名人教英文﹕莎劇中的irony

【明報專訊】Irony，即反諷，意謂說話的真正意思和字面義相反，以達諷刺的效果。譬如說，政客落區，市民群起喝倒采，好生「熱鬧」，有人可能會這樣說：「This politician treated us to the greatest show on earth!」這當然並非由衷讚美這政客做了場好戲，而是笑他出醜了。 莎劇Julius Caesar（《凱撒大帝》）中，羅馬執政官凱撒被親信Brutus等人刺殺，並指他陰謀復辟帝制。凱撒的好友Mark Antony埋葬他時公開演說，為他平反，演詞反覆運用反諷： Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears; I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him. The evil that men do lives after them; The good is oft interred with their bones. So let it be with Caesar. The noble Brutus Hath told you Caesar was ambitious; If it were so, it was a grievous fault, And grievously hath Caesar answered it... He was my friend, faithful and just to me; But Brutus says, he was ambitious, And Brutus is an honourable man. He hath brought many captives home to Rome, Whose ransoms did the general coffers fill. Did this in Caesar seem ambitious? When that the poor have cried, Caesar hath wept: Ambition should be made of sterner stuff. Yet Brutus says, he was ambitious, And Brutus is an honourable man. You all did see, that on the Lupercal I thrice presented him a kingly crown, Which he did thrice refuse. Was this ambition? Yet Brutus says, he was ambitious, And sure he is an honourable man... Antony說自己不打算頌揚凱撒，任由凱撒的惡行遺臭萬年，功績隨屍骨長埋黃土，全都是反話。他重提凱撒的善行——忠於朋友、為國家打勝仗、充實國庫、憐憫窮人，並三次拒絕稱帝。他反覆說，Brutus「品格高尚」，卻指控凱撒野心勃勃。這就是反諷，目的是使民眾相信Brutus等人誣蔑凱撒，群起而攻之。不過，Antony沒有把真正目的說出，繼續運用反諷，說如果他煽動群眾叛亂，便對不起「高尚」的Brutus和Cassius： O masters! If I were disposed to stir Your hearts and minds to mutiny and rage, I should do Brutus wrong, and Cassius wrong, Who (you all know) are honourable men. I will not do them wrong. I rather choose To wrong the dead, to wrong myself and you Than I will wrong such honourable men. 結果，Antony成功挑起民憤，Brutus最後自殺身亡。這段演說不僅是反諷的經典，其開場白lend me your ears也廣為演說家所引用。 ■作者網址﹕ www.savantas.org或 www.reginaip.hk 作者電郵﹕iplau@reginaip.hk 文：葉劉淑儀