牛津書蟲系列威廉·莎士比亞 11 退隱的晚年

所屬教程:書蟲2級威廉·莎士比亞

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2016年01月06日

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　　11 The last years

　　Will did write another play，of course.That was Henry VIII and he wrote it because the King's daughter，Princess Elizabeth，was getting married.The King's Men had to have a new play for a special day like that.

　　We were in London for rehearsals at the Globe，and the actors put on the new play for the first time on the 29th of June，1613.I remember the date well.

　　It happened soon after the play began.Richard Burbage was on stage and he suddenly looked up and stopped in the middle of a word.

　　‘Fire!’he shouted.‘The theatre's on fire!’

　　Wooden buildings burn fast，and Henry Condell shouted，‘Everybody out!Quickly!’

　　The crowd of playgoers began to hurry to the doors，and I ran round to open them.We could all see the smoke now，and John Heminges shouted to Will，‘The playbooks!We must get the playbooks out!’

　　Everybody got out and no one was hurt.One man's coat caught fire and his friend put the fire out with a bottle of beer.But the Globe burnt right down to the ground in an hour.Poor old John Heminges just stood there and cried.

　　But you can't kill a theatre that easily.A year later there was a new blobe in the same place.Bigger and better than the old one.People said it was the finest playhouse in England.

　　We didn't often go to London in those last years.Will was happy at home in Stratford with his family.He had time for his garden，time to talk to his Stratford friends，time to play with hisgranddaughter Elizabeth.He read his plays again，and he and I talked and laughed about the old days.

　　Judith got married at last in February 1616.She was thirty-one then，and married a man called Thomas Quiney，who was twenty-six.Will wasn't too happy about it.

　　‘Judith loves him very much，’he said quietly to me.‘But I'm not sure about him.I think she's making a mistake.’

　　He was right，of course.Will was usually right about people.Thomas Quiney was lazy，drank too much，and went with other women.

　　But Will didn't live to find that out.In March he went to London for a party at theMermaid Tavern.Ben Jonson was now the play wright for the court of King James.The King was paying him some money every year，and Ben wanted to give a party for his friends.

　　It was a good party，I heard.But Will caught a fever and then rode home through the cold spring rain.When he got back to New Place，he was not a well man.

　　He died on the 23rd of April，in the year 1616.

　　They put his body in Holy Trinity Church，down by the river Avon.It was a bright，windy day，I remember.Ben Jonson came down from London，and cried in the church.He was a wild man，was Ben，always fighting and arguing about plays and poetry.But he loved his friend.He came up to me outside the church.

　　‘Toby，’he said.‘Will was a good，true man，and I loved him.We'll never see anotherpoet like him in England.’

　　11 退隱的晚年

　　威爾又編寫了一部戲劇《亨利八世》。此劇是為了慶祝國王之女伊麗莎白公主結婚大典而寫的。像這樣特殊的日子，“國王劇團”非得推出一部新劇本。

　　1613年6月29日，在倫敦的“環(huán)球劇院”，我們首次登臺預演這一新劇。這個日子我記得一清二楚。

　　演出開出不久，意外事故就發(fā)生了。理查·白貝芝正在臺上演出。突然，他抬起頭，臺詞說到一半。

　　“著火啦!”他大嚷起來，“劇院著火啦!”

　　木制的房子火勢蔓延很快，于是亨利·康德爾大叫著：“大家趕快出去!快出去!”

　　看戲的人群開始拼命向門口擠，我趕著打開所有大門疏散人群。這時我們都能看見煙霧彌漫，約翰·海明對威爾喊道，“那些劇本!我們必須把劇本搶出來!”

　　最后大家都安然無恙地脫險。有人衣服著了火，但他朋友用一瓶啤酒就給澆滅了。不過“環(huán)球劇院”一小時后全部燒毀，夷為平地?？蓱z的老約翰·海明只能站在那兒，頓足痛哭。

　　但是讓劇院就此消失并不是輕而易舉的事。一年后，在原地又蓋起一座新的“環(huán)球劇院”，比原來的更大更氣派。人們都說這是英國最好的一家劇院。

　　在威爾生前的最后幾年中，我們不常去倫敦。在斯特拉福鎮(zhèn)，他很高興和家人呆在一起。這樣一來，他就有時間搞搞園藝，和斯特拉福鎮(zhèn)的朋友聊天，和外孫女伊麗莎白玩耍。他還重讀他的劇本，而且與我一回憶起過去的歲月就談笑風生。

　　1616年2月，珠迪絲終于嫁給了一位名叫托馬斯·奎尼的男人，當時她31歲，丈夫26歲。威爾為此悶悶不樂。