芬威大道300號

四月二十三日是莎士比亞的誕辰，英美兩地紛紛舉辦相關慶祝活動。不過，我上一次看莎劇表演是三年前，劇本也很久沒拿出來翻過了。

小時候閱讀蘭姆改寫的莎劇故事集，讀的饒富興味。國二那年，雖然現在已經不記得為何會去租Kenneth Branagh的《亨利五世》回家看，不過當年一看可是驚為天人，後來還特地去買了莎劇對白精選。因為在錄影帶出租店一共借了兩次，老闆忍不住問我說：「有這麼好看啊？」這種片名大概很多人都覺得無聊吧！

等到上大學才算真正開始接觸莎士比亞的原作。當年兩位文學概論課的老師實在太看得起我們這批小毛頭，沒有選《哈姆雷特》或《仲夏夜之夢》，而是竟挑了《李爾王》來當作我們的莎劇啟蒙。要一群小鬼試圖瞭解《李爾王》未免太沉重，我們的因應之道，當然是有請梁實秋及朱生豪的譯本，來將我們從老國王的家庭悲劇中解救出來。雖然效力不大，但總比什麼都沒有好。

莎翁前陣子也捲入英國會考的爭論之中。被視為英國文學重要經典的莎劇，在下個月要舉辦的英國學生全國英語會考中的分數比例將大幅降低，就算整個項目通通不會寫，考生也不會抱鴨蛋。所以不少專家憂心這種情形會讓莎翁的英文經典從課程中消失。然而，考不多並不表示學校不重視莎翁，改革的用意只是希望學生能真正透過其他方式來瞭解莎劇，所以有準備其他配套措施。說到這裡，我們的教育部長要不要參考人家英國是如何對待經典作品的語文教育呀？

所有的莎劇之中，我最喜歡的還是《亨利五世》，我一直覺得Kenneth Branagh在一九八九年拍的那個版本真是經典，原聲帶也很不得了。Laurance Oliviery在一九四四年拍攝的版本也很著名，希望有機會可以找來一看。

以下是《亨利五世》的開場序，寫的真是精彩。

O for a Muse of fire, that would ascend
The brightest heaven of invention,
A kingdom for a stage, princes to act
And monarchs to behold the swelling scene!
Then should the warlike Harry, like himself,
Assume the port of Mars; and at his heels,
Leash'd in like hounds, should famine, sword and fire
Crouch for employment. But pardon, and gentles all,
The flat unraised spirits that have dared
On this unworthy scaffold to bring forth
So great an object: can this cockpit hold
The vasty fields of France? or may we cram
Within this wooden O the very casques
That did affright the air at Agincourt?
O, pardon! since a crooked figure may
Attest in little place a million;
And let us, ciphers to this great accompt,
On your imaginary forces work.
Suppose within the girdle of these walls
Are now confined two mighty monarchies,
Whose high upreared and abutting fronts
The perilous narrow ocean parts asunder:
Piece out our imperfections with your thoughts;
Into a thousand parts divide on man,
And make imaginary puissance;
Think when we talk of horses, that you see them
Printing their proud hoofs i' the receiving earth;
For 'tis your thoughts that now must deck our kings,
Carry them here and there; jumping o'er times,
Turning the accomplishment of many years
Into an hour-glass: for the which supply,
Admit me Chorus to this history;
Who prologue-like your humble patience pray,
Gently to hear, kindly to judge, our play.