史特林堡後地獄劇作的原型與自我

Abstract

史特林堡歷經地獄危機後，劇作重心大不同於早期劇作強調社會環境與人的衝突、或腦力較勁等主題，後地獄劇作開始朝人的內心探索，更重要的是它們普遍瀰漫了夢境氛圍。後地獄劇作的夢境元素並非如《夢幻劇》直接把夢境搬上舞台，而是劇中世界呈現了如夢的現實狀態。其中不合邏輯的時空存在感、突轉迅速的的情節和隱喻性角色，構成了劇作的夢境特徵。 後地獄劇作具有榮格學派所強調的擬古基調，劇中古典神話和中世紀意象也和榮格說原型的文化基底有關，但夢劇畢竟屬於文學作品，所以弗來文學式的原型批評將更利於討論。以弗來原型說的角度來看，後地獄劇作在角色和主題上都有不同層次的原型運作模式。角色常具有複調特色，他們受困在罪惡的宿命中，而神冷眼旁觀角色的苦難，未曾伸出援手。此外，代表惡勢力的靈怪角色不停攪擾人類，左右他們的行動，幾乎取代了神的位置。主角雖因此受苦連連，但也無法藉由死亡得到解脫，因為死亡在劇中早已存在，且是一直持續的狀態。 雖然後地獄劇作的角色都無法得到救贖，史特林堡卻能透過書寫自我而獲得救贖。從大部分作品中強烈的自傳色彩，可看出他創作的對象幾乎離不開他自己。後地獄劇作中對女性的矛盾情結、對社會的不滿情緒、以及一切虛幻如夢的終極真理，正是史特林堡藉由原型來表現自我面貌的痕跡。史特林堡以自我為題材進行創作時，他自我檢視、自我神化、並扮演自我，由此找到自身苦難的解釋，來自我安慰。因此，原型成為劇作家服務自我的工具，史特林堡透過原型的置換變形，將自傳性延伸為傳奇性，又藉由認同原型人物，他釋放了自身的罪惡感，也體驗原型人物重複不斷的新生命。結合原型和自我的寫作策略便是史特林堡自我救贖的途徑。此外，透過書寫夢劇，史特林堡一方面因從夢劇中清醒而感受釋放，一方面悟出萬物虛空而獲得精神解脫。齊克果的重複概念也讓史特林堡得到心態的更新，他不斷書寫自傳性作品，就是不斷覺察生命狀態已經不同的過程，自我因此得到了淨化。

After the Inferno crisis, the subject of Strindberg’s post-Inferno plays greatly differs from that of his earlier plays. It no longer emphasizes the conflict between men and their social environment or “battle of brains”, but begins to explore the inner world of human beings in an all-pervading atmosphere of dreams. Unlike A Dream Play that puts the dream directly on the stage, the element of dreams in most post-Inferno plays is presented with the design of a dream-like reality through an illogical sense of time and space, sudden changes in the plot, and metaphorical characters. The mythological and medieval images in post-Inferno plays are reminiscent of the Jungian archaic mood and Jung’s archetypal search in cultural foundation, yet it is more effective to use Northorp Frye’s literary criticism of archetype when it comes to literary works as dream plays. With Frye’s definition of archetype, there are different modes of archetype manipulated in post-Inferno plays, in particular the characters and theme. Each character often contains polyphonic images. The characters get trapped in the fate of sins, with God giving no hands on the sidelines and watching coldly at their sufferings. Moreover, the spirit characters from the evil power keep disturbing people and control their actions, so much so that the evil ones nearly replace the authority of God. After being tormented time after time, the main characters can still not be released through death, since death has already existed and perpetuated throughout the play, and is a state that keens to continue. The characters in post-Inferno plays can not obtain any chance of salvation; however, Strindberg saves himself by writing the stories about himself. Most of his works are nothing but autobiographical, and the theme and characters are often about himself. We see in his post-Inferno plays the contradictory complex toward women, the disagreement toward the society, and how illusion serves as the ultimate truth in the plays, all of which point to the philosophy and world view of the playwright. By writing about himself, Strindberg surveys himself, aggrandizes himself, and finally through creating the roles acts out the different dimensions of himself. This enables him to interpret his own sufferings and thus gains consolation. The archetypes serve as tools for Strindberg to express himself. Strindberg uses the displacement and transformation of the archetypes to enlarge and extend the autobiography into legend in his works; he identifies himself with the archetypal personages in order to release his own guilt, and also experience the repetitive new lives in them. By combining archetypes with his own life events as a strategy for writing, Strindberg finds the way to self-redemption. Furthermore, writing dream plays create relaxing moments as he awakens from the crafted dreams and gains pleasure in realizing the reality is nothing but like illusionary dreams. Kierkegaard’s idea of repetition also refreshes Strindberg’s mind. As he repeats writing autobiographical works, he repeats seeing himself as different from what he used to be. It is in this way that he reaches catharsis through his play writing.