九）英雄的悲剧伏笔
《科利奥兰纳斯》（Coriolanus）是莎士比亚以罗马史为题材写的最后一部悲剧，是他十部悲剧中倒数第二部。这部作品的影响力远不如《哈姆雷特》、《奥赛罗》、《李尔王》和《麦克白斯》等四大悲剧，文学评论家们也褒贬不一，有的说该剧缺乏深度和诗意，有的却认为该剧无论情节的复杂性还是人物性格的丰满度都超过了《哈姆雷特》。
《科利奥兰纳斯》第四幕第六场，几位政客有一场对话，现将部分台词翻译如下：
米尼涅斯：
（对考密涅斯说）：“请你告诉我吧，什么消息？ - （对保民官说）拜托，你们干的好事 - 说吧，有什么消息。假如马歇斯和伏尔斯人联合起来 —”
（MENENIUS.
Pray now, your news?--
You have made fair work, I fear me.--Pray, your news.
If Marcius should be join'd wi' the Volscians,-- ）
考密涅斯：
“假如！
他就是他们的神：他就像造化以外的其他神灵创造出的一个超级男儿，领导着他们，他们跟随着他来攻打我们这些小子，就像男孩们追捕夏天的蝴蝶、屠夫们杀戮苍蝇那样有把握。”
（COMINIUS.
If!
He is their god: he leads them like a thing
Made by some other deity than nature,
That shapes man better; and they follow him,
Against us brats, with no less confidence
Than boys pursuing summer butterflies,
Or butchers killing flies.）
米尼涅斯：
“你们干的好事，你们和你们那些穿围裙的家伙！你们代表那些嘴里呼出大蒜气味的阶层发声！”
（MENENIUS.
You have made good work,
You and your apron men; you that stood so much
Upon the voice of occupation and
The breath of garlic-eaters!）
考密涅斯：
“他会他妈的将你们的罗马夷为平地。”
（COMINIUS. He'll shake
Your Rome about your ears.）
（注: shake your ears是莎翁自创的一句脏话，曾出现在《第十二夜》，相当于"Go F*** Yourself"（他妈的））
米尼涅斯：
“就像大力神赫拉克勒斯摇落烂熟的果子一样 – 你们干的好事！”
（MENENIUS.
As Hercules
Did shake down mellow fruit.--You have made fair work!）
布鲁托斯：
“大人，这是真的吗？”
（BRUTUS.
But is this true, sir?）
考密涅斯：
“哎，这还会有假，你们的脸色都吓白了。各个属地都积极响应暴动，那些试图抵抗的都被嘲笑为勇敢的愚夫，像傻瓜一样自取灭亡。有谁能责怪他呢？你们的敌人和他的敌人都晓得他的厉害。”
（COMINIUS.
Ay; and you'll look pale
Before you find it other. All the regions
Do smilingly revolt; and who resists
Are mock'd for valiant ignorance,
And perish constant fools. Who is't can blame him?
Your enemies and his find something in him.）
米尼涅斯：
“我们全都完了，除非这位英雄大发慈悲。”
（MENENIUS.
We are all undone unless
The noble man have mercy.）
考密涅斯：
“谁去求他开恩呢？可耻的保民官做不到，人民不值得他的怜悯，就像狼不值得牧羊人的怜悯一样。至于他最要好的朋友们，如果他们说‘对罗马行行好吧’，那么他们就和他所憎恨的人一鼻孔出气，因此也就是他的敌人了。”
（COMINIUS.
Who shall ask it?
The tribunes cannot do't for shame; the people
Deserve such pity of him as the wolf
Does of the shepherds: for his best friends, if they
Should say 'Be good to Rome,' they charg'd him even
As those should do that had deserv'd his hate,
And therein show'd like enemies.）
米尼涅斯
“确实如此。如果他放火烧我的家，我也没有脸对他说‘请您住手’。 - 你们干的好事，你们和你们的那些诡计！你们得逞了！”
（MENENIUS.
'Tis true:
If he were putting to my house the brand
That should consume it, I have not the face
To say 'Beseech you, cease.'--You have made fair hands,
You and your crafts! You have crafted fair!）
考密涅斯：
“你们使罗马战栗，就像一种谁也无法阻止的恐怖。”
（COMINIUS.
You have brought
A trembling upon Rome, such as was never
So incapable of help.）
两位保民官（西西涅斯，布鲁托斯）：
“不要说这是我们引起的。”
（BOTH TRIBUNES.
