在笑声中啜泣 在悲愤中进取——评辛格的《西方世界的花花公子》

Weeping with Laughter and Striving in Grief: On Synge's The Playboy of the Western World

约翰·辛格是爱尔兰文艺复兴运动的先驱。他的作品具有一种独特的艺术风格 ,即全剧是以荒诞的喜剧形式出现 ,但是从主角到主题 ,甚至到观众的反应 ,却全是典型悲剧性的。《西方世界的花花公子》是辛格的代表作。全剧以一个荒唐、令人难以置信的“杀父”故事为核心 ,各种不同人物对此表现了不同的态度。从最初的尊敬、赞赏和崇拜 ,到最后的震惊、害怕与背叛 ,辛格以这种独特的“爱尔兰式喜悲剧”的形式令人们认识到了幻想与现实之间存在的巨大差异 ,由此揭示出了爱尔兰民族个性中的弱点 ,企图唤起人民的觉醒 :沉溺于幻想之中只能带来悲剧下场 ;正视残酷的现实 。

John Millington Synge is considered the greatest dramatist of the Irish Literary Renaissance Movement. His greatest contribution to literature is the unique artistic style of his dramas: the tone of his play sounds absurd and comic, but the core, from the main characters to the theme, is absolutely tragic. The Playboy of the Western World is Synge's masterpiece. The story itself is unbelievably ridiculous: a young man has killed his 'da', and there appear various attitudes from different characters. At the very beginning, the attitudes are respect, appreciation and admiration, but then change to shock, fear and betrayal. By using this unique 'Irish comi tragedy' technique, Synge wants people to realize the great disparity between reality and illusion. He brings the biggest weak point of the Irish national character into light with the purpose to stimulate their self realization. According to him, sinking into the illusions can only result in tragedy; People must face the cruel reality in order to obtain actual freedom and liberation.