為什麼莎士比亞鍾愛抑揚格五音步 - 大衛·T·弗里曼與格里高利·泰勒：英語精讀講義

To someone first encountering the works of William Shakespeare, 講解

對於初次接觸威廉·莎士比亞作品的人來說，

the language may seem strange.

他的語言可能會顯得有些奇怪。

But there is a secret to appreciating it. 片語搭配

但欣賞它其實有一個秘訣。

Although he was famous for his plays, 文法

儘管他因戲劇而聞名，

Shakespeare was first and foremost a poet. 片語搭配

但莎士比亞首先也是最重要的一重身份是詩人。

One of the most important things 文法

其中最重要的一點，

in Shakespeare's language

在莎士比亞的語言中，

is his use of stress. 用詞

是他對「重音」的使用。

Not that kind of stress, 表達脈絡

並不是指精神上的壓力，

but the way we emphasize certain syllables in words more than others.

而是我們在發音時對某些音節的強調。

We're so used to doing this that we may not notice it at first. 文法

我們對此習以為常，一開始可能注意不到。

But if you say the word slowly,

但如果你慢慢讀這些詞，

you can easily identify them.

你就能輕鬆辨認出來。

playwright

劇作家 (playwright)

computer

電腦 (computer)

telephone

電話 (telephone)

Poets are very aware of these stresses,

詩人對這些重音非常敏感，

having long experimented with the number and order 文法

他們長期試驗數量與排列順序，

of stressed and unstressed syllables 用詞

也就是重讀和輕讀音節的搭配，

and combined them in different ways to create rhythm in their poems.

並以不同方式組合，在詩中創造出節奏。

Like songwriters,

就像詞曲作者一樣，

poets often express their ideas 片語搭配

詩人常常表達他們的思想

through a recognizable repetition

透過某種易於辨認的重複，

of these rhythms or poetic meter. 用詞

也就是這些節奏，或稱詩歌的格律。

And like music,

就像音樂一樣，

poetry has its own set of terms for describing this. 片語搭配

詩歌也有自己的一套術語來描述這一點。

In a line of verse,

在一行詩中，

a foot is a certain number of stressed and unstressed syllables 用詞

一個「音步」是由一定數量的重讀和輕讀音節

forming a distinct unit,

組成的獨立單位，

just as a musical measure consists of a certain number of beats. 表達脈絡

就像一個音樂小節包含一定數量的拍子一樣。

One line of verse is usually made up of several feet. 片語動詞

一行詩通常由幾個音步組成。

For example,

例如，

a dactyl is a metrical foot of three syllables 用詞

揚抑抑格是由三個音節組成的音步，

with the first stressed and the second and third unstressed. 文法

第一個音節重讀，第二和第三個輕讀。

Dactyls can create lines that move swiftly and gather force, 慣用語

揚抑抑格可以創造出移動迅速且積聚力量的詩句，

as in Robert Browning's poem "The Lost Leader."

就像在羅伯特·白朗寧的詩《迷失的領袖》中一樣。

"Just for a handful of silver he left us, 片語搭配

「為了一把銀幣，他背棄了我們，

just for a rib and to stick in his coat."

只為了在外套上別一條勳帶。」

Another kind of foot is the two-syllable long trochee, 用詞

另一種音步是兩個音節的長揚抑格，

a stressed syllable followed by an unstressed one.

一個重讀音節接著一個輕讀音節。

The trochees in these lines from Shakespeare's Macbeth

莎士比亞《馬克白》中這些詩句裡的揚抑格，

lend an ominous and spooky tone to the witches' chant. 片語搭配

給女巫的吟唱增添了不祥和陰森的基調。

"Double, double, toil and trouble, 文化背景

「不辭勞苦，加倍努力，

fire burn and cauldron bubble."

釜中沸騰，烈火燃起。」

But with Shakespeare,

但在莎士比亞的作品中，

it's all about the iamb. 片語搭配

關鍵在於「抑揚格」。

This two-syllable foot is like a reversed trochee, 用詞

這種雙音節音步就像倒過來的揚抑格，

so the first syllable is unstressed and the second is stressed,

第一個音節輕讀，第二個音節重讀，

as in "to be or not to be." 文化背景

比如在「to be or not to be」中。

Shakespeare's favorite meter in particular was iambic pentameter, 用詞

莎士比亞最喜歡的格律是「五步抑揚格」，

where each line of verse is made up of five two-syllable iambs

每一行詩由五個雙音節的抑揚格組成，

for a total of 10 syllables.

總共10個音節。

And it's used for many of Shakespeare's most famous lines.

