萬象中的共相：古典淨化論的跨時代變奏

Abstract

本論文旨在探尋戲劇「作用」之根源，重新思考亞里斯多德（Aristotle）於《詩學》（Poetics）中所提出之「淨化」（katharsis）概念，在現、當代戲劇理論中的重生可能性與理論必要性。主張「淨化」不該僅作為供人反覆援引的古典悲劇美學術語，而應基於「淨化」跨越時代的核心價值，建構一個用以觀察、理解與比較現代及當代戲劇作用的運作模型。 首先，論文回溯自古希臘以來關於katharsis的多重評釋，歸納出三種典型詮釋進路，並建構「古典淨化模型」。而後，將該模型對應尼采（Friedrich Nietzsche）的悲劇美學、亞陶（Antonin Artaud）的殘酷劇場（Theatre of Cruelty）與布萊希特（Bertolt Brecht）的辯證劇場（Dialectical Theatre），分析三大家如何回應並轉化亞里斯多德的淨化論，使三者成為現代重新詮釋淨化概念的典範。 接著並置象徵「神聖狂野」的亞陶與「世俗冷靜」的布萊希特，拉出一條「淨化新詮光譜」，以強調現代戲劇對古典淨化論的多元回應方式，繼而選取懷斯（Peter Weiss）的《馬哈／薩德》（Marat/Sade）與高行健的《八月雪》作為研究個案，揭示亞陶與布萊希特在淨化邏輯下所形成的張力與互補關係如何在具體劇作中被激活，並呈現當代戲劇於該光譜上的可能定位。 最終，本論文指出，katharsis具備以不同於既有研究趨勢的新姿態，持續回應當代戲劇實踐的理論潛能。將「淨化」理解為一種可隨觀眾需求調整，同時成就創作者企圖的作用結構，有助於揭示戲劇跨時代、跨形式的共通價值，並為當代戲劇創作與研究提供一項穩定卻又具彈性的指引座標。

This study explores the foundations of dramatic effect and revisits Aristotle’s concept of katharsis from the Poetics, considering its relevance and potential in modern and contemporary theatre. It argues that katharsis should not be treated simply as a classical concept from tragedy studies, but rather as a flexible model for observing, interpreting, and comparing dramatic effects across time and cultures. First, this study traces different interpretations of katharsis from ancient Greece to the present and, based on this, builds a “classical katharsis model.” This model is then applied to Nietzsche’s tragic aesthetics, Artaud’s theatre of cruelty, and Brecht’s dialectical theatre, showing how each thinker responds to and transforms Aristotle’s idea, making them paradigmatic examples of modern reinterpretation. By comparing Artaud, representing “sacred wildness,” with Brecht, representing “secular rationality,” the study outlines a “spectrum of contemporary katharsis” to show how modern theatre engages with classical ideas in different ways. Case studies of Peter Weiss’s Marat/Sade and Gao Xingjian’s August Snow illustrate how the ideas of Artaud and Brecht complement each other in performance and how contemporary drama can be situated along this spectrum. Overall, the study shows that classical katharsis still offers insight for contemporary theatre. Understanding it as a structure that adapts to audiences while supporting creative intentions highlights the lasting value of drama across time and forms, offering scholars and practitioners a clear and flexible framework for analysis and creation.