阴谋的动机:莎剧《裘力斯•凯撒的悲剧》中勃鲁托斯的欲望模仿

Motivations of Conspiracy: Mimetic Desires of Brutus in The Tragedy of Julius Caesar

莎剧《裘力斯•凯撒的悲剧》以勃鲁托斯刺杀凯撒大帝的历史事件为蓝本,然而在莎士比亚的改写下,勃鲁托斯却呈现出矛盾性——他为凯撒戴上暴君的帽子,打着公众利益的旗号谋反,成功后却又俨然成了第二个“凯撒”,令人不禁怀疑他刺杀凯撒的真实动机。本文借用法国哲学家勒内•基拉尔的“欲望模仿理论”,剖析了勃鲁托斯刺杀行为的欲望动因,指出勃鲁托斯出于对凯撒及祖先卢修斯的崇拜而对他们的欲望进行了模仿,前者作为“内中介”将勃鲁托斯的欲望模仿升级为欲望竞争,后者则作为“外中介”敦促他为了荣誉除掉暴君,两个因素相互交织,最终导致了悲剧的发生。

Based on the historical event of the murder of Julius Caesar, Shakespeare’s play The Tragedy of Julius Caesar reconstructs persona of the critical figure Brutus, who is seen in the play to be complex and paradoxical. His haste in the murder defies the stated excuse of killing for “the general good”, and evokes a general suspicion for his innate motivation. Taking the perspective of the theory of “mimetic desire” put forward by RenéGirard, this essay believes that it is Brutus’ imitation towards the desires of his models-Caesar and his ancestor Lucius Junius Brutus that leads to the tragedy;while the former as “internal mediator” exacerbates the imitation into a desire competition, the latter acts as “external mediator”, propelling Brutus to slay the tyrant for the sake of family honor.