Sunday, August 29, 2004

Sir John Falstaff(文史藝術)



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:

Anonymous said...

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

Anonymous said...

Online Collection of Shakespeare's work:

http://www.arts.cuhk.edu.hk/humftp/Faculty/kwan_tw/E-text/Shakespeare/

Clara said...

喂喂,就快開學喇,比心機讀書喇!嘿嘿!

Anonymous said...

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!


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