仲夏夜之梦

PREFACEACKNOWLEDGEMENTSABBREVIATIONS AND REFERENCESINTRODUCTION I. 1. The text 2. Date and occasion: with consideration of the poetic style 3. Sources and antecedents II. THE PLAY 1. The exposition 2. Design and plot 3. Characters and comedy 4. Lyricism, music and dance 5. Setting: woodland and fairyland; moon 6. The principal themes

PREFACEACKNOWLEDGEMENTSABBREVIATIONS AND REFERENCESINTRODUCTION I. 1. The text 2. Date and occasion: with consideration of the poetic style 3. Sources and antecedents II. THE PLAY 1. The exposition 2. Design and plot 3. Characters and comedy 4. Lyricism, music and dance 5. Setting: woodland and fairyland; moon 6. The principal themesA MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAMAPPENDIX Ⅰ Source materialsAPPENDIX Ⅱ Four textual crucesAPPENDIX Ⅲ The mislined verse in Q1,v.i.APPENDIX Ⅳ Quince's Prologue (v.i.108-16) rightly punctuated

《仲夏夜之梦》是莎剧中最常被搬演也是最受欢迎的喜剧，亦为莎翁众多剧本中少数极具原创性的剧本。本出戏充满希望和欢娱气氛，剧中的夏夜森林、精灵魔法等等，都特别适于剧场表现。而这部戏的演出史，几乎可说是精灵的造型史。故事的主人公因一条荒谬苛律逃往森林，却在森林里因精灵的介入。而使爱情对象混淆。本故事发生在仲夏夜晚，在西方正有所谓仲夏疯（midsummer madness）和月晕（moonstruck）之文化，意喻着黎明之时才能恢复秩序。此剧的故事发生于城市与森林、清醒与睡眠、真实与梦幻之间，架构极为对称。森林、睡眠或梦幻都象征着潜意识，故近几十年来，尤受不少心理分析大师的青睐。另外，又因内容提及父亲逼婚、仙王操纵爱情等，因此也有人引用女性主义来探讨此剧。