恶棍主角与暴力景观——《帖木儿大帝》新解

Tamburlaine the Great as a spectacle of terror

克里斯托弗·马洛在《帖木儿大帝》中塑造了一位出身卑微的牧羊人通过无休止的战争成为了威震四方的统治者。主流评论家被这种激情所感染,多从传统的角度来评价帖木儿,认为他是一个正义英雄,代表文艺复兴时期的理想人格,勇于推翻一切不合理的秩序。然而,这位君王在征服过程中犯下种种违背社会秩序和道德伦理的罪行,在舞台上呈现了一幕幕暴力景观。帖木儿野心勃勃,专横跋扈,穷兵黩武,不可一世,为了一己私欲,肆意违反观众认同的伦理道德标准,是一个不折不扣的恶棍主角。

In Tamburlaine the Great,Christopher Marlowe portrays a shepherd of humble origin who gradually becomes a formidable ruler through endless warfare.A majority of critics tend to praise Tamburlaine as a positive tragic hero in the Aristotelian sense,an ideal pioneer in the Renaissance period who dares to overturn the social order.However,they have consciously or unconsciously overlooked the evil side of Tamburlaine’s nature,as well as the bloody and violent scenes in the play.In fact,Tamburlaine is wildly ambitious,arrogant,aggressive,imperious,failing to meet Aristotle’s stipulation of a tragic hero.The Marlovian hero deliberately,willfully commits evil and violates moral standards sanctioned by the audience for a selfish end.He is definitely a villain-hero.