_tw/E-text/Shakespeare/
喂喂，就快開學喇，比心機讀書喇!嘿嘿!
無名氏兄：Thanks for the poet and the link.:)
M姐：係0既！我會努力發奮向上0架啦！
--- 收買佬
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