奴顏婢膝：御妻學校中傳授的馴悍秘訣

霍坦西奧(Hortensio)放棄對比恩卡(Bianca)的追求，娶了一位有錢的寡婦。為了要把她管束得十分馴服，他進了御妻學校(the taming-school)。彼特魯喬(Petruchio)就是那個學校的校長(the master)，他教授著「層出不窮的許多馴服悍婦的妙計和對付長舌的祕訣。」∗湯普生(Ann Thompson)暗示《馴悍記》「通常」被當作「一起毫不掩飾的暴行」來讀或來演，在其中「一個男人娶了一個生氣勃勃的女人，目的就是要折磨和羞辱她。」勃默(Albert Bermel)觀察到藉由「冷靜，不可預測的行動，以及令人作嘔的恭維，外加精神懲罰，挫折，饑餓，和嘲弄，」彼特魯喬在他家那幢破爛大宅內對凱特(Kate)施以無情的虐待和「感情的磨練。」李本納(Irving Ribner)強調彼特魯喬的馴悍課程發展成一種「對真實的否定，以及對使人得以異於禽獸之理性的破壞，」而其最終的功效便是「將被制服的妻子貶低到一個動物的層次。」在他的御妻學校中所傳授的秘訣，簡言之，就是打算混淆認知，讓這悍婦分不清表象與真實，以致她相信虛假為真實，而最終在理性上被貶低到動物的層次。在最後一場戲中寡婦和比恩卡證明才是真正的悍婦，而凱特則是「她主人調馴的鷹犬，」奴顏婢膝地俯首聽命於彼特魯喬的哨聲。畢靈頓(Michael Billington)建議將《馴悍記》「直截了當地束之高閣。」御妻學校應予永久關閉停辦。

關鍵字

御妻學校；馴悍秘訣；毫不掩飾的暴行；折磨和羞辱；無情的虐待；感情的磨練；對真實的否定；對理性的破壞；貶低到一個動物的層次；混淆認知；表象與真實；調馴的鷹犬；奴顏婢膝；俯首聽命；束之高閣；永久關閉停辦

並列摘要

Hortensio forswears Bianca and marries a wealthy widow. To tame her, he is going unto the taming-school, where Petruchio is the master ”That teacheth tricks eleven and twenty long, / To tame a shrew and charm her chattering tongue” (4.2.57-8). Ann Thompson hints that The Taming of the Shrew is ”normally” read and performed as ”a piece of bluff brutality in which a man marries a spirited woman in order to torture and humiliate her.” Albert Bermel observes that by ”calmness, acts of unpredictability, and fulsome compliments besides mental punishment, frustration, hunger, and mockery,” Petruchio relentlessly ill-treats Kate in his scruffy mansion by putting her through ”the affective mill.” Irving Ribner stresses that Petruchio's taming course develops into ”a denial of truth and a destruction of that power of reason which separates man and woman from the lower animals,” and that its final effect is ”to reduce the tamed wife to the level of an animal.” The tricks taught in his taming-school, in short, are meant to confuse the shrew about appearance and reality, so that she accepts falsehoods as truth and is ultimately reduced to the level of an animal in her reasoning. In the last scene, the Widow and Bianca turn out to be real shrews, while Kate is ”the trained hawk or dog of her master,” stooping obsequiously to Petruchio's whistle. Michael Billington recommends that The Taming of the Shrew ”be put back firmly and squarely on the shelf.” The taming-school should be officially closed down for good.

並列關鍵字

the taming-school ； tricks ； a piece of bluff brutality ； to torture and humiliate ； to ill-treat relentlessly ； putting through the affective mill ； a denial of truth ； a destruction of the power of reason ； to redu