歌德与神圣罗马帝国——《浮士德》第四幕第三场解读

Goethe and Holy Roman Empire——Based on the Interpretation of Scene Ⅲ,Act Ⅳ of Goethe's Faust

歌德《浮士德》第四幕第三场依据1356年颁布的神圣罗马帝国基本法——《黄金诏书》,上演了暴乱、平叛以及之后帝国的分封,借此演绎了帝国特殊的建制和政治格局,以及世俗统治与教会神职间复杂的俗圣关系。该场作于1831年,在整部《浮士德》中最后写成,是歌德继自传《诗与真》后,也是在法国大革命、拿破仑战争、神圣罗马帝国解体、维也纳会议及欧洲复辟、七月革命等一系列重大政治历史事件后,再次把神圣罗马帝国系统地搬上舞台,并借助戏剧场景安排、诗歌体式等文学形式,充分展示了一个维系千年的政治现实、政体形式对于——至少在形式上——维系帝国内部和平、保证各地区多元发展的合理性以及帝国建制中利弊交织的复杂性。

Based on“The Golden Bull”,the basic law of the Holy Roman Empire promulgated in 1356,Scene III,Act IV of Goethe’s Faust,portrays graphically the efforts to restore order through the enactment of the feudal ritual and the construction of a sanctuary after the pacification of a rebellion.It exemplifies the political features of the imperial feudal system,as well as the complex relationship between the secular and the spiritual powers.The scene was finished in 1831,and was the last one Goethe wrote to bring the entire Faust to a completion.After publishing his autobiography Poetry and Truth and experiencing a succession of major political and historical events,including the French Revolution,the Napoleonic Wars,the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire,the Vienna Conference,the European Restoration and the July Revolution,Goethe put the Holy Roman Empire on the stage once again in a systematic manner for that matter.With the help of theatrical arrangements,poetic forms and other literary techniques,the scene demonstrates the importance of a long-lasting political entity and a steady form of government for the maintenance of peace within the empire for the healthy and pluralistic development of various regions.Furthermore,it shows a complex mixture of advantages and disadvantages of the imperial establishment.