Say not, we brought it.）
为了充分理解剧情，我先说说古罗马的保民官(tribune)制度。这个维护平民利益的特殊官职产生于公元前5世纪初，保民官从平民会议中选出，最初为2人，后来增加到10人。保民官人身不受侵犯，享有一种特殊权利 -- 否决权。保民官其权力之大甚至可以否决罗马元老院的决议。除独裁官外，对其他任何高级长官的决定，只要违背平民利益，均有权予以否决。但其权力只限于罗马的城区和近郊。
第四幕第六场，当贵族政治家米尼涅斯获悉大英雄科利奥兰纳斯与伏尔斯人联合起来攻打罗马时，斥责两位保民官，说他们“代表那些嘴里呼出大蒜气味的阶层发声 ”。正是在这两位保民官的鼓动下，战功彪炳的科利奥兰纳斯被民众逐出罗马城。复仇心切的他投靠了罗马人的死敌伏尔斯人，率领伏尔斯军队攻打罗马。米尼涅斯用“呼出大蒜气味”来表示对平民的蔑视。因为古罗马贵族是忌讳吃大蒜的，只有体力劳动者才将大蒜作为主要食物之一。
这段对话也反映了古罗马政坛的波诡云谲。这场戏的开篇，某些政坛人物大谈特谈罗马城在科利奥兰纳斯离开后的积极变化，忽然听到大英雄与伏尔斯人结盟反攻罗马，政客们个个吓得面如土色，赶紧承认他们犯了一个致命的错误 – 他们不该赶走科利奥兰纳斯。就连平时口齿伶俐、八面玲珑的老政客米尼涅斯也分寸大失，破口大骂保民官。在权利、意志和强敌面前，道德和名誉根本不值一提 — 大多数政客都是这样一幅流氓嘴脸。
科利奥兰纳斯到底是怎样的一位大英雄呢？他出生于罗马的一个贵族家庭，关于他的卓著功勋大多出自剧中的其他角色之口。最有代表性的陈述出现在第二幕第二场，科利奥兰纳斯的上司考密涅斯（Cominius）在元老们面前坦言：“我的声音太微弱了，科利奥兰纳斯的功绩是不应该被轻声叙述的。众所周知，勇敢是最大的美德，拥有它的人是最有尊严的。如果此话当真，我所说的这一个人，世上无人与之抗衡。当塔昆举兵进攻罗马时，十六岁的他展现出过人的神勇。我们那时的令人敬仰的独裁官亲眼目睹了这些：下巴光滑无须的他骑马追着有须的大汉，跨过一个被压倒在地上的罗马人的身体，杀死了三个敌人。他亲自与塔昆交手，打到对方屈膝。在那一天的战斗中，他本可以做一个怯弱的妇人，但他证明了自己是战场上最好的勇士，他的额头被加上了橡叶荣冠。这样，他从一个新入行伍的少年兵变成一个男子汉，像涨潮的海水一样势不可挡，他在十七次战争中身先士卒，赢得了荣冠。最近这一次在科利奥里城前和城中的鏖战，我可以说，我是无法用言词来赞美他的；他阻止了逃兵，以他惊人的榜样，使这些懦夫将心中的恐惧化成了力量。就像在一艘疾驰的船只面前挡道的水草一样，人们不是降服就是倒下，他的剑光所到之处都是死亡的迹象，他从头到脚浑身是血，他的一举一动都伴随着垂死的哀号。他一个人闯进了笼罩在死亡阴影下的城门，用敌人不可避免的命运之血染红了它。然后他又单枪折回，带着一支增援军，像一颗行星似地突然攻击科利奥里。然后他攻下了整座城池，过了一会儿，战争的喧嚣又开始刺激他敏锐的感觉，他疲惫不堪的身子恢复了双倍的活力。他又再上战场，东奔西突，杀人如麻，好像这是一场无休止的掠夺一样。在我们把城市和郊区全部占领之前，他从未停下来喘息。”
（COMINIUS
I shall lack voice: the deeds of Coriolanus
Should not be utter’d feebly. It is held
That valour is the chiefest virtue, and
Most dignifies the haver: if it be,
The man I speak of cannot in the world
Be singly counterpoised. At sixteen years,
When Tarquin made a head for Rome, he fought
Beyond the mark of others: our then dictator,
Whom with all praise I point at, saw him fight,
When with his Amazonian chin he drove
The bristled lips before him: be bestrid
An o’er-press’d Roman and i’ the consul’s view
Slew three opposers: Tarquin’s self he met,
And struck him on his knee: in that day’s feats,
When he might act the woman in the scene,
He proved best man i’ the field, and for his meed
Was brow-bound with the oak. His pupil age
Man-enter’d thus, he waxed like a sea,
And in the brunt of seventeen battles since
He lurch’d all swords of the garland. For this last,
Before and in Corioli, let me say,
I cannot speak him home: he stopp’d the fliers;
And by his rare example made the coward
Turn terror into sport: as weeds before
A vessel under sail, so men obey’d
And fell below his stem: his sword, death’s stamp,
Where it did mark, it took; from face to foot
He was a thing of blood, whose every motion
Was timed with dying cries: alone he enter’d
