谜一样的莎士比亚_莎士比亚谜案
时间：2018-12-27 03:31:26 来源：柠檬阅读网 本文已影响 人 
英国文艺复兴时期伟大的剧作家、诗人威廉・莎士比亚（1564-1616）无人不知，其作品在世界各地家喻户晓，但关于莎翁本人的历史记载却寥寥无几。莎翁的情感、生活、经历都如同谜一般，几百年来让无数学者苦苦探寻。
4月适逢莎翁诞辰447周年，让我们从有限的资料中探寻这位伟大作家的人生历程。
William Shakespeare is arguably[可论证地] the most famous author and poet of all time. His works are studied in grade school[（美）小学] classrooms, college courses focus on his life and works, and professional authors look to him for inspiration. We know a great deal about the Bard1 himself, but there is still much we do not know. The mysteries surrounding his life keep us interested and looking for more.
Shakespeare’s Early Years
William Shakespeare was born in April of 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon, on or around the 23rd day of the month. The exact date of his birth is unknown. Based on documents stating that he was baptized[施洗礼] on the 26th of April, a rite[仪式] that was traditionally conducted about three days following birth, we can assume that Shakespeare was born on the 23rd.
Very little is known about Shakespeare’s education. It is thought he began grammar school in Stratford around age six, but it has been suggested that the school’s records were intentionally destroyed, so there is no definitive[确定的] proof. We do not know how long he remained a student, but missing records also suggest that Shakespeare never attended university. The question of education is cited by many claiming that Shakespeare did not write his now famous works.
Shakespeare’s Personal and Professional Life
In 1582 at the age of 18, Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway, a woman eight years his senior. The couple had three children, including a son named Hamnet, who many believe was the inspiration for the name Hamlet in his famous play, Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Susanna, the first of his children, was born just five months after their wedding, an event which at the time would have raised some eyebrows[使不满].
Shakespeare was not only a playwright, but an actor as well, and served as a member of the acting troupe[剧团] The Lord Chamberlain’s Men (later known as the King’s Men). By 1598, it became necessary for the group to build their own theater. Pooling their money, they built the Globe Theater (completed in 1599), and were financially rewarded for their investment thanks to high ticket sales. The Globe attracted lower and upper class citizens alike, and as a result Shakespeare’s fame grew.
Mysteries of William Shakespeare
―The Lost Years
There are two distinct periods of time in which little to no documentation[文件] on Shakespeare exists. These periods have been called the Lost Years. The first period of missing years is from 1578 to 1582 when Shakespeare was married, and the second stretched from 1582 to 1592. Some suggest that during these lost years, Shakespeare may have dabbled[涉足] in a variety of professions, including teacher or law clerk, or he may have been assisting his father with the family business of leather working and trade. Others believe Shakespeare was using these years to conduct extensive research, travel, and establish himself as a playwright in the theater industry.
Shakespeare’s Last Will
Shakespeare died in 1616 at the age of 52. During his life, he collected numerous pieces of property[财产] and had a substantial[丰富的] bit of money to his name. In his will, he bequeathed[遗赠] most of his properties to Susanna, his eldest daughter, and some actors from the King’s Men. Famously, he left his wife his “second best bed2” before he died on April 23rd, 1616 (this date is an educated guess[有根据的推测] because we only have a record of his burial two days later). This indicated she was to be given their marriage bed. Traditionally, the best bed was reserved for guests of a household.
Despite the limited information on the man, Shakespeare remains today one of the most famous playwrights in history.
威廉・莎士比亚可以说是有史以来最著名的（英文）作家和诗人。小学课堂里教授他的作品，大学课程关注他的生平和作品，职业作家则从他那里汲取灵感。虽然我们知道许多有关这位诗人的事迹，但他仍然有很多事情不为人知。一直以来围绕他一生的谜团让我们很感兴趣，希望从中发掘更多。
早年生活
1564年4月，威廉・莎士比亚出生于（英国）埃文河畔斯特拉福镇，日子大约是23日。其确切出生日期无人知晓。根据资料显示，他在4月26日受洗，而该仪式一般在婴儿出生约3天后进行，所以我们推测莎士比亚在23号出生。
人们对莎士比亚接受教育的情况也知之甚少。一般认为他在6岁左右开始在斯特拉福读文法学校，但据称学校记录被人蓄意毁坏，所以没有确凿证据证明这点。我们不知道他当了多少年学生，但缺失的记录同时显示莎士比亚没上过大学。有关其教育的问题被很多人引用，以说明莎士比亚没有写下如今这几部名作。
个人生活及事业生涯
1582年，18岁的莎士比亚娶了比自己年长8岁的女子安妮・哈瑟维。夫妻俩生下了3个孩子，其中一个儿子取名哈姆内特。很多人认为戏剧《哈姆雷特》中哈姆雷特的名字正源于此。他的第一个孩子――苏珊娜在婚礼后仅5个月就出生了，这种事情在当时很容易引起非议。
莎士比亚不仅是一位剧作家，还是一名演员。他是张伯伦勋爵剧团（后来叫国王剧团）的成员。到了1598年，剧团需要建立自己的剧院。他们自己掏钱兴建了环球剧场（1599年完工）。由于票房好，他们的投资获得了不错的经济回报。环球剧院不单吸引上流阶层，社会底层人士同样被它吸引， 莎士比亚从此声名鹊起。
莎士比亚之谜
――行踪成谜的岁月
有那么两段明显的时期，关于莎士比亚的文件记载极少甚至完全缺失。这些时期被称为“行踪成谜的岁月”。第一段缺失时期从1578年到1582年莎士比亚结婚；第二段时期则从1582年一直到1592年。有人说在这些行踪成谜的年月里，莎士比亚可能涉足各种各样的职业，包括教师或法务，又或者协助其父亲打理皮革加工贸易的家族生意。另一些人则认为莎士比亚利用这些时间进行广泛研究、旅行，并奠定自己在戏剧行业的剧作家地位。
临终遗嘱
莎士比亚于1616年去世，终年52岁。他在有生之年积累了大量财产，名下也有充足的金钱。根据遗嘱，他把大部分财产留给了长女苏珊娜以及国王剧团的几名演员。值得注意的是，在4月23日（这个日期是有根据的推测，因为我们只有他两天后的葬礼记录）去世之前，他将“第二好的床”留给了妻子，也就是说她得到了两人的婚床。一般来说，最好的床要留给家中客人 使用。
虽然有关莎士比亚的资料很有限，时至今日，他依然是历史上最著名的剧作家之一。
注1：“bard”意为抒情诗人，而“the Bard”特指莎士比亚。
2：后人对于莎士比亚特意提到把床留给其妻子一直有各种议论，比较有代表性的看法认为这是莎 士比亚对妻子不忠行为的一种讽刺。也有人认为“第二好的床”是结婚时候用的床，表达了莎士 比亚对妻子的爱。不过因为关于莎士比亚的资料太少，所以这些都只是猜测而已。
