Plutarch から Shakespeare へ Julius Caesar における素材分析

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Plutarch から Shakespeare へ Julius Caesar における素材分析 View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE Plutarch から Shakespeare へ Julius Caesar における素材分析 Plutarch から Shakespeare へ Julius Caesar における素材分析 From Plutarch to Shakespeare: An Analysis of Source Materials in Julius Caesar 山畑 淳子 YAMAHATA Atsuko It is generally admitted that Shakespeare mainly made use of Sir Thomas North’s translation of Plutarch’s Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romanes, more specifically, the lives of Caesar and Brutus, and to a lesser degree of Antony, when writing Julius Caesar. This source was consciously adopted and modified by Shakespeare. To analyze Plutarch’s Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romanes, Shakespeare’s prime source for Julius Caesar,is to gain a valuable insight into the operation of Shakespeare’s dramatic intelligence. This intelligence was essentially dramatic, and it can be deduced from Shakespeare’s economic plan to stage the new play at the newly built Globe theatre. In short, the source study evinces the direction which Shakespeare had taken, and the way the dramatist had proposed for the new theatre. Shakespeare’s treatment of his principle source shows not only his dramaturgy but also a new style. Through an examination of the source materials of Julius Caesar,thispaper discusses Shakespeare’s dramaturgy and its meaning. I Shakespeare は Julius Caesar を執筆するにあたって、他の作品のように多数の材源を微妙 に使い構築する手法とは異なり、この作品では Thomas North によって英訳された Plutarch の ――123 埼玉女子短期大学研究紀要 第24号 2011.09 Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romanes を主に使っていることは異論の余地がない。 Plutarch の Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romanes は Jacques Amyot のフランス語訳を Thomas North が英訳したものを Shakespeare が愛読し、出来事や構造だけでなく、台詞にも 多大な影響を受けていることから、Plutarch の Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romanes を この作品の主要粉本とみなし、Plutarch から Shakespeare が Julius Caesar 執筆時において、 主に変更を加えた点やそうした比較による抽出物を特に取り上げ、さらに Plutarch の語りと Shakespeare 劇のジャンルの違いによって派生する相違点についても考察してゆきたい。 他の粉本としては、Geoffrey Bullough や Kenneth Muir, Norman Sanders,や David Daniell、 Marvin Spevack などが Suetonius や Appian の歴史書や Sir Thomas Elyot の The Governour 及び、Thomas Kyd による英訳 Cornelia をあげているが、この作品においては特に Plutarch の Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romanes に負うところが多く、素材として顕著であるため、 これらについても、目配りしながらも、Plutarch の粉本を主要材源として、ここから Shakespeare が自由に創作して出来上がったもの・要素を分析してゆきたい。1 こうした要素・抽出物には、 時代の影響と劇作家の劇作術の凝縮されたものが反映されていると筆者は考える。特に Julius Caesar は、1599年宮内大臣一座が活動の拠点をテムズ川南岸に移した後、新しく建てられたグ ローブ座で演じられた Shakespeare の最初の劇のひとつとみなされている作品であるので、粉 本研究は Shakespeare の創作過程と新しい劇場でのこけらおとしに向けて採算の取れることも 考慮の上での劇作家の知性と洗練の結晶化が見られるのではないかと筆者は考える。 II Shakespeare は Plutarch の Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romanes の中でも Caesar 伝、 Brutus 伝、Antony 伝の多くの素材を主に使っているが、まず、この劇の中で粉本との違いが 目立つ箇所を取り上げていこう。Plutarch の Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romanes と際 立って違うのは、劇冒頭の Caesar の偉業を示す箇所と平民の扱いである。Plutarch の Caesar 伝では Caesar の生涯と殊にガリアも含む戦場での偉業を示すのに多くのページが割かれ、 Caesar は王然とした威厳を示すものとして描かれている。これに対して、Shakespeare の劇で は冒頭で、Caesar の Pompey への勝利に関しても護民官と職人の台詞の中で次のように語られ、 劇が始まっている。 ――124 Plutarch から Shakespeare へ Julius Caesar における素材分析 FLAVIUS But wherefore art not in thy shop today? Why dost thou lead these men about the streets? COBBLER Truly, sir, to wear out their shoes, to get myself into more work. But indeed, sir, we make holiday to see Caesar and to rejoice in his triumph. MURELLUS Wherefore rejoice? What conquest brings he home? What tributaries follow him to Rome To grace in captive bonds his chariot wheels? You blocks, you stones, you worse than senseless things! O you hard hearts, you cruel men of Rome, Knew you not Pompey? Many a time and oft Have you climbed up to walks and battlements, To towers and windows, yea, to chimney-tops, Your infants in your arms, and there have sat The livelong day, with patient expectation, To see great Pompey pass the streets of Rome: And when you saw his chariot but appear, Have you not made an universal shout, That Tiber trembled underneath her banks To hear the replication of your sounds Made in her concave shores? And do you now put on your best attire? And do you now cull out a holiday? And do you now strew flowers in his way, That comes in triumph over Pompey’s blood? Be gone! Run to your houses, fall upon your knees, Pray to the gods to intermit the plague That needs must light on this ingratitude.(1. 1. 28-57)2 民衆が Caesar の凱旋を祝おうと店を離れ晴れ着を身に付け、ローマの街頭に出て待ち受けてい ると、彼らは、次のように護民官 Flavius と Murellus に叱られる。このふたりの護民官は暴政 を憎んでおり、職人たちはさっさと家に帰るように追い返されてしまう。芝居全体の音調として も格調高く Caesar の偉業をたたえるというよりは、平民がお祭気分で Caesar の凱旋を物見見 物に出かけてきたところを、護民官によって出鼻をくじかれ、英雄をたたえようとしていたのに、 口を閉ざされ帰宅させられる。しかも、この台詞の前には Shakespeare’s bawdy ともとれる庶 民の活気に満ちた台詞があり、Plutarch の Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romanes とは全 ――125 埼玉女子短期大学研究紀要 第24号 2011.09 体の色調が自ら異なることを冒頭の場面は示している。 平民が口を閉ざしたまま帰って行き、退場した後、Flavius と Murellus は次のように会話を 続けている。 FLAVIUS GoyoudownthatwaytowardstheCapitol. This way will I. Disrobe the images, If you do find them decked with ceremonies. MURELLUS Maywedoso? You know it is the feast of Lupercal. FLAVIUS It is no matter. Let no images Be hung with Caesar’s trophies. I’ll about, And drive away the vulgar from the streets. So do you too, where you perceive them thick. These growing feathers plucked from Caesar’s wing Will make him fly an ordinary pitch, Whoelsewouldsoarabovetheviewofmen, And keep us all in servile fearfulness. (1. 1. 64-75) Flavius と Murellus はさらに平民を追い払い、Caesar の栄誉を飾る像を見つけ次第、引き剥が す決心をしている。劇冒頭ですでに何かが始まっており、Plutarch の Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romanes の英雄の性格などを比較する語りとは違う全体の音調の中で、Caesar を栄光の座から引き下ろす暗い方向へプロットが動いていくことを暗に示している。平民を Caesar の翼に生える羽と理解し、平民に対して警戒する意識がここですでに述べられている。 この色調の違う演出の後、きわめて短い場面ではあるが効果的に Caesar が登場する。素材と の違いについて重要な項目を取り上げて、考察していこう。第1幕第2場冒頭において、Caesar は Calphurnia を呼びつけ、ルペルカリア祭の走者として Antony が走ってきたら、その前に立 ちふさがるようにと言い、Antony には Calphurnia に触れるようにと命じている。Antony は “I shall remember. / When Caesar says ‘Do this’, it is performed.”(1. 2. 9-10)と Caesar の命 じたことは必ず果たされると保証をし、Caesar の威厳を強調している。Plutarch は Calphurnia が石女(barren)であることについて触れていないが、ルペルカリア祭の走者に触れてもらう ことでその呪いから解放される例の記述はあり、走者 Antony に Calphurnia に触れさせるのは ――126 Plutarch から Shakespeare へ Julius Caesar における素材分析 Shakespeare の創作であるので、その意図についても考察しなければならない。Caesar の Pompey への勝利とルペルカリア祭の開催には1年の差があるのに、Shakespear は一続きにま とめて提示しているがこれは、どのような効果があるのか。3 まず、ルカペルリア祭と Caesar の勝利の凱旋を間をあけず、同時期に演出することで、Caesar の栄光の印象を強め、その中で 妻から不妊の呪いを落とすことで、Caesar の王権への野心を暗に示していると考えられる。 Plutarch は Caesar の王冠を手に入れたいという野望が彼の政治生命の命取りになったとみなし ている。Shakespeare はここでは、Plutarch の示した枠に忠実に従っている。