Shakespeare’s A Midsu mmer Night’s Dream

莎士比亚名著《仲夏夜之梦》

Shakespeare’s A Midsu mmer Night’s Dream
　　
　　Motto(箴言真谛)
　　If you find yourself lost in confusion on this day,perhaps Midsummer fairies will come to set things right for you,too.(如果你在仲夏这天发现自己迷失于森林中，被爱情冲昏了头脑，或是感到困惑不已，也许仲夏精灵会来帮你理清头绪。)
　　Questions(边想边读)
　　What do you think a comedy should be like?
　　Why is Shakespeare one of the greatest writers in the world?
　　Do you believe magic powers?
　　Reading(阅读欣赏)
　　Shakespeare’s comedy,A Midsummer Night’s Dream,takes place during the summber solstice.This day has long been thought of as a time of magic.In the spirit of this tradition,the play is set in a dark forest full of fairies.
　　莎士比亚的喜剧《仲夏夜之梦》发生在夏至，这一天一直被认为是一个神奇的时刻。这出戏就遵循着这个传统精神，将场景设在众多精灵出没的幽暗森林当中。
　　In the play,Oberon,king of fairies,quarrels with his queen,Titania.Oberon tells his servant,Puck,to put a magic liquid on Titania’s eyes to make her fall in love with the first person she sees.At the same time,two young men and two young women are lost.Puck puts the liquid on the men’s eyes,and they both end up falling in love with one of the women.
　　剧中，精灵王奥伯龙（Oberon）与王后泰坦尼娅（Titania）吵了起来，奥伯龙就叫他的仆人帕克（Puck）在泰坦尼娅的眼睛上点了一种魔液，使她会对（醒来后）所见的第一个人一见钟情。与此同时，有两对年轻男女（在森林中）迷路了。帕克将魔水点在两个男子的眼睛上，结果他们俩都同时爱上了其中一个女孩。
　　Puck then sees and actor named Bottom.For fun,Puck decides to turn Bottom’s head into a donkey’s.Soon after,Titania sees Bottom and falls in love with him.
　　之后帕克看到一个叫巴腾（Bottom）的演员，他一时兴起，决定把巴腾的头变成驴头。没过多久，泰坦尼娅一看到巴腾就爱上了他。
　　Unhappy with the mess,Oberon orders Puck to change Bottom’s head back,and lifts the spell from Titania.He turns the four confused lovers into two happy couples.Everyone feels that the night’s strange events were just a dream.
　　这种混乱的局面让奥伯龙感到很不高兴，于是命令帕克把巴腾的头变回原状，再解除泰坦尼娅的魔咒。每个人都认为这夜的奇遇只是一场梦。
　　At the end,Puck tells the audience that if they did not like the play,they should consider it as just that:a dream.In fact,many people have said that when the play ended,they were not sure whether what they saw was real,or whether they had shared the same dream.
　　剧尾，帕克告诉观众，如果他们不喜欢这出戏，就把它当成是一场梦。事实上，很多人都说，当剧终的时候，他们并不能确定自己所见的是事实，还是他们都做了同样的一场梦。
　　A Midsummer Night’s Dream has stood the test of time.And likewise,there are people who still celebrate Midsummer.If you find yourself lost in forest,lost in love,or lost in confusion on this day,perhaps Midsummer fairies will come to set things right for you,too.
　　《仲夏夜之梦》这部戏经受住了时间的考验。同样，至今仍有人在仲夏举行庆祝活动。如果你在这天发现自己迷失于森林中，被爱情冲昏了头脑，或是感到困惑不已，也许仲夏精灵会来帮你理清头绪。
　　Background（作品背后）
　　莎士比亚（1564-1616）不仅是一流的演员，也是文艺复兴时期英国最大的剧作家。据估计，莎士比亚的词汇量大约有三万两千个左右，并且他还为英语创造了许多沿用至今的词语。世界各地的人们至今仍以英语或其母语阅读他的剧本，或观看其演出。
　　莎士比亚的戏剧通常分为三大类：历史剧、悲剧、喜剧（histories，tragedies,and comedies）。历史剧中的角色，如亨利五世（King Henry V）或凯撒大帝（Julius Ceasar），对观众或读者而言都是非常真实的人物。悲剧中的角色，如麦克白（Macheth）、哈姆雷特（Hamlet），则常深陷于矛盾之中，这显示莎翁对人性有深层的了解。他的喜剧则常嘲讽人们的谬误与愚蠢，如《威尼斯商人》(The Merchant of Venice)、《驯悍记》（The Taming of the Shrew）。《仲夏夜之梦》（A Midsummer Night’s Dream）这出喜剧则充满了活泼浪漫的氛围，把我们带入一个神奇的精灵世界。
　　阅读戏剧剧本时，请注意戏剧一般分为几幕（Acts），每一幕中又分为几个场（Scenes），并注意通过人物之间的对话，判断剧情的发展。另外莎翁的语言用的是比较古老的英语，与现代英语有许多差异，常见的古词语有：art相当于are；thou相当于you（主语）；thee相当于you（宾语），阅读欣赏时掌握其大意即可。Excerpts(原文精粹)
　　Act 3 Scene I.The wood.TITANIA lying asleep.
