亨利四世：第一部分

       当初BBC放出两分钟的preview clip时，tumblr的fandom简直要疯了。大概全世界只有J叔敢说: your cheekbone does not scare me! 看完整个两小时,我真心觉得这场戏是我最喜欢的，不仅因为our cheekbone got slammed,更是因为它是全电影里演技的最好的scene，没有之一。
    首先莎翁的文字挑战了我的耐心，自尊心，做为脑残粉的诚心，一切生不如死心！而且我还是很有自知之明地读the royal Shakespeare company出的版本 ，整个stage production从舞台设计到化妆都写得清清楚楚，每一句被删减修改的对白还被斜体了的版本！
    Act III Scene II在原著里只有henry iv和hal两人，电影里henry iv特别指明让三个小王子留下，看着哥哥受罚。细节虽小，却让henry iv作为父亲的权威更加突出，让hal的羞辱感更加强烈。
    好了，重点是演技。J叔叔的演技真是太好了！我喜欢他这么久都没看过他演莎士比亚，真不知道自己怎么称是他的影迷的！上一集小本演得很好，我觉得很重要的原因就是他的声音:unsympathetically cold and eccentrically crazy. Richard II从头到尾都很神经质，所以小本演起来只要保持一致就好。但是叔叔在这里情感和声音都是波涛汹涌，跌宕起伏~
       简单解剖一下就是，爸爸很生气，先是批评，自己觉得不过瘾，丢丢帽子，挖苦讽刺下儿子，说着说着真激动了，带着哭腔地坦白，其实我也可想多见儿子了。就是这一句话，save mine, which now doth that I would not have it do, make blind itself with foolish tenderness.爸爸几声大吸气，本来还手叉腰很powerful的样子瞬间捂脸抱头不知如何爱儿子。莎翁哪会写这么复杂这么人性的细节，爸爸真是太伟大了~【撒花
    再说our cheekbone， 用网球geek tom的术语说，跟J叔叔这样的爸爸演对手戏绝对raise his own bar。这场戏儿子在听爸爸训诫时，除了给他脸部镜头，他是没几句话的，靠的都是临场反应。爸爸说我站姿不端正，丢我帽子，我也就是可怜巴巴地看一眼帽子，心里小小抗议一下，继续我傲娇无所谓的表情，然后爸爸一番长篇大论，我目不转睛，他怎么转我怎么看。爸爸眼泪都要出来了，我眉毛挑挑好心疼啊。抛开our cheekbone got slammed，书上写得很明白（电影开头也有讲），hal玩世不恭是为了以后让大家对他刮目相看，整个scene到这一点，hal的脸上都写着“我就知道被爸爸请喝茶会是这样的结果”，但是之后体力不支的爸爸开始绝望王位不保：wherefore do I tell these news to thee? hal有三秒中脸部镜头，表情过渡从发慌着急到表决心保护爸爸，很自然令人信服~【真是好儿子，撒花

太喜欢这段独白.试着翻了一个.
参考了好几个其他版本的翻译也不知翻得有没有错.剧中抖森走在小巷里,配乐加上声音,太感人了.

I know you all, and will awhile uphold the unyoked humour of your idleness. Yet herein will I imitate the sun who doth permit the base contagious clouds to smother up his beauty from the world, that when he please again to be himself, being wanted, he may be more wondered at, by breaking through the foul and ugly mists of vapours that did seem to strangle him.

If all the year were playing holidays to sports would be as tedious as to work. But when they seldom come, they wished for come, and nothing pleaseth but rare accidents. So, when this loose behaviour I throw off and pay the debt I never promised, by how much better than my word I am, by so much shall I falsify men's hopes. And like bright metal on a sullen ground, my reformation, glittering o'er my fault, shall show more goodly and attract more eyes than that which hath no foil to se it off.

I'll so offend ,to make offence a skill, redeeming time when men think least I will.

我把你们这些人都看透了，我会暂时容忍你们这种浅薄无趣的幽默。

我会效仿太阳，它可以容忍蔓延的乌云遮蔽它洒向世间的光辉，
但当他想要再次显现真实的自己时，它会冲破那些令它窒息的污浊的雾霾，
使人们感受到对它前所未有的需要，从而对它发出由衷的赞叹。

如果终年在游戏中度过，那游戏也会变得像工作一般令人生厌。

世间的事情都是这样，
唯有偶尔为之，才会使人感到饱经等待的惬意，
唯有不期而遇，才会使人感到发自内心的惊喜。

所以，当我抛弃了这些放荡的行为，
我会担起那些本该由我承担的，我从未承诺过要担起的重担，
向人们证明我并不像我平日表现出的那般荒唐，
我的作为会远远超出他们对我的期望。

