威尼斯商人中夏洛克形象的解构与重建.docx

威尼斯商人中夏洛克形象的解构与重建.docx

《威尼斯商人中夏洛克形象的解构与重建.docx》由会员分享，可在线阅读，更多相关《威尼斯商人中夏洛克形象的解构与重建.docx（13页珍藏版）》请在冰点文库上搜索。

威尼斯商人中夏洛克形象的解构与重建

《威尼斯商人》是莎翁早期的喜剧作品，并因其塑造的贪婪残忍的商人形象夏洛克而堪称经典。

夏洛克被认为是一个站在正义对立面的小丑。

他心胸狭隘、吝啬、自私，是传统意义上的反面人物。

本文首先介绍”二元对立论”和”解构主义”理论的特点以及他们在文学批评上的应用；然后结合《威尼斯商人》中的选段，分别从两种理论角度来分析夏洛克的形象；并从三个方面即故事发生的社会背景，夏洛克的自身性格因素和莎士比亚的创作观分析，探索夏洛克多面性格的原因。

本文旨在解构单一负面的夏洛克形象，展现其能言善辩、机智、热爱家庭的另一面，从而在读者心中重建一个更加丰满生动的夏洛克。

1．Introduction

AsanimportantmeansofLiteraryCriticismandananti-traditionalthought,Deconstructionhasbeenwidelyusedincriticizingthetext.ThemainfeatureofDeconstructionistoprovethatso-calledtwooppositionsinstructuralismsuchasmenandwomen,homosexualandheterosexual,badorgoodareactuallyinseparableandthereisinbetweeninthetwoextremes.Thatistosaythetwooppositionscanneitherbecompletelyseparatednorstrictlydividedtotwocategories.Sotheusualconclusionisthatthesecategoriesareactuallynotfixedorexistsinanyabsoluteform.

TheMerchantofVenicehasbeenrecognizedasanearlyShakespeare’srepresentativeworksamonghiscomedies,anditisfullofsocialsatire.Inthiswork,theauthorcreatesanewseriesofdistinctimagesofhumanism.Asanegativecharacter,Shylockarousesinterestofreadersandcriticsforhiscomplexpersonality.SinceMarxhadsuchcommentsonthethemeofthedramathattheplayreflected“thecontradictionbetweencapitalandloan-sharking”[1]85,foralongtimeShylockhasbeendefinedasatypicalusurerwhoismercenaryandruthless.Eveninsomedictionaries,Shylockhasbecomeanountodescribetheunscrupulousmiser.

However,thesecommentsaresomewhatpartial,suchasJohnGrosssaid,“IfShylockismerelyatypicalimage,hecannotoccupythestageover400years.”[2]273Therearestillcertainpositiveaspectsinhispersonality.Theninrecentyears,peoplehavebeguntogetawayfromtheinfluenceofstereotypedbiasonShylockandgiveShylockafairandobjectiveevaluation.

Thepaperhereisintendedonlytoreversethetermof“binaryopposition”,usethetheoryofdeconstructiontoanalyzeShylock,andstudytherealShylockthroughtheinterpretationofShylock’slanguage,actionandpsychologicaldescription.Inthispaper,threesectionscanbeidentified:

thestudyoftheoriesof“binaryopposition”andDeconstruction,theanalysisofShylock’simagefromtheperspectivesofthesetwotheories,andthevariousfactorsinfluencingtheformationofShylock’simage.

2.Reviewof“BinaryOpposition”andDeconstruction

Binarythoughtoftenappearsinpeople’sminds.Peopleliketolookattheproblemfromtheperspectiveofbinaryoppositionbecauseoftherelativelysimplewayofthinking.Deconstruction,correspondingtobinaryopposition,isapluralisticanalysisapproach,andsimilartothemultipleresultsofthemathematicalanalysis.

2.1Theoryof“BinaryOpposition”

Structuralismisoneofthemostfrequentlyusedmethodstoanalyzethelanguage,cultureandsocietyinthesecondhalfofthetwentiethcentury.AsthecoreofStructuralism,“binaryoppositions”providesuswithaneffectivemethodofcomprehendingsuchacriticalapproach[3]128.Incriticaltheory,abinaryoppositionisapairoftheoreticalopposites.Itisoftenseenasafundamentalorganizerofhumanphilosophy,culture,andlanguage[4]1.from

Themostclassicexampleof“binaryopposition”isrationalandemotional,whileinwesternphilosophy,rationalityhasalwaysenjoyedhigherevaluationthansensibility.Anotherexampleispresenceandabsence.Similarly,theformerpositionintheWesternphilosophyismuchhigherthanthelatter.Thesimilarityof“highconcept”isregardedastheimpactofthelogicalcentrality’swesternphilosophy.

Thereasonswhypeopletendtolookattheproblemintheperspectiveofbinaryoppositionaretheinfluenceofempiricisminadditiontothesimplewayofthinking.Empiricalapproachistousethedirectimpactoftheself-experienceandimaginationtojudgeordeterminethenature.Thesimplestqualitativewaysaretheoneslike:

goodorbad,IlikeorIdonotlike,likeme,ordonotlikeme,youcanbelieveornotbelieve.Usuallypeople’sthinkingisqualitative.Binaryworldmayexistinonlytwoparts,andusuallythetwoareabsoluteandopposed.Briefly,itishardforpeopletoavoidthedualisticwayofthinkinginfact,becausepeopleusedtogradeorthinkaboutthingsaccordingtotheirexperience.