The mortal gate of the city, which he painted
With shunless destiny; aidless came off,
And with a sudden reinforcement struck
Corioli like a planet: now all’s his:
When, by and by, the din of war gan pierce
His ready sense; then straight his doubled spirit
Re-quicken’d what in flesh was fatigate,
And to the battle came he; where he did
Run reeking o’er the lives of men, as if ’Twere
a perpetual spoil: and till we call’d
Both field and city ours, he never stood
To ease his breast with panting.）
（注：dictator,独裁官，古罗马共和国时期非常任长官。当国家处于紧急状态时，经元老院提名，由执政官担任，独裁官手中的权力超越并且凌驾于一切之上，这一切包括行政、军事、立法、司法、文教等一切大权。
Amazonian：希腊传说中的亚马逊族，该种族全部由女性组成，武艺高强。Amazonian chin: 用来形容少年光滑无须的下巴）
尽管武功神勇，科利奥兰纳斯却有致命的弱点：他是政坛上的低能儿，脾气暴躁说话粗鲁，对穷人的疾苦视而不见，而且缺乏应对危机的政治手腕。下文举几个例子：
第一幕第一场，饥荒引燃了罗马平民与贵族的不和，平民们怀疑贵族屯粮据为己有，在大街上起事反对贵族，市民甲的两段话反映了尖锐的阶级矛盾，他说：“我们都是穷苦百姓，贵族们才是好市民。他们多余的东西就可以救济我们。他们只要把吃剩的东西趁着新鲜的时候赏给我们，我们就认为他们是出于人道之心救济了我们。但是他们认为即使这样也是要求太多，我们饥肠辘辘，痛苦不堪，就是用来衡量他们丰衣足食的标准。我们的苦难就是他们的收获。在我们骨瘦如柴之前，让我们举起我们的长矛来复仇吧。天神知道我说这样的话是因为没有面包吃而饥饿，而不是渴望复仇。”
（FIRST CITIZEN
We are accounted poor citizens, the patricians good. What authority surfeits on would relieve us: if they would yield us but the superfluity, while it were wholesome, we might guess they relieved us humanely; but they think we are too dear: the leanness that afflicts us, the object of our misery, is as an inventory to particularise their abundance; our sufferance is a gain to them. Let us revenge this with our pikes, ere we become rakes: for the gods know I speak this in hunger for bread, not in thirst for revenge. ）
他还说：“爱护我们！真的，确实是这样！他们从来没有爱护过我们：让我们忍饥挨饿，他们的仓库里却塞满了谷物。颁布有关高利贷的法令，以保护放高利贷者。每天废除那些不利于富人的正当的法律，制定更多的严苛的条规来约束穷人。如果战争没有杀死我们，他们会杀死我们。这就是他们对我们的爱护！”
（FIRST CITIZEN
Care for us! True, indeed! They ne’er cared for us
yet: suffer us to famish, and their store-houses
crammed with grain; make edicts for usury, to
support usurers; repeal daily any wholesome act
established against the rich, and provide more
piercing statutes daily, to chain up and restrain
the poor. If the wars eat us not up, they will; and
there’s all the love they bear us.）
民众特别憎恨傲慢的卡厄斯·马歇斯（Caius Martius，科利奥兰纳斯受封前的真名），因为他从不掩饰自己对下层阶级的蔑视。现摘录并翻译第一幕第一场的几段台词：
马歇斯：
“谢谢。有什么事，你们这些爱滋事的流氓，给自己的意见挠痒痒，使你们自己变成了可怜的疮痂？”
（MARTIUS
Thanks. What’s the matter, you dissentious rogues,
That, rubbing the poor itch of your opinion,
Make yourselves scabs?）
市民甲：
“您一向对我们客气说话。”
（FIRST CITIZEN
We have ever your good word.）
马歇斯：
