莎士比亞《理查二世》與十四行詩中虛無王冠與鏡子

Abstract

本篇論文欲分析莎士比亞戲劇《理查二世》中的主角理查二世與劇中的王冠以及鏡子之間的互動，並藉由莎士比亞十四行詩中相關的王冠以及鏡子之意象闡明理查二世對於兩者的理解。此論文以兩部作品之間的相關性的學術研究為基礎做出延伸，近一步指出兩者之間的互文性高於先前學者所呈現的，並主張藉由十四行詩中對於主述者、王冠、鏡子間相互關係的探討，解釋理查二世對於王冠以及鏡子虛無反思。本文檢視第三十七、六十、六十九、一百一十四首十四行詩中的王冠意象以及第三、二十二、七十七、一百零三首中的鏡子意象，並將主述者以及理查二世對於兩者的探索相連結。該劇透過理查二世審視和承認王冠和鏡子中的虛無意義，展現了他自己作為虛無的化身。本文以理查二世對王冠和鏡子中所呈現的相似映射作結，他在兩者中皆看到自己作為虛無的化身。

This thesis analyzes Richard II’s interaction with the crown and the mirror in Shakespeare’s play Richard II, referencing to the relevant imageries of the two items in Shakespeare’s Sonnets. I build on the current scholarly studies on the connection between the two works and move forward to suggest that the scope of their intertextuality is larger than that has been identified. I argue that Richard II’s meditation on the vanity of the crown and the mirror can be better understood with reference to the dynamics between the speaker, the crown, and the looking-glass explored in Shakespeare’s Sonnets. I examine the imagery of the crown in sonnets 37, 60, 69, and 114 and that of the mirror in sonnets 3, 22, 62, 77, and 103 to associate the speaker and Richard’s exploration of them. The play presents Richard’s revelation of himself as an embodiment of vanitas via his investigation and acknowledgment of the empty significance within the crown and the mirror. I conclude that what Richard sees in the looking-glass in the climatic deposition scene is similar to that within the crown; both reflect him as a representation of nothingness.