它被用於莎士比亞許多最著名的台詞中。

"Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" 用詞

「我怎麼能夠把你來比作夏天？」

"Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon." 慣用語

「升起吧，美麗的太陽，趕走那嫉妒的月亮。」

Notice how the iambs cut across 片語動詞

請注意抑揚格是如何穿插的，

both punctuation and word separation.

它跨越了標點符號和單詞的分割。

Meter is all about sound, 表達脈絡

格律完全關乎聲音，

not spelling.

而不是拼寫。

Iambic pentameter may sound technical, 文法

五步抑揚格聽起來可能很專業，

but there's an easy way to remember what it means.

但有一個簡單的方法來記住它的含義。

The word iamb is pronounced just like the phrase "I am." 片語搭配

單詞 iamb（抑揚格）的發音與短語「I am」（我是）一樣。

Now let's expand that to a sentence

現在讓我們把它擴展成一個句子，

that just happens to be in iambic pentameter. 片語搭配

它正好是五步抑揚格。

"I am a pirate with a wooden leg."

「I am a pirate with a wooden leg.」（我是一個裝木腿的海盜。）

The pirate can only walk in iambs, 慣用語

這個海盜只能以抑揚格的方式行走，

a living reminder of Shakespeare's favorite meter. 片語搭配

他是莎士比亞最喜愛格律的鮮活提示。

Iambic pentameter is when he takes 10 steps.

當他走10步時，就是五步抑揚格。

Our pirate friend can even help us remember how to properly mark it

我們這位海盜朋友甚至能幫我們記住如何正確標記它，

if we imagine the footprints he leaves

如果我們想像他留下的腳印，

walking along a deserted island beach.

漫步在一個荒島的海灘上。

A curve for unstressed syllables

弧線代表輕讀音節，

and a shoe outline for stressed ones.

鞋形代表重讀音節。

"If music be the food of love, play on." 講解

「如果音樂是愛情的食糧，那就奏下去吧。」

Of course, most lines of Shakespeare's plays

當然，莎士比亞戲劇中的大多數台詞

are written in regular prose. 用詞

是用普通的散文體寫成的。

But if you read carefully,

但如果你仔細閱讀，

you'll notice that Shakespeare's characters turn to poetry, 片語動詞

你會發現莎士比亞的角色會轉向詩歌，

and iambic pentameter in particular,

特別是五步抑揚格，

for many of the same reasons

其原因大多與

that we look to poetry in our own lives.

我們在現實生活中尋求詩歌的原因相同。

Feeling passionate, 表達脈絡

感到充滿激情、

introspective,

陷入內省、

or momentous.

或者面臨重大時刻。

Whether it's Hamlet pondering his existence 文法

無論是哈姆雷特思考自己的存在，

or Romeo professing his love,

還是羅密歐傾訴他的愛意，

the characters switch to iambic pentameter

這些角色都會切換到五步抑揚格，

when speaking about their emotions

當他們談論自己的情感，

and their place in the world. 慣用語

以及他們在世界上的位置時。

Which leaves just one last question. 表達脈絡

這就只剩下一個最後的問題。

Why did Shakespeare choose iambic pentameter for these moments

為什麼莎士比亞在這些時刻選擇五步抑揚格，

rather than, say, trochaic hexameter or dactylic tetrameter? 片語搭配

而不是揚抑六步格或揚抑抑四步格呢？

It's been said that iambic pentameter was easy for his actors to memorize 文法

有人說五步抑揚格對他的演員來說容易背誦，

and for the audience to understand

也方便觀眾理解，

because it's naturally suited to the English language. 片語搭配

因為它天生就適合英語這門語言。

But there might be another reason.

但可能還有另一個原因。

The next time you're in a heightened emotional situation 文法

下次當你處於情緒高漲的狀態時，

like the ones that make Shakespeare's characters burst into verse, 慣用語

就像那些讓莎士比亞角色突然作詩的時刻一樣，

put your hand over the left side of your chest.

把你的手放在你胸口的左側。

What do you feel?

你感覺到了什麼？

That's your heart beating in iambs. 慣用語

那就是你的心臟以抑揚格跳動著。

Da duhm,

噠咚、

da duhm,

噠咚、

da duhm,

噠咚、

da duhm,

噠咚、

da duhm.

噠咚。

Shakespeare's most poetic lines

莎士比亞最具詩意的台詞

don't just talk about matters of the heart, 講解

不僅僅是在談論關於內心的事情，

they follow its rhythm.

它們還跟隨著內心的跳動節奏。