“谁要是和你们客气说话，就是下作的恭维了。你们想要什么，你们这些野狗？你们既不喜欢和平，也不喜欢战争，战争使你们害怕，和平又使你们自以为是。信任你们的人，原本以为你们是狮子，却发现你们只不过是一群野兔。原本以为你们是狐狸，却发现你们是一群鹅。你们就像冰上燃烧的炭火、阳光下的冰雹一样不可靠。你们的美德就是尊敬那些应受惩罚的罪人，诅咒那执行正义的刑官。功勋卓著的人得到的你们的憎恨，你们的情意就像一个病人的口味，最想要那些会增加他的邪恶的食物。谁依靠着你们的欢心，就等于用铅制的鳍游泳，用灯心草去砍伐橡树。你们应该被绞死！相信你们？你们每一分钟都会改变心意，你们把从前恨过的人称为贵族，把从前赞扬过的人称为卑鄙之徒。这到底是怎么一回事？你们在城中几处地方鼓噪，攻击尊贵的元老院，他们依靠神明让你们心生敬畏，否则你们就彼此相食了。他们追求的是什么？”
（MARTIUS
He that will give good words to thee will flatter
Beneath abhorring. What would you have, you curs,
That like nor peace nor war? the one affrights you,
The other makes you proud. He that trusts to you,
Where he should find you lions, finds you hares;
Where foxes, geese: you are no surer, no,
Than is the coal of fire upon the ice,
Or hailstone in the sun. Your virtue is
To make him worthy whose offence subdues him
And curse that justice did it.
Who deserves greatness
Deserves your hate; and your affections are
A sick man’s appetite, who desires most that
Which would increase his evil. He that depends
Upon your favours swims with fins of lead
And hews down oaks with rushes. Hang ye! Trust Ye?
With every minute you do change a mind,
And call him noble that was now your hate,
Him vile that was your garland. What’s the matter,
That in these several places of the city
You cry against the noble senate, who,
Under the gods, keep you in awe, which else
Would feed on one another? What’s their seeking?）
他用“流氓”（rogues）、“疮痂”（scabs）、“野狗”(curs)、“野兔”(hares)、“鹅”(geese)等字眼来辱骂平民。
当他听到信使来报“伏尔斯人起兵了”（the Volsces are in arms），竟然高兴地说：“我对此感到高兴，我们终于有方法发泄我们多余出来的腐朽物了。” “伏尔斯人有许多谷；带这些耗子去啃他们的粮仓。”
（ I am glad on ‘t: then we shall ha’ means to vent
Our musty superfluity.
…… The Volsces have much corn; take these rats thither
To gnaw their garners.）
（注：当欧洲人说corn时，指的是某种谷物或谷类作物的统称，包括小麦wheat、大麦barley、小米millet、高粱sorghum、燕麦oats和黑麦rye等。这些都是古罗马人耕种过的谷类作物。美国人说“corn”时，通常指甜玉米weetcorn，又称玉米maize）
在他看来，解决饥荒的最好方法，就是送平民去打仗以削减贫苦人口的数量。他用“多余出来的腐朽物”（musty superfluity）和“耗子”（rats）来形容平民。
尽管马歇斯曾参与了推翻罗马王国的军事行动，但他显然不适应罗马共和国实行的三权分立制度，满脑子的旧王朝观念。他认为应该剥夺平民的权利，在他的眼里，平民开口向贵族要粮食吃是一种大逆不道的行为。他说：“他们已经解散了，把他们绞死！他们说他们肚子饿，叹息出一些俗语：什么饥饿摧毁石墙，狗也要吃东西，肉是为了满足口腹之欲的，天神不是单为富人赠麦子的。他们用这些粗俗低级的言辞来发泄心中的不满，他们的请愿竟然得到了准许 – 一个很奇怪的请愿，打碎了贵族们的慷慨之心，使得权威黯然失色 – 他们抛掷他们的帽子高声欢呼，好像要把帽子挂到月亮的弯钩上。”
（MARTIUS
They are dissolved: hang ’em!
They said they were an-hungry; sigh’d forth proverbs,
That hunger broke stone walls, that dogs must eat,
That meat was made for mouths, that the gods sent not
Corn for the rich men only: with these shreds
They vented their complainings; which being answer’d,
And a petition granted them, a strange one—
To break the heart of generosity,
And make bold power look pale—they threw their caps
As they would hang them on the horns o’ the moon,
Shouting their emulation.）
他在政治上的幼稚无知和侮慢的态度得罪了平民，为他今后的人生悲剧埋下了伏笔。
