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28Социальная этика в комедии «Двенадцатая ночь» Шекспира
Ся Сяодун
старший преподаватель, Институт иностранных языков, Шэньянский политехнический университет, [email protected]
Шекспир создает много женских образов в своих комедиях. Эти женщины смелы, независимы, полны энтузиазма, умны и осмеливаются стремиться к собственному счастью. Шекспир часто воспевал юность, любовь, дружбу и другие прекрасные вещи на свете в своих комедиях, где он уделял много внимания проблемам социальной этики: любви и браку, закону и справедливости, дружбе и так далее. В статье проводится глубокий анализ комедии «Двенадцатая ночь» с точки зрения этической литературной критики, а также исследуется социальная этика Шекспира о любви, добре, зле и счастье.
Ключевые слова: любовь, счастье, ответственность, смелость, честность.
Play creation of Shakespeare reaches a mature phrase from 1590 to 1608. Shakespeare creates a large amount of comedies such as Twelfth Night, As You Like It, The Merchant of Venice, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Love's Labours Lost and so on in this phrase. Twelfth Night is the representative of Shakespeare's comedies. Olivia and Viola are two heroines in the comedy. They are brave, self-confident, honest, intelligent, kind-hearted, and have enough courage to overcome the difficulties and pursue their own happiness. They have humanism. There are some male images. Hypocritical and conservative Malvolio is the important male role. Orsino is cowardly, and his view is narrow. His character is very different from the heroines in the comedy. Antonio is honest and kind-hearted.
The play focuses on Olivia's and Viola's love story. The story takes place in Illyria. They experience many difficulties in the pursuit of their love. At last, they received the desired love. Hypocritical Malvolio can't finish his dream.
1. Shakespeare's Social Ethics on Love
In Twelfth Night, Malvolio considers love as a way to obtain social status and power. According to him, love doesn't come from emotions in the deep heart of two persons. Malvolio has profound conception of feudal hierarchy. He desires for the high social status like Olivia, thinks that he can obtain high social status if he can succeed in marring to Olivia. Malvolio is deeply lost in the fancy of love between Olivia and Malvolio, so that easily falls into the trap designed by Maria. Maria writes a false love letter with Olivia's name, at that moment, Malvolio doesn't have the ability of judging what is right or wrong. He doesn't know his fancy of love between him and Olivia is a farce until Olivia says the letter is false. Duke Orsino is very excellent person, and he is knowledgeable, handsome, wealthy, and has very high social status. He really respects Olivia, and considers Olivia is honest, kind-hearted, single-minded. He loves Olivia not because they are matched for marriage, but because he likes Olivia in the deep of his heart and has the truth emotions towards Olivia. Afterwards, he loves Viola disguised as a man. Viola is a attendant. Orsino's love towards Viola isn't influenced by the difference between their social status. Although Olivia admits Orsino is very excellent in her heart, but Olivia doesn't pay more attention to Orsino's wealth and social status. Orsino proposes to her in Olivia's house, which can't move Olivia, and she directly refuses Orsino every time. Olivia: "if it be a suit from the count, I am sick, or not at home; what you will, to dismiss it.'' [1,C, 40 ] When Viola disguised as a man help Duke proposes to Viola, Viola is eloquent and very smart. Regardless of feudal hierarchy and feudal social ethics, Viola deeply falls in love with Viola disguised as a man. Olivia breaks the rules about feudal hierarchy, after she meets Sebastian, she immediately sets the engagement. Olivia pursues love on the basis of her truth feeling in the deep of her heart, completely regardless of social status, wealth and so on. Olivia expe-
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riences many difficulties in the course of pursuing the love, at last, she obtain a satisfactory ending that she falls in love with Sebastian.
Shakespeare completely disagrees with social ethics on love under feudal hierarchy. He thinks that love must be on the basis that two persons admire each other. Love must originate from the truth emotions of two persons in their heart. Love is not related to the wealth, power, social status and so on. Love must be free, mustn't be restrained by the traditional social ethics and feudal hierarchy. Anyone has rights to pursue the love, at the same time has rights to refuse the person who someone dislike. In the face of the love, anyone is equal. At the same time, Shakespeare emphasizes that two persons must have courage,wisdom, sense on the love road. Can two persons obtain satisfactory love only when two persons possess the three elements : courage, wisdom, sense. Shakespeare's social ethics on love shows the humanism.
