Why do we cringe when we hear "Shakespeare?"

為什麼當我們聽到「莎士比亞」時會感到畏懼？

If you ask me, it's usually because of his words.

如果你問我，我會說 這通常是由於他所使用的言辭

All those thines and thous and therefores and wherefore-art-thous can be more than a little annoying.

所有這些你 (thou)、你的 (thine)、和你為什麽 (wherefore-art-thou) 可能很討厭

But you have to wonder, why is he so popular?

但你得想想，為什麼他這麼受歡迎？

Why have his plays been made and remade more than any other playwright?

為何他的作品比其他劇作家的作品獲得更多演出和重新編排的機會？

It's because of his words.

這是由於他的用字

Back in the late 1500s and early 1600s, that was the best tool that a person had, and there was a lot to talk about.

在十六世紀晚期和十七世紀初，劇場是最好的工具，它時常掀起許多話題

However, most of it was pretty depressing.

然而，大部分的作品都令人沮喪

You know, with the Black Plague and all.

你知道，它們大多與黑死病和其他什麽的有關

Shakespeare does use a lot of words.

莎士比亞的確使用許多語彙

One of his most impressive accomplishments is his use of insults.

他最令人印象深刻的成就之一就是他對侮辱的使用

They would unify the entire audience; and no matter where you sat, you could laugh at what was going on onstage.

侮辱的言辭把所有觀眾聯繫在一塊兒，不管你坐哪，你都可以嘲笑舞臺上發生的所有事

Words, specifically dialogue in a drama setting, are used for many different reasons: to set the mood of the scene, to give some more atmosphere to the setting, and to develop relationships between characters.

言辭，特別是在戲劇中的對話，由於許多不同的原因而被使用著：它們可以設置劇中情緒的基調，它們可以增添更多氛圍，它們也可以用來發展劇中角色與角色之間的關係

Insults do this in a very short and sharp way.

侮辱以非常簡潔、犀利的方式來完成這些事

Let's first go to "Hamlet."

首先，讓我們看看《哈姆雷特》(Hamlet) 一劇

Right before this dialogue, Polonius is the father of Ophelia, who is in love with Prince Hamlet.

就在這對話前，波洛紐斯是奧菲麗亞的父親，而奧菲麗亞深愛著哈姆雷特王子

King Claudius is trying to figure out why Prince Hamlet is acting so crazy

克勞狄斯國王想弄清楚為什麼自從他和哈姆雷特的母親結婚後

since the king married Prince Hamlet's mother.

哈姆雷特的舉止便如此瘋狂

Polonius offers to use his daughter

波洛紐斯建議利用他的女兒

to get information from Prince Hamlet.

從哈姆雷特王子那裡獲得情報

Then we go into Act II Scene 2.

接著我們進入第二幕第二場

Polonius: "Do you know me, my lord?"

波洛紐斯：「閣下，您認識我嗎？」

Hamlet: "Excellent well. You're a fishmonger."

哈姆雷特：「很熟啊，你是個魚販。」

Polonius: "Not I, my lord."

波洛紐斯：「不，閣下。」

Hamlet: "Then I would you were so honest a man."

哈姆雷特：「那我希望你是個老實人。」

Now, even if you did not know what "fishmonger" meant,

現在，即使你不知道「魚販」意謂著什麽

you can use some contextual clues.

你可以使用一些上下文線索來瞭解

One: Polonius reacted in a negative way, so it must be bad.

一： 波洛紐斯以消極的方式回應，所以這肯定很糟

Two: Fish smell bad, so it must be bad.

二： 魚的氣味不好，所以它肯定很糟

And three: "Monger" just doesn't sound like a good word.

三：「Monger」聽起來就不像個好詞

So from not even knowing the meaning,

所以從對一個語彙的真實意義毫無所悉開始

you're beginning to construct some characterization

你正開始建構一些關係的特質

of the relationship between Hamlet and Polonius,

這樣的特質定義了哈姆雷特和波洛紐斯之間的關係

which was not good.

這關係並不很好

But if you dig some more, "fishmonger" means a broker of some type,

但如果你繼續往下探索， 「魚販」意謂著某種類型的中間商

and in this setting, would mean like a pimp,

在這個背景下，意味著，他就像個皮條客

like Polonius is brokering out his daughter for money,

波洛紐斯就像中間販，利用他女兒攢錢牟利

which he is doing for the king's favor.

他正為國王做這件事

This allows you to see that Hamlet is not as crazy as he's claiming to be,

這使你可以理解，哈姆雷特並不如他所自稱的瘋狂

and intensifies the animosity between these two characters.

同時加劇了這些兩個角色之間的敵意

Want another example?

想要另一個例子嗎？

"Romeo and Juliet" has some of the best insults of any of Shakespeare's plays.

《 羅密歐與茱麗葉 》 有莎士比亞劇作中的最好的侮辱

It's a play about two gangs,

它是一部關於兩個幫派

and the star-crossed lovers that take their own lives.

和相愛的人引領自己生命的劇作

Well, with any fisticuffs you know that there is some serious smack talk going on.

嗯，你知道那兒有一些嚴重的臺詞對話

And you are not disappointed.

