再议《牡丹亭》中的情

On“Love”in The Peony Pavilion

作为明代言情派戏曲家的代表,汤显祖高扬“至情”大旗,反对程朱理学的以理抑情,但他并非要扬情弃理,而是希望情理和谐,即借助内心最原始、最本真的“情”,使人们自然而然地达到礼教所要求的境界。《牡丹亭》中的“情”不仅限于男女之情,还包括以忠义孝悌为主体的道德之“情”。剧中杜宝对国家的忠、对女儿的情,杜丽娘对柳梦梅的痴、对父亲的孝,无一不是“情”的内容,而结尾部分杜宝拒不认亲,更多是出于误会以及理性精神与浪漫情思的矛盾,不应被简单理解为封建礼教的冷漠无情或是礼教与爱情的对立。

Tang Xianzu,a representative romantic opera writer in the Ming Dynasty(1368-1644)raised the banner of“intimate feelings”and opposed Neo-Confucianism’s advocacy of“suppressing emotion by reason”.However,what he meant was not to replace reason with emotion,but to achieve harmony between emotion and reason.He intended to make people naturally achieve the realm required by ethics through the most primitive and authentic“feelings”in their heart.The sentiment in The Peony Pavilion was not limited to love between men and women,but also included the moral sentiment of loyalty and filial piety.In the play,Du Bao’s loyalty to the country and love for her daughter,Du Liniang’s infatuation with Liu Mengmei and her filial piety to her father were all the content of“love”.Du Bao’s refusal to recognize his daughter and son-in-law should not be simply interpreted as the indifference and ruthlessness of feudal ethics or the contradiction between ethics and love.It was caused by misunderstanding and the conflict between rational spirit and romantic sentiment.