从家族利益到国家政治——《觊觎王位的人》伦理冲突的核心

From Familial Interest to National Politics:An Exploration of the Core of the Ethical Conflict in The Pretenders

易卜生早期诗剧《觊觎王位的人》叙述了霍古恩国王与斯古利伯爵围绕王权而展开的一场你死我活的斗争。作家以人物之间的种种伦理关系为着眼点,揭示了由以家族利益为核心的伦理到以国家政治为核心的伦理之历史转变:霍古恩与斯古利君臣之间的冲突表明新旧伦理观念的对立;斯古利与彼得父子之间的失望与希望表现了对旧王权伦理的维护及最终失败的命运;而霍古恩与玛格蕾蒂夫妻之间的爱情关系,则肯定了特定政治语境中个人爱情必须服从国家利益的原则。霍古恩的最后胜利,说明公众与国家利益超越了家族与个人利益,新的政治王权伦理原则最终得以确立。剧本以复杂的伦理关系为切入口,从而让易卜生进步的政治伦理思想得到了充分表达与完整体现。

The Pretenders, one of Henrik Ibsen＇ s early plays, relates the life - and - death strug- gle for the diadem between Hakon, who later became king, and Earl Skule. By centering round a variety of ethical relationships, this play demonstrates the historical transformation from the ethics based on the familial interest to that of the national politics. The conflict between Hokon and Skule represents the opposition between the new and the conventional ethical views, and the hope and disillusionment of Skule and his son indicates the failure of the efforts in maintaining the old regalist ideas while the marriage and love between Hokon and his wife affirms the principle that personal love should give way to the national interest in a particular context. Hokon＇ s victory re- veals the transcendence of the interests of the nation and the public over the personal and familial interests and the eventual establishment of the new regalist ethics. In this way this play fully re- flects Henrik Ibsen＇ s progressive ideas of political ethics.