2. Shakespeare's Social Ethics on Good and Evil In Twelfth Night, intelligent, beautiful, talented Viola is the attendant of Duke Orsino. Duke completely believes in kind-hearted Viola. Duke sends Viola to take the important task:help Duke propose to the proud Olivia. The task is very arduous, difficult for Viola. Viola has ambivalent feeling in her heart, because she falls in love with Duke Orsino. Viola isn't only good, at the same time is very honest. She decides to give up to her own interest, faithfully completes the task assigned by Duke. When she helps Duke propose to Olivia, she faithfully expresses the praise for Olivia from Duke. She criticizes Olivia's indifference on purpose in order to arouse Olivia's regret. She fights a battle of wits and courage with Olivia, and overcomes many difficulties, at last even Olivia falls in love with Viola disguised as a man. Viola completely gives up to her own interest, faithfully finishes the task designed by Duke.
In Twelfth Night, Malvolio declares that he sticks to behaviour rules of Puritans. Singing, drinking, pursuit of happy are forbidden. As a steward, he abuses servants at will. He pays no attention to the servants, doesn't have a little prestige. He even doesn't respect Olivia's uncle. He is ambitious and always wants to marry to Olivia. When the farce is showed up, he can't reflect on himself, but plans to revenge towards servants. His heart is very evil. His truth behaviour doesn't match with behaviour rules of puritans. Seen from the outside, he deals with something according to behaviour rules of puritans. But in his heart he judges whether the behaviour is right or wrong according to whether the behaviour is according to his own will or not. Malvolio is a hypocritical puritan. Another male image Duke Orsino in the comedy is very upright. Although he suffers the refusal of Olivia many times, he doesn't hate Olivia. Male role Antonio in the play pays more attention to friendship. When he sees his friend "o fall into the danger, he saves his friend regardless of £ his own life, who is very excellent example in the ® comedy.
J5 Shakespeare thinks that if one is upright, honest, » friendly, one is good; if one is narrow, hypocritical, one z is evil. Only when person is upright, honest, friendly in
the heart, can the society become more and more beautiful. Shakespeare also emphasizes that the harmonious unification of the honesty, good, beauty. Beauty exists in honesty and good. Only if one is honest and good, can one be beautiful.
3. Shakespeare's Social Ethics on Happiness "Social ethics on happiness means the people's basic ideas and attitude towards happiness." [2] In Twelfth Night, regardless of social status and traditional views, Olivia and Viola boldly and decisively pursue their own happiness and take effective actions when they meet the persons they like. Orsino is cowardly, and doesn't dare to actively pursue his own happiness. However, the female roles try their best to pursue the present happiness. Facing up to difficulties and setbacks, Olivia and Viola can always possess the enough courage, apply wits to fight with destiny. Viola experiences the shipwreck, can't find her elder brother, her only relative. Facing up to uncertain future, Viola doesn't give up her hope for the future life. She apply her wits to disguise as a man, succeeds in being an attendant of Duke Orsino. In the course of helping Duke propose to Olivia, facing up to many difficulties, Viola doesn't want to give up. She has the perseverance. Viola fights a battle of wits and courage with Olivia, finally she perfectly finishes the task. In the pursuit of love, Olivia experiences many difficulties, and has the enough courage to overcome the difficulties. Olivia is a master who is full of responsibility. After her relative dies away, she shoulders the responsibility of supporting the whole family. The ability of managing family is also very extraordinary.
"Shakespeare's social ethics on happiness: encourage people to pursue the present joy" [3,C, 144] Shakespeare advocates that people must try their best to pursue the present happiness, get rid of the asceticism advocated by puritans in the Middle Ages. Shakespeare also emphasizes that people must apply wits, work hard, try their best to overcome difficulties to obtain the happiness of the life. In Twelfth Night, Shakespeare shows that happiness is related to responsibility. Only if one tries his best to shoulder the responsibility, can he really obtain the happy life.
Shakespeare's Social Ethics in Twelfth Night Xia Xiaodong
Shenyang Ligong University
Shakespeare creates many female images with humanism in his comedies. These females are brave, independent, enthusiastic, smart, and dare to pursue their own happiness. Shakespeare songs of youth, love, friendship and the other beautiful things in the world in his comedies. There are many social ethics questions in Shakespeare's comedies: love and marriage, law and justice, friendship and so on. The paper makes a deep analysis of Twelfth Night in the perspective of Ethical Literary Criticism, and studies out Shakespeare's social ethics on love, good and evil, happiness in the comedy. Key words: love, happiness, responsibility, brave, honesty Reference
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2. https://baike.so.com/doc/6578431-6792197.html (дата обраще-
ния: 08.08.2019)
3. Nie Zhenzhao, Du juan, Tang Hongmei, Zhu Weihong. English
Literature in the Perspective of Ethical Literary Criticism[M]. Wuhan: Central China Normal University Press, 2007.
