本論文旨在探討《哈姆雷特》與《羅密歐與茱麗葉》中武器與打鬥的功能與意義。武器與打鬥在兩劇中占有重要地位。劇中的君子，諸如哈姆雷特與羅密歐，不僅能言善道，更運用武器與打鬥做為解決爭端的手段。本論文分為五章：「緒論」首先說明武器與語言在兩劇中的交互遊戲。劇本中關於武器與打鬥的舞台指示雖然有限，學者與導演們對於打鬥場景的詮釋解讀卻因而呈現諸多風貌；另一方面，語言亦可視為一種虛擬武器。角色間一來一往的對話宛如鬥劍，其殺傷力訴諸於耳，直指人心。本章亦解釋將「版本學」做為研究立足點的必要性及「文本不穩定性」可能拓展的討論空間。論文第一章探索不同版本《哈姆雷特》中的打鬥如何影響並決定角色型塑。第二章討論在《羅密歐與茱麗葉》中語言如何再現或扭曲打鬥，並指出爭鬥僅能以武力解決，希冀以武力維持和平的宣稱本身即是暴力。第三章則將劇本與舞台視為戰場，不只劇中角色彼此競爭，莎劇亦成為學者們爭論的場域。「結論」概述全文重點所在，並以「交叉法」美學閱讀供讀者酌參。

This study seeks to explore some possible functions and meanings of weaponry and fighting in Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet. Weaponry and fighting play important roles in these two plays. The gentlemen in Shakespeare’s plays, such as Hamlet and Romeo, not only use language to argue, but also adopt weaponry and fighting to solve their quarrels. There are five chapters in the thesis. I begin my introductory chapter by first outlining the interplay of weaponry and language in the plays. Even though the information provided by Shakespeare’s stage directions for fighting is somewhat limitted, scholars and directors still have various interpretations and productions of the fight scenes. On the other hand, language can also be regarded as a virtual weapon. The fierce dialogues between characters are like swordplays, which thrust through the ear, into the innermost. I also explain the necessity of “Textual Criticism” and how “the instability of texts” may open up more room for discussion. Then I investigate how fight scenes in different texts of Hamlet influences and decides the characterization of the characters. The next chapter discusses how language represents or distorts fight scenes in Romeo and Juliet. The chapter also observes that quarrels can only be ended by fighting and any force claimed to keep the peace connotes violence in itself. The third chapter reads the plays and the stage as battlefields: not only do the characters compete with each other in the plays, but also Shakespeare’s plays have become fields for scholars to struggle within. The concluding chapter pinpoints the main ideas of this study and provides aesthetics of “chiasmus” for reference.

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