その後、占い師 が3月15日について警告する流れとなっている。Plutarch では占い師の警告はこうした出来事の はるか前に語られているのに対し、劇では Caesar の野望の暗示の直後に占い師の予言が効果的 に組み込まれて、しかも占い師は暗殺の直前にも登場し、緊迫した構造になっている。 Antony が Caesar に王冠を捧げる場面も、Plutarch では、2回になっているが、Shakespeare の劇では、3回差し出され、Caesar は3回拒絶し、Caesar の欲のなさを後に Antony が聴衆に主 張するのにこの出来事が使われている。これらの出来事は Caska による語りの中で Cassius と Brutus に知らされてており、Caska はこれを “It was mere foolery: I did not mark it.”(1. 2. 235)と言っている。Shakespeare の Caesar の描き方はエリザベス朝当時の認識に則り、野心・ 独裁とそれに反する見方の両方にとれる曖昧な描き方になっていると言えよう。また、Caesar がてんかんの持病など弱い面があるのは、Plutarch から負っているが、さらに左耳が聞こえな い設定は Shakespeare の創作である。また、同場の Caesar がスペインで熱病にかかり、体が ふるえた脆弱な様子は Plutarch の記述と反するものであり、Caska による悪意に満ちた捏造で あり騙りであるが、こうした側面は何を暗示するものなのだろうか。4 Plutarch では、Cassius と Brutus は共に痩せて青白いと描かれているのに対し、劇では、痩せていて物を考えすぎる危 険人物として、負の部分の多くを Cassius が負っている。それは一体何故なのか。Caesar は次 のように Cassius を評価している。 Let me have men about me that are fat, Sleek-headed men, and such as sleep a-nights. Yond Cassius has a lean and hungry look: He thinks too much: such men are dangerous. (1. 2. 191-94) 2人の義兄弟のうち、Cassius よりもBrutus を殊に贔屓し、重要視するCaesar の態度は ――127 埼玉女子短期大学研究紀要 第24号 2011.09 Plutarch からのものであるが、こうした偏りや健康上の不具合な状態は劇当初では英雄として 政治的権力を担う立場にあり Cassius に危険人物の芽を感じ取る洞察力を持ちながらも、自身 の身の上に危険が迫りつつあるのに察知できず、Brutus 同様 Caesar も誤りに陥りやすいこと を病気を使った比喩で暗示しているのではないか。 Caesar に関しては暗殺を予告して、議事堂へ行かないようにという Artemidorus の警告の手 紙を粉本では Caesar が受け取り、読む予定はあったが、人が大勢来て読むことができなかった 流れになっているに対し、Shakespeare の劇では3月15日、議事堂の前で Artemidorus と占い 師、および陰謀者たちのいるところで、次のような会話がなされている。 CAESAR The Ides of March are come. SOOTHSAYER Ay, Caesar, but not gone. ARTEMIDORUS Hail, Caesar. Read this schedule. DECIUS Trebonius doth desire you to o’er-read At your best leisure this his humble suit. ARTEMIDORUS O Caesar, read mine first, for mine’s a suit That touches Caesar nearer. Read it, great Caesar. CAESAR What touches us ourself shall be last served. ARTEMIDORUS Delay not, Caesar, read it instantly! CAESAR What, is the fellow mad? PUBLIUS Sirrah, give place. CASSIUS What, urge you your petitions in the street? Come to the Capitol. [Caesar and his followers move upstage.] (3. 1. 1-12) Caesar は御身に係ることゆえ、すぐ読むようにという Artemidorus の言葉を「わが身に係る私 事は常に最後に回される」として退け、陰謀者のひとりである Trebonius からの直訴状が優先 されることとなり、陰謀を阻止する書状は Caesar の目に触れることはない。この書状に関して は Artemidorus が第2幕第3場で既に登場し、書状の中身を次のように読みながら明らかにして いる。 ――128 Plutarch から Shakespeare へ Julius Caesar における素材分析 ARTEMIDORUS Caesar, beware of Brutus. Take heed of Cassius. Come not near Caska. Have an eye to Cinna. Trust not Trrebonius. Mark well Metellus Cimber. Decius Brutus loves thee not. Thou hast wronged Caius Ligarius. There is but one mind in all these men, and it is bent against Caesar. If thou beest not immortal, look about you. Security gives way to conspiracy. The mighty gods defend thee. Thy lover, Artemidorus. Here will I stand till Caesar pass along And as a suitor will I give him this. My heart laments that virtue cannot live Out of the teeth of emulation. If thou read this, O Caesar, thou mayst live; If not, the Fates with traitors do contrive. (2. 3. 1-15) Caesar に Brutus たちの陰謀を知らせる書状を渡したことに関しては Plutarch から取っており、 他の材源 A Mirror for Magistrates なども Shakespeare が参照した可能性は指摘されるものの、 この神託風の書状の内容や事前に Artemidorus を登場させる手の込んだ演出法については Shakespeare の創作である。5 Artemidorus は訴願人のふりでこの書状を手渡す計画であること をここで既に明らかにしている。場の最後の2行はプロットを支配する先見性を観客に与えてい
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