1.《暴风雨》是莎士比亚的收官之作,是他创作的最后一部完整的戏剧。Epilogue中是Prospero的一段自白,向来被视为莎士比亚告别舞台的言语。不过,最近听Radio,一位专家认为不能有确定的类比,毕竟莎士比亚和他塑造的Prospero的性格差异不小。另外,在我看来,最后Prospero的自白像是有着莫名其妙的负罪感和失落感,这我暂时还不能理解。因为他收复了自己的领土,将心爱的女儿嫁给了值得的男子,不过是主动放弃了自己的魔法而已,何必失落请求谅解?本剧这般结束:"...Now I want (meaning: lack)Spirits to enforce, art to enchant;And my ending is despair;Unless I be relieved by prayer,Which pierces so, that it assaults Mercy itself, and fress all faults.As you from crimes would pardoned be,Let your indulgence set me free."由此而言,我不愿相信这是莎翁告别戏剧舞台的最后陈词。2.莎士比亚不朽的原因之一,是对人本身或是人性的深刻洞察——这是放之四海而皆准的。其语言之伟大,对于语言不通、英语不明的读者来说,也无法有任何魅力罢。这部剧中,莎士比亚借Prospero之口,传达了对高尚的理性(reason, sense)的赞美,理性甚至战胜了复仇的情绪,他说“Yet with my nobler reason 'gainst my fury/ Do I take part. The rarer action is/ In virture than in vengeance”。另外一点是他放弃魔法的原因,也可被视为对现实浮华的轻视——阐释一下,便是对外在于人本身的、后天的所谓的“伟大”的不屑。尽管在此之中,他流露出的理由是“人总是要死的”,这种略带消极的虚无主义思想。不过无论如何,这种重视人类本性、轻视外物的思考,我认为是历久弥新的!这段文字摘录如下:"...These our actors,As I foretold you, were all spirits, andAre melted into airt, into thin air;And, like the baseless fabric of this vision,The cloud-capped towers, the gorgeous palaces,The solemn temples, the great globe itself,Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve,And, like this insubstantial pageant faded,Leave not a rack behind. We are such stuffAs dreams are made on; and our little lifeIs rounded wih a sleep."