where they take mind-altering substances,

他們在那裡服用改變精神的藥物。

switch it up romantically,

換個浪漫的方式。

and brush up against creatures from another dimension.

並與另一個空間的生物擦肩而過。

"A Midsummer's Night's Dream" sees Shakespeare get psychedelic –

"仲夏夜之夢 "看莎士比亞迷幻--。

and the result is a treat in the theatre and on the page.

結果在劇場和紙上都是一種享受。

First performed in the 1590's,

最早表演於1590年'年代。

this play is one of Shakespeare's friskiest works,

這部劇是莎士比亞最瘋狂的作品之一。

filled with trickery, madness and magic.

充滿了詭計、瘋狂和魔法。

Set over the course of one night,

定在一個晚上的過程中。

Midsummer progresses at a rollicking pace.

仲夏》以滾滾而來的速度前進。

The plot is structured around patterns of collision and dissolution,

劇情圍繞著碰撞和溶解的模式展開。

where characters from different worlds are thrown together and torn apart.

在這裡，來自不同世界的人物被扔在一起，又被撕碎。

Shakespeare uses these patterns to mock the characters' self-obsession

莎士比亞用這些模式來嘲諷人物的自我迷戀。

and question authority with a comic twist.

並以滑稽的方式質疑權威。

The action is set in Ancient Greece,

行動的背景是在古希臘。

but like many of Shakespeare's plays it reflects his contemporary concerns.

但像莎士比亞的許多戲劇一樣，它反映了他的當代關注。

The magical setting of the woods at night

夜晚森林的神奇環境。

disrupts the boundaries between separate groups, with bizarre results.

打亂了不同群體之間的界限，造成了詭異的結果。

Here, the bard plays with the rigid class system of his own time,

在這裡，吟遊詩人玩弄了自己時代的僵化的階級制度。

taking three distinct groups and turning their society upside-down

三個不同的群體，把他們的社會顛倒過來

in a world where no mortal is in control.

在這個凡人無法掌控的世界裡。

The play opens with young Hermia

劇中開場，年輕的赫米亞

raging at her father Egeus and Theseus, the King of Athens,

怒斥她的父親埃吉烏斯和特修斯，雅典國王。

who have forbidden her to marry her lover Lysander.

他們禁止她嫁給她的情人來山得。

Hermia has no interest in her father's choice for her of Demetrius –

赫米亞對她父親為她選擇的德米特里厄斯沒有興趣--。

but her best friend Helena definitely does.

但她最好的朋友海倫娜肯定會

Furious at their elders, Hermia and Lysander elope under cover of darkness,

憤怒的赫米亞和來山得在黑暗的掩護下私奔了。

with Demetrius in hot pursuit.

與德米特里厄斯在緊追不捨。

This is further complicated by Helena's decision

海倫娜的決定使這一問題更加複雜。

to follow them all into the woods, in the hope of winning Demetrius' heart.

跟隨他們全部進入樹林，希望贏得德米特里厄斯的心。

At this point, the woods are getting crowded,

此時，樹林裡的人越來越多。

as the lovers are sharing the space with a group of “rude mechanicals”—

因為這對戀人正在與一群 "粗魯的機械人 "共享空間--。

a troupe of workers drunkenly rehearsing a play, led by the jovial Nick Bottom.

一群工人醉醺醺地在排練一齣戲，由樂天派的尼克-伯頓帶領。

Unbeknownst to them, the humans have entered into the world of the fairies.

不知不覺中，人類已經進入了仙女的世界。

Despite their magical splendor, Oberon and Titania,

儘管奧伯倫和泰坦尼婭的魔力輝煌，但。

the king and queen of the fairies, have their own romantic problems.

仙女們的國王和王后，也有自己的浪漫問題。

Furious at his inability to control Titania, the jealous Oberon

妒火中燒的奧伯倫因無法控制泰坦尼婭而怒火中燒。

commands the trickster Puck to squeeze the juice of a magical flower over her eyes.

命令詭計多端的帕克將一朵魔法花的汁液擠在她的眼睛上。

When she wakes up, she'll fall in love with the first thing she sees.

當她醒來的時候，她會愛上第一個看到的東西。

On his mission,

在他的任務。

Puck gleefully sprinkles the juice over the eyes of the napping Demetrius

帕克興高采烈地將果汁灑在打盹的德米特里厄斯的眼睛上。

and Lysander, and transforms Bottom's head into that of a donkey for good measure.

和來山得，並將Bottom的頭變成驢子的頭，以資鼓勵。

As eyes flicker open,

當眼睛一睜。

a night of chaos commences that includes broken hearts, mistaken identity,

一個混亂的夜晚開始了，包括破碎的心， 錯誤的身份。

and transformations.

和轉變。

Out of all the characters, Bottom probably fares the best –

在所有的角色中，Bottom可能是表現最好的 --

when the bewitched Titania lays eyes on him,

當被施了魔法的泰坦尼婭看到他時

she calls on her fairies to lavish him with wine and treasures

召來仙女，為他擺酒送寶。

and sweeps the transfigured donkeyman off his feet:

並將變身後的驢友掃地出門。

“pluck the wings from painted butterflies/

"從畫中的蝴蝶身上拔出翅膀/

To fan the moonbeams from his sleeping eyes.

扇動他睡眼裡的月光。

Nod to him, elves, and do him courtesies.”

向他點頭示意，精靈們，給他行禮。"

While magic is the catalyst to the action,

雖然魔法是行動的催化劑。

the play reflects the real drama of the things we do for love –

這部劇反映了我們為愛所做的事情的真實戲劇----------。

and the nonsensical behavior of the people under its spell.

以及受其蠱惑的人們的無厘頭行為。

The moon overlooks the action “like a silver bow,”

月亮俯瞰行動 "像一張銀色的弓"。

signifying erratic behavior, the dark side of love,

意味著不穩定的行為，愛情的黑暗面。

and the bewitching allure of a world where the usual rules don't apply.

以及在一個不適用常規的世界裡的迷人誘惑。

Although the characters eventually come to their senses,

雖然人物最終還是醒悟了。

"A Midsummer Night's Dream" raises the question

"仲夏夜之夢 "提出了一個問題。

of how much agency we have over our own daily lives.

我們對自己的日常生活有多少自主權。

But it's not the more realistically rendered lovers, rulers or workers

但這不是更真實地呈現出的戀人、統治者或工人的形象

who have the last word,

誰擁有最後的話語權。

but the impish Puck who queries whether we can ever truly trust what we see:

但那個不懷好意的帕克卻懷疑我們是否能真正相信我們看到的東西。

If we shadows have offended,

如果我們影子得罪了。

Think but this and all is mended:

想不過這個，一切都可以修補。

That you have but slumbered here

你在這裡沉睡

While these visions did appear.

雖然這些異象確實出現了。

And in so doing,

而在這樣的情況下。

he evokes the effect of entering into the magical world of great theatre

他讓人聯想到進入偉大戲劇的神奇世界的效果

that plays with the boundary between illusion and reality –

虛幻與現實之間的界限------------------------------------------------。

and dramatizes the possibility that life is but a dream.

並劇透了人生不過是一場夢的可能性。