仲夏夜之夢

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

威廉‧ 莎士比亞（William Shakespeare）

莎士比亞（William Shakespeare）在世界文壇上是家喻戶曉的作家，用不著多作介紹。莎翁生於1564 年4 月，日期不詳，據推算是21 日或23 日；死於1616 年4 月23 日，享年52 歲。作品計劇本三十七部、詩集三部。一般將莎劇分為喜劇、悲劇、歷史劇三種， 並且將他的寫作生涯按年代分為1590-1595、1595-1600、1600-1608 和1608-1612四個階段。《仲夏夜之夢》可以算是第一個階段最圓熟的一部喜劇。

Theseus, Duke of Athens is to wed Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons, in four days. He has ordered Philostrate, his master of revels, to “stir up the Athenian youths to merriment.” Meanwhile, a group of Athenian craftsmen is preparing to entertain the royal couple with a play entitled Pyramus and Thisbe; they agree to meet for rehearsal at the Duke’s oak.

But not all Athenian youths are happy. Lysander and Demetrius both love Hermia; she favors Lysander, but Demetrius has her father Egeus’ permission to marry her. Egeus insists that she marry Demetrius or be put to death in the name of Athenian law. Demetrius takes his case to Theseus and demands that the law be invoked. To the alternative of death, Theseus adds another: life in a nunnery, as a punishment for Hermia for defying her father’s will. But she swears that she would rather enter a convent than consent to become Demetrius’ bride.

word bank
1. evel：歡宴
2. stir up：激起
3. merriment：歡樂，興高采烈
4. craftsman：技工，工匠（= artisan；複數為craftsmen）
5. royal：皇家的
6. entitle：（書本、戲曲、歌謠）名為……
7. rehearsal：預演，彩排（動詞作rehearse）
8. in the name of…law：按照……的法律
9. take one’s case to someone：將自己的案子呈交某人處理
10. demand：要求
11. invoke：援用（法律）；求助（古典文學作品中，詩人向Muse﹝謬思﹞祈靈也叫做invoke，名詞為invocation）
12. alternative：另一項選擇
13. punishment for/on someone for…：當作犯了……錯的懲罰
14. defy：違抗
15. will：旨意
16. would rather…than…：寧可……而不願……（兩者均可接動詞原形）


To escape the Athenian law, Lysander and Hermia arrange to meet in the same wood where the craftsmen are to rehearse their play, and to flee thence to a place of safety. The lovers, however, err in revealing their plan to Hermia’s friend Helena. Demetrius has formerly been betrothed to Helena, and although he has switched his love to Hermia, he is still desperately loved by the jilted Helena. She is willing to do anything to gain even a smile from Demetrius, and she tells him of his rival’s plan to elope with Hermia.

The wood in which the lovers and the craftsmen have planned to meet is haunted by fairies. But even with the fairies not all is harmonious. Oberon, king of the fairies, is quarreling with his queen Titania over the possession of a little Indian prince. Loving the prince like a son, the queen refuses to give him up to her husband. To force her to do his bidding, Oberon sends his mischievous page to get the juice of “Love-in-idleness.” This juice, when squeezed into the eyes of anyone sleeping, will cause that person to fall in love with the first creature that he sees on awakening.

word bank
1. hence：從那裡（= from that place）
2. betroth：訂婚
3. jilted：被拋棄的
4. haunted：常出沒的（鬼常出沒於某一個地方，則稱該處為a haunted place；haunted by fairies 意指神仙經常在那裏出現）
5. harmonious：和諧的（名詞為harmony）
6. quarrel with someone over an issue：與某人爭論某件事
7. page：僕童
8. idleness：在莎士比亞的英文中作「癡迷」解
9. on one’s errand：當差，辦事

中文解說

雅典公爵Theseus將於四天內與Amazon族女皇Hippolyta完婚。公爵命令掌管歡宴的大臣要「激起雅典年輕人的歡樂」（分享喜氣）。Amazons是希臘神話中驍勇善戰的女人族，在特洛伊戰爭中，曾與希臘人交鋒，並打敗希臘人。本劇中根據的場合卻是Amazons敗於雅典人之手，公爵以聯婚來化解仇恨。同時，有一群技工正準備要以一齣名叫Pyramus and Thisbe的戲來為這對皇室的新人助興；技工們相約在公爵的橡樹林預演。

儘管公爵要雅典的年輕人同感歡樂，但是並非所有年輕人都快樂。Lysander 及Demetrius同時愛上Hermia， 她卻獨對Lysander 青睞， 但是Demetrius則得到她父親Egeus 的許可要娶她。Egeus 堅持女兒嫁Demetrius，否則便依雅典法律處死她。Demetrius向公爵Theseus 告發。可是Theseus又增加了另一個選擇，那就是死罪可免，但必須在修道院終生監禁。Hermia宣稱，她寧可進修道院，也不願嫁給Demetrius。

然而， 這對戀人（Lysander 與Hermia） 錯在將他們的計畫告訴了Helena。早先Demetrius與Helena已訂婚， 雖然他移情別戀， 可是被拋棄的Helena卻仍然不顧一切地愛著他，甚至於只為了得到Demetrius的歡顏，任何事情都願意做。因此，她告訴Demetrius關於Lysander 要和Hermia一起私奔的計畫。

另一方面，在神仙（精靈）的世界，也並非一切都和諧。仙王和仙后正在為擁有一個印度王子而爭奪不休。仙后視印度王子如己出， 不願意將他拱手讓給丈夫。仙王為了迫使她照他的吩咐行事，召喚惡作劇的僕童Puck去取得「癡情花」的汁液，此汁液一旦擠入任何熟睡的人眼裡，將會愛上醒來時第一眼看到的人。

Demetrius與Helena進森林想找那對逃跑的戀人。Helena信誓旦旦，表明她對Demetrius的愛，卻只招來輕蔑。仙王同情她，決心要幫助她。因此，Puck回來的時候，仙王要他為穿著「雅典人服飾」的「可鄙年輕人」眼裡塗上汁液，讓他愛上那個對他癡迷的女孩。