《辛白林》中的法律与帝国想象

早期现代的英国至少有3种法律传统且彼此间互相竞争,其中最有影响的是英国的普通法,其次是流行且实践于欧陆的罗马法/民法,最后是王室法令。而莎士比亚对法律十分熟悉,其戏剧反复探索着法律与文学形式的相互作用。本文拟通过对莎士比亚作品《辛白林》中的法律表征进行分析,结合詹姆士一世时期的法律之争,探讨法律与帝国塑造之间的关系,以展现莎士比亚的法律观。

Early Modern England drew from at least three legal traditions,which at times competed with one another.First,and most influential,is English common law.Second,is the civil law which was practiced throughout continental Europe.Finally,there were sovereign proclamations and statutes.As Shakespeare was very familiar with law,his plays repeatedly explore the interplay between forms of law and literature.This paper aims to analyze the law discourse in Cymbeline,point out the conflict between common law and civil law at that time,try to discuss the relationship between law and the shaping of Empire in order to explore Shakespeare’s view on law.