　　Enter QUINCE,SNUG,BOTTOM,FLUTE,SNOUT,and STARVELING
　　BOTTOMAre we all met?
　　QUINCEPat,pat;and here’s a marvelous convenient place for our rehearsal.This green plot shall be our stage,this hawthorn-brake our tiring-house;and we will do it in action as we will do it before the duke.
　　BOTTOM Peter Quince,——
　　QUINCE What sayest thou,bully Bottom?
　　BOTTOM There are things in this comedy of Pyramus and Thisby that will never please.First,pyramus must draw a sword to kill himself;which the ladies cannot abide.How answer you that?
　　SNOUT By’r lakin,a parlous fear.
　　STARVELING I believe we must leave the killing out,when all is done.
　　BOTTOM Not a whit:I have a device to make all well.Write me a prologue;and let the prologue seem to say,we will do no harm with our swords,and that Pyramus it not killed indeed;and,for the more better assurance,tell them that I,Pyramus,am not Pyramus,but Bottom the weaver:this will put them out of fear.
　　QUINCE Well,we will have such a prologue;and it shall be written in eight and six.
　　BOTTOM No,make it two more;let it be written in eight and eight.
　　SNOUT Will not the ladies be afeard of the lion?
　　STARVELING I fear it,I promise you.
　　BOTTOM Masters,you ought to consider with yourselves:to bring in—God shield us!—a lion among ladies,is a most dreadfulthing;for there is not a more fearful wild-fowl than your lion living;and we ought tolook to’t.
　　SNOUT Therefore another prologue must tell he is not a lion.
　　BOTTOM Nay,you must name his name,and half his face must be seen through the lion’s neck:and he himself must speak through,saying thus,or to the same defect,‘Ladies,’—or‘Fair-ladies—would wish You,’or‘I would request you,’—or‘— would entreat you,‘not to fear,not to tremble:my life for yours.If you think I come hither as a lion,it were pity of my life:no I am no such thing;I am a man as other men are;’and there indeed let him name his name,and tell them plainly he is Snug the joiner.
　　QUINCE Well it shall be so.But there is two hard things;that is,to bring the moonlight into a chamber;for,you know,Pyramus and Thisby meet by moonlight.
　　SNOUT Doth the moon shine that night we play our play?
　　BOTTOM A calendar,a calendar!look in the almanac;find out moonshine,find out moonshine.
　　QUINCE Yes,it doth shine that night.
　　BOTTOM Why,then may you leave a casement of the greatchamber window,where we play,open,and the moon may shine in at the casement.
　　QUINCE Ay;or else one must come in with a bush of thorns and a lanthorn,and say he comes to disfigure,or to present,the person of Moonshine.Then,there is another thing:we nust have a wall in the great chamber;for Pyramus and Thisby says the story,did talk through the chink of a wall.
　　SNOUT You can never bring in a wall.What say you,Bottom?
　　BOTTOM Some man or other must present Wall:and let him have some plaster,or some loam,or some rough-cast about him,to signify wall;and let him hold his fingers thus,and through that cranny shall Pyramus and Thisby whisper.
　QUINCE If that may be,then all is well.Come,sit down,every mother’s son,and rehearse your parts.Pyramus,you begin:when you have spoken your speech,enter into that brake:and so every one according to his cue.
