伊格尔顿对《麦克白》的政治符号学解读

Eagleton's Political Semiotic Interpretation of Macbeth

伊格尔顿的《莎士比亚与社会》和《威廉·莎士比亚》从政治符号学的维度论述了《麦克白》。他精辟地指出,名分标志着人在共同体中的位置,"不合身的长袍"的隐喻对麦克白而言意指名分的僭越,麦克白篡权夺位,从原来的共同体中坠落进邪恶和无名分的地带;女巫、麦克白夫人是麦克白僭越的怂恿者。伊格尔顿把这种越界联系到当今社会,如麦克白一样,资产阶级不断越界,孕育了自己的掘墓人,但资产阶级也会像麦克白一样负隅顽抗。伊格尔顿从本义与喻义两个层面诠释了《麦克白》中能指与所指的意义,从本义层面看,麦克白误读了女巫的预言,注定失败;喻义层面看,语言身体是能指,现实政治是所指。这些分析体现了后结构主义和文化唯物主义的倾向。

Terry Eagleton's William Shakespeare and Shakespeare and Society give us a political semiotic interpretation of Macbeth from a special perspective.He argues that name marks a person in human community and the metaphor of 'ill-fitting robes' of Macbeth means a transgression of name.Macbeth's murder of Duncan is a falling from such a place within the community to the area of evil and nameless deeds.Witches and Lady Macbeth are the abettors to incite Macbeth to transgress.Connecting the transgression with modern society,Eagleton finds that the bourgeoisie,like Macbeth,will become entangled in its own excess,giving birth to its own gravedigger,the working class.But the bourgeoisie has a desperate celebration of action-for-action's-sake as the same as Macbeth.Eagleton interprets the signifier and signified in Macbeth from the perspective of literal meaning.Macbeth misreads the prophecy of the witches,makes mistakes about the signifier and signified,and is doomed to fail.