為慶祝倫敦奧運開幕, BBC花了大錢, 早在六月起開播3個莎士比亞名著, 告訴大家他們歷史上三個皇帝都 all murdered. 日不落國真是冷幽默不忌諱, 這事兒不可能發生在喜慶日愛說吉祥話的中國人社會, 瞧一開頭的名段子：
For God's sake, let us sit upon the ground
And tell sad stories of the death of kings;
How some have been deposed; some slain in war,
Some haunted by the ghosts they have deposed;
Some poisoned by their wives: some sleeping killed;
All murdered.
Richard II. 3. 2
查理王二世＝各位的上司一樣, 愛看到部門主管對立, 在跟前互告對方 traitor, treason, 叛徒, 賣國賊....如鬥雞鬥蟋蟀, 其樂無窮.
他的裁決完全依心情. 滴水穿石, 終於招致禍災. 趁著出征京城空虛, 被先放逐後抄家的表哥＋倒戈臣子＋老百姓, 給請了下去.
身邊親信死的死跑的跑, 他悲傷地奉上江山王位. 把王冠拱手讓給賢明有梟勇一身肌肉的表哥, 一手抓著不放, 還要說一段:我兩都是井邊汲水木桶, 我的桶裝滿我的淚之類的喪氣話~~~好可憐～
Give me the crown. Here, cousin, seize the crown;
Here cousin,
On this side my hand, and on that side yours.
Now is this golden crown like a deep well
That owes two buckets, filling one another;
The emptier ever dancing in the air,
The other down, unseen and full of water:
That bucket down and full of tears am I,
Drinking my griefs, whilst you mount up on high.
Richard II. 4. 1
查理王怎麼死的, 歷史上說是餓死. 莎士比亞說是打死. 編導Rupert Goold將他的死比成如聖徒 St. Sebastian 一樣被亂箭射死, 別開生面在片尾擺成Jesus Christ下了十字架的死狀. 對這位打10歲就登基, 發明手帕, 愛好華服排場的王之死, 寄予無限同情.
2.5小時看完, 保證值, 全新詮釋的悲傷王, 讓人想起 Michael Jackson, 養猴子當寵物, 性別曖昧, 個性陰柔愛哭, 有點小孬孬.
Ben Whishaw 在 Bright Star 演詩人濟慈, Perfume 香水裡那個陰沈的角色. 擅演哈姆雷特, 這次把查理二世演得和 youtube 上能找到的莎劇King Richard II 不一樣. 莎迷可以一做比較.
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