　　(Enter PUCK behind)
　　PUCK What hempen home-spuns have we swaggering here,Son near the cradle of the fairy queen?What,a play toward!I’ll be an auditor;An actor too,perhaps,if I see cause.
　　QUINCE Speak,pyramus.Thisby,stand forth.
　　BOTTOM Thisby,the flowers of odious savours sweet,
　　—QUINCE Odours,odours.
　　BOTTOM—dours savours sweet:So hath thy breath,my dearest Thisby dear.But hark,a voice!stay thou but here awhile,And by and by I will to thee appear.
　　Exit
　　Clauses(短句功力)
　　文中出现了若干动词不定式to do的用法，主要是不定式作动词宾语或充当宾语补足语，即补充说明宾语的成分，常见在某些动词短语中；此外，便是不定式作目的状语。
　　如，Puck decides to turn Bottom’s head into a donkey’s.Oberon orders Puck to change Bottom’s head back.
　　这两句话中，分别出现了“decide to do something”和“order somebody to do something”，第一句中动词不定式作了动词的宾语，表示决定作某事，第二句话中，动词不定式充当了动词宾语的补语。
　　再如，Oberon tells his servant,Puck,to put a maigic liquid on Titania’s eyes to make her fall in love with the first person she sees.
　　这句话中有两个动词不定式，第一处“tell somebody to do something”是告诉某人去做某事的意思，不定式作宾补，补充说明前面宾语的状况；第二处“to make”表示目的。
　　Phrases(短语魅力)
　　Take place 发生
　　Example：“Shakespeare’s comedy,A Midsummer Night’s Dream,takes place during the summber solstice.”
　　Every day many traffic accidents take place.
　　每天都有许多交通事故发生。
　　Full of…充满
　　Example：“The play is set in a dark forest full of fairies.”
　　His paper is full of grammatical mistakes.
　　他的论文通篇全是语法错误。
　　Fall in love with…爱上（某人）
　　Example：“Oberon tells his servant,Puck,to put a magic liquid on Titania’s eyes to make her fall in love with the first person she sees.”
　　I’m not clear how Dad fell in love with Mom,but I know he loves her deeply.
　　虽然我不清楚爸爸是怎么爱上妈妈的，但是我知道他对她一往情深。
　　For fun 为了高兴
　　Example：“For fun,Puck decides to turn Bottom’s head into a donkey’s.”
　　Now,I’d like to tell you a joke just for fun.
　　现在，我想给大家讲个笑话，为了开心而已。
　　Consider…as…把（某人）视为……
　　Example：“…they should consider it as just that:a dream.”
　　All of us consider him as a wise entrepreneur.
　　我们都把他视为一位英明的企业家。
　　Set…right 纠正、解决
　　Example：“…perhaps Midsummer fairies will come to set things right for you,too.”
　　If you give me a chance,I promise to set things right.
　　如果你给我机会，我保证会把问题解决。
　　Words(小词大用)
　　1.solstice n.至日（一年中最长或最短的日子）
　　It’s cold at the winter solstice.
　　冬至的时候天气很冷。
　　（相关词汇：solar adj.太阳的）
　　2.tradition n.传统
　　According to tradition,we have dumpling as supper at the New Year’s Eve.
　　按照传统习俗，我们在除夕夜里吃饺子。
　　（相关词汇：traditional adj.传统的）
　　3.magic n.魔法；adj.有魔力的
　　If I had a magic carpet,I could travel around the world freely.
　　如果我要是有一个魔毯的话，我就可以自由自在地周游世界了。
　　4.mess n.混乱
　　The room is in a mess.
　　这个房间乱七八糟的。
　　5.lift vt.解除
　　UN decides to life the sanction on the nation.
　　联合国决定解除对该国的制裁。
　　6.spell n.咒语
　　The spell on the princess finally disappeared.
　　加在公主身上的咒语终于消失了。
　　7.confused ajd.困惑的
　　I’m confused at your question.
　　我不明白你问的是什么。
　　（相关词汇：confuse vt.使困惑；confusing adj.令人迷惑的）
　　8.audience n.观众
　　There was a large audience watching the game. 当时有许多观众看这场比赛。
　　9.stand vt.忍受
　　I can’t stand the noise any more.
　　我再也忍受不了那种嗓音了。
　　（相关词汇：stand vi.站立）
　　10.celebrate v

[1] [2] 下一页