性格所致还是宿命使然——从《史记》看刘邦三个后妃的迥异人生

Distinct Destinies of One Empress and Two Consorts of Emperor Liu Bang in Historical Records

史圣司马迁在其不朽巨著《史记》中,刻画了众多特色鲜明的女性形象,而汉高祖刘邦的三个后妃则显得尤为突出。她们当中,吕后刚毅果敢、手段强硬,成为有史以来第一个君临天下的女强人;戚夫人任性少谋、不善自保,充当了封建时代最为凄惨的宫闱斗争牺牲品;薄夫人清净隐忍、处事低调,被誉为史上功德圆满最令人羡慕的老太后。相处于同一屋檐下的三个女人,命运何以大相径庭,除却社会原因,可以说既与宿命有关,更是当事者的性格所致。

Sima Qian,a well-renowned historian,depicted a number of women with distinctive personalities in his immortal masterpiece Historical Records. Among these women,Emperor Liu Bang5 s one empress and two consorts are particularly prominent. Empress Lv was resolute,courageous and tough,and eventually became the first empress dowager to act as regent; Consort Qi was capricious,na ve and ignorant,and eventually became a tragic victim of royal politics and cruelty; Consort Bo was tolerant,peaceful and low-key,and eventually became the most enviable empress dowager in history. These three women lived in the same environment but had reached distinct fates,which is attributed to their personalities more than the social factors.