你並不感到失望

In Act I Scene 1, right from the get-go

在第一幕第一場，從一開始

we are shown the level of distrust and hatred

劇本向我們展示了不信任和仇恨的水平

the members of the two families, the Capulets and Montagues, meet.

蒙太古家族與凱普萊特家族勢不兩立

Gregory: "I will frown as I pass by, and let them take it as they list."

葛列格里：「我路過時會對他們橫個白眼，看看他們會怎樣。」

Sampson: "Nay, as they dare, I will bite my thumb at them,

桑普森：「我諒他們不敢怎樣，我會向他們咬我的大拇指，

which is a disgrace to them, if they bear it."

這是羞辱他們，看看他們受不受得了。」

Enter Abraham and Balthazar.

亞伯拉罕和巴薩哲進來了

Abraham: "Do you bite your thumb at us, sir?"

亞伯拉罕：「你向我們咬你的大拇指嗎？」

Sampson: "I do bite my thumb, sir."

桑普森：「我是咬了我的大拇指。」

Abraham: "Do you bite your thumb at us, sir?"

亞伯拉罕：「你是向我們咬你的大拇指嗎？」

Okay, so how does this development help us understand mood or character?

好吧，所以這發展如何幫助我們理解劇中人心境或角色？

Well, let's break it down to the insult.

嗯，讓我們分解一下侮辱

Biting your thumb today may not seem like a big deal,

在今天，咬你的大拇指可能聽來不是個大問題

but Sampson says it is an insult to them.

但桑普森說這是對他們的侮辱

If they take it so, it must have been one.

如果他們這樣說，肯定當時是如此

This begins to show us the level of animosity between even the men who work for the two Houses.

這向我們顯示了為兩家工作的人之間所擁有的敵意程度

And you normally would not do anything to someone unless you wanted to provoke them into a fight,

你通常不會對某些人 做什麽，除非你想要挑釁

which is exactly what's about to happen.

這正是正要發生的事

Looking deeper, biting your thumb in the time in which the play was written

更深地看來，咬你的大拇指在這齣戲寫就時

is like giving someone the finger today.

就如同今天給向某人亮出那手指

A pretty strong feeling comes with that,

一個很強烈的感覺隨之而來

so we now are beginning to feel the tension in the scene.

所以我們現在開始感到這一場的緊張氣氛

Later on in the scene, Tybalt, from the House of the Capulets, lays a good one on Benvolio from the House of the Montagues.

在稍後的一場，來自凱普萊特家族的提伯爾特，對勢不兩立的蒙太古家族成員班伏里奧展示了一個明確示範

Tybalt: "What, art thou drawn among these heartless hinds?

提伯爾特：「怎麼，你跟這些沒用的奴才吵架嚒？

Turn thee, Benvolio, and look upon thy death."

過來，班伏里奧， 讓我結束你生命。」

Benvolio: "I do but keep the peace; put up thy sword,

班伏里奧：「我不過維持和平而已；收起你的劍，

or manage it to part these men with me."

不然就幫我分開這些人。」

Tybalt: "What, drawn and talk of peace!

提伯爾特：「什麽？你既拔出了劍，休談和平！

I hate the word, as I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee.

我痛恨這個詞，如同我痛恨地獄， 和痛恨你們所有蒙太古家族人一般

Have at thee, coward!"

看劍，懦夫 ！」

Okay, heartless hinds.

好吧，不中用的奴才

We know that once again, it's not a good thing.

我們知道，再一次地，它不是一件好事

Both families hate each other, and this is just adding fuel to the fire.

兩家族痛恨對方，這只是火上加油罷了

But just how bad is this stinger?

但這毒刺有多糟？

A heartless hind is a coward,

不中用的奴才是懦夫

and calling someone that in front of his own men, and the rival family,

當著這人和敵方家庭這麼叫他

means there's going to be a fight.

意味著，有一場决鬥就要發生了

Tybalt basically calls out Benvolio,

基本上，提伯爾特臭駡了班伏里奧

and in order to keep his honor, Benvolio has to fight.

為了保持榮譽，所以班伏里奧必須决鬥

This dialogue gives us a good look at the characterization between these two characters.

這個對話給讓我們得以好好看出 這兩個角色之間關係的表徵

Tybalt thinks that the Montagues are nothing but cowardly dogs,

提伯爾特認為蒙太古家族的人 只不過是懦弱的狗罷了

and has no respect for them.

他對他們毫無尊重

Once again, adding dramatic tension to the scene.

再一次地，這添加了整場戲的張力

Okay, now here's a spoiler alert.

好，現在是劇透警報

Tybalt's hotheadedness and severe hatred of the Montagues

伯爾特的頑固以及他對蒙太古家族的嚴重仇恨

is what we literature people call his hamartia,

就是我們文學人所說的悲劇性弱點 (Hamartia)

or what causes his downfall.

或者是導致他垮下的原因

Oh, yes. He goes down at the hands of Romeo.

哦，是的。他毀於羅密歐的手

So when you're looking at Shakespeare,

所以，當你觀看莎士比亞時

stop and look at the words,

停下來，並看看那些言辭語彙

because they really are trying to tell you something.

因為它們真的在試圖告訴你一些事