2.2TheoryofDeconstruction

Theemergenceofthetermof“binaryoppositions”helpspeoplegetawayfromthechaoticlivingappearanceandexposetheintegrityofthehiddenstructure.However,inpost-structuralism,thecategorizationofbinaryoppositionsis“oftenvalue-ladenandethnocentric”,withanillusoryorderandsuperficialmeaning[5]36.Itsimplifiestheresults.Becausethereareavarietyofpositionslocatedbetweenthesetwoextremepositions.Infact,manyargumentsaboutthestructuralismaretryingtoclarifythementionedproblems.

Inaword,facingthecomplexresearchquestions,structuralismtakesevasiveattituderatherthanapositiveattitudetoovercomedifficultiesandpressaheaddespitedifficulties.Thisisnegative.

In1967，thepublicationofaFrenchphilosopherJacquesDerrida’sOfGrammatologymarkedthebirthofthetheoryofdeconstruction.“Deconstruction”isderivedfromHeidegger’sBeingandTime,andtheoriginalmeaningisdecomposition,digestion,revealingandsoon.ThewordHeideggerusedmeansdecomposingordisassemblingthestructure,andthenexploringthemeaningout.

Deconstructionisalsocalledpost-structuralism.Post-structuralismencompassestheintellectualdevelopmentsofcertaincontinentalphilosophersandsociologistswhowrotewithinthetendenciesoftwentieth-centuryFrenchphilosophy[6]13.

Thecriticismofbinaryoppositionisnotsimplytoreversetheoppositions,butinessence,thedeconstructiondoesn’ttendtoanyarmofbinaryopposition.Deconstructionisthe“event”or“moment”atwhichabinaryoppositionisthoughttocontradictitself,andundermineitsownauthority[4]1.

Generally,deconstructionattemptstodemonstrateadiscretetextcontainsseveralpatchycontradictions;thereforethatanytexthasonemoreinterpretation;thetextitselfisinextricablylinkedtotheinterpretation;theseirreducibleinterpretationsisnotcompatible;andthusthataninterpretativereadingcannotgobeyondacertainpoint.J.HillisMillerhasdescribeddeconstructionthisway:

“Deconstructionisnotadismantlingofthestructureofatext,butademonstrationthatithasalreadydismantleditself.Itsapparently-solidgroundisnorock,butthinair.”[7]34.

3.AnalysisofShylock’simagefromtheperspectiveoftwotheories

Fromtheperspectiveof“BinaryOpposition”,Shylockisdefinedasaruthlessmercenarymiser,allthehatefulaspectsgatheredinhispersonality.ThisisstereotypedunitaryShylock.However,intermsofDeconstruction,Shylockisnotasimply-definedanti-hero.DeconstructionwillrevealacomplexmultifacetedShylockwithsomepositivecharacteristics.

3.1StereotypedunitaryShylockintermsof“BinaryOpposition”

Accordingtothisterm,weknowthataccordingto“binaryopposition”,everythinghastwosides.Forexample,inTheMerchantofVenice,itreflectstheconflictsbetweenthecapitalistsandusurersatthebeginningofthecapitalistsociety.Thethemeofthisplayistopraisekindness,friendshipandlove,sotheevilaspectscanbefoundintheplay.

Inthisplay,ShylockandsuchAntoniosareoppositions.Antonioistheembodimentoffriendship.InordertohelpBassaniomarryPortia,Antoniocansacrificeanythingnomatteritismoneyorlife.Hismeritistobeadmired.Bassanioistheembodimentoflove.Heisverybravetopursuehisowntruelove.Inprocessoflovepursuit,heiswitty,intelligentandcourageous.Astheheroinethisplay,Portiaistheembodimentofwisdomandbeauty.Shefocusesonmoralityinsteadofwealth,familystatus,andusesherintelligenceandwisdomtofightagainstShylock.Wecaninfertheseconclusionsfromthefollowingexcerpts.

Antonio’sfriendship

ExcerptSceneone,Actone

ANTONIO

Iprayyou,goodBassanio,letmeknowit;Andifitstand,asyouyourselfstilldo,withintheeyeofhonour,beassured,mypurse,myperson,myextremestmeans,lieallunlock’dtoyouroccasions.

……

ANTONIO

Youknowmewell,andhereinspendbuttimetowindaboutmylovewithcircumstance;AndoutofdoubtyoudomenowmorewronginmakingquestionofmyuttermostthanifyouhadmadewasteofallIhave:

ThendobutsaytomewhatIshoulddothatinyourknowledgemaybymebedone,andIamprestuntoit:

therefore,speak.

Fromtheconversation,wecaninferthatAntoniotreasureshisfriendverymuch.Inhisopinion,Bassanioplaysamoreimportantwaythanhiswealthorevenhislife.AlthoughfinallyheisnearlyframedtodeathbyShylock,hedoesn’tblameBassanioforowedmoney.HehelpsBassaniowithoutanyulteriormotives,justforhisfriendship.

Bassanio’slove

ExcerptScenetwo,Actthree

BASSANIO

Promisemelife,andI’llconfessthetruth.

PORTIA

Wellthen,confessandlive.

BASSANIO

‘Confess’and‘love’hadbeentheverysumofmyconfession:

Ohappytorment,whenmytorturerdothteachmeanswersfordeliverance!

Butletmetomyfortuneandthecaskets.

Comparedwithromanticsongs,Bassanio’sshortsentence-”Confessandlovehadbeentheverysumofmyconfession”transmitshisdeeplove.Itnotonlyexpressestheromance,butalsoshowsthesteadfastlove.

Portia’sintelligence

ExcerptSceneseven,Acttwo

PORTIA

Godrawasidethecurtainsanddiscovertheseveralcasketstothisnobleprince.Nowmakeyourchoice.

PORTIA

Theoneofthemcontainsmypicture,prince:

Ifyouchoosethat,thenIamyourswithal.

HereIchoosethisexc