像是了无生气的大地上发出耀眼光芒的金属，
我的洗心革面，会被以往的错误衬托得格外令人动容，
使我显得比那些从未沉沦过的人更加卓越。

我把肆意妄为当做我的手段，
当所有人都对我绝望了的时候，
我会让他们看到力挽狂澜，洗心革面的我。

「I know you all and will awhile uphold the unyoked humour of your idleness. Yet herein will I imitate the sun, who doth permit the base contagious clouds to smother up his beauty from the world, that, when he please again to be himself, being wanted, he may be more wondered at, by breaking through the foul and ugly mists of vapours that did seem to strangle him. If all the year were playing holidays, to sport would be as tedious as to work. But when they seldom come, they wished for come, and nothing pleaseth but rare accidents. So, when this loose behaviour I throw off and pay the debt I never promised, by how much better than my word I am, by so much shall I falsify men's hopes. And like bright metal on a sullen ground, my reformation, glittering o'er my fault, shall show more goodly and attract more eyes than that which hath no foil to set it off. I'll so offend, to make offence a skill, redeeming time when men think least I will.」



「What need I be so forward with him that calls not on me? Well, 'tis no matter, honour pricks me on. Yea, but how if honour prick me off when I come on? How then? Can honour set to a leg? No. Or an arm? No. Or take away the grief of a wound? No. Honour hath no skill in surgery, then? No What is honour? A word. What is in that word honour? What is that honour? Air. A trim reckoning. Who hath it? He that died a'Wednesday. Doth he feel it? No. Doth he hear it? No. 'Tis insensible, then. Yea, to the dead. But will it not live with the living? No. Why? Detraction will not suffer it. Therefore I'll none of it. Honour is a mere scutcheon. And so ends my catechism.」



「Brave Percy. Fare thee well, great heart. Ill-weaved ambition, how much art thou shrunk. When that this body did contain a spirit a kingdom for it was too small a bound, and now, two paces of the vilest earth is room enough. Adieu.」

On the year of 2008, Olympic Game has been hold by England. For the sake of spreading England unique culture, which will also be beneficial to cross-cultural communication, BBC TV station has directed a series of film called Hollow Crown, which are some adapted works from Shakespeare’s history plays including RichardⅡ, HenryⅣ and HenryⅤ. To be honest, Henry Ⅳ is one of the greatest films I have ever watched.
Henry IV is a story about a king who stole the crown from his cousin, and is tormented by his guilt. Also, it's growing story about his son, a feckless young prince, who is always exposed to some blackguardly ruffians. However, when he suddenly is conscious of his father’s weighty responsibility and his massive burden, the prince, who seems to be cynicism, is forced to grow up and face his destiny. Then, on succeeding to the throne, the new young king takes his country to war, realizing he must assume his responsibility to strengthen national defense and fight against invaders. Eventually he becomes the greatest warrior king in English history.
In deep meaning, it's also an adventurous story of people facing an uncertain future, and of a country searching for a new sense of patriotic identity.
In this film, what deeply impresses me most is not father and son, but friendship and betrayal. In fact, this movie does not put emphasis on the relationship between HenryⅣ and his son HenryⅣ,but do stand out what happens between the young prince Hal and his so-called loyal friend Jack Falstaff. To some extend, the friendship and betrayal is the most dramatic aspect, running through the whole movie.
Jack Falstaff, as the leader of some ruffians, is almost paternal relationship with Hal, the young prince. Generally speaking, Falstaff is too much of a pretty crook, who is a congenital liar, congenital drunk as well as thief. However, Falstaff sets his affection on Hal, and the emotion shed by his eye really convince audiences that they own true friendship, conveying a message that even he is a ragtag, the prince still cherish their relationship.
However, that is totally wrong. Why Shakespeare is a most renowned writer, because everything that is Shakespearean is ambiguous. And in the most ambiguous but dramatically important scenes, Hal's split loyalties between Falstaff and his father of are central to both plays.①
Falstaff brings out the wayward and irresponsible side of Hal. However, the other side of the young prince's personality lies in this prince’s inherent essence. Although Hal seems like a terrible shit and he does some dreadful things, but in his inner world, he is a very upright person, he is also an ambitious and sophisticated politician.
I know you all, and will awhile uphold the unyoked humor of your idleness.
Yet herein will I imitate the sun, who doth permit the base contagious clouds to smother up his beauty from the world.
That, when he please again be himself, being wanted, he may be more wondered at, by breaking through the foul and ugly mists of vapours that did seem to strangle him.③
The words from Hal’s mouth show his ambition, appearing in the beginning of the film, give us a warning.
So how could the writer, Shakespeare copes with this difficult problem? Why Shakespeare is being Shakespeare, because he solves it through a play within a play.
Prof.Jonathan Bate(Worcester College Oxford) claims that:
This fantastic scene, to my mind. Come on, I'll say it the greatest scene Shakespeare ever wrote.
This fantastic scene where they act out Prince Hal returning to court, being interviewed by his father.
It's an amazing piece of theatre, where you have Falstaff and Hal playing the parts of King Henry IV and Hal.②
In this play within play, Hal and Falstaff have an interesting pub game, they need to play the parts of King Henry IV and Hal, imitating a conversation between father and son.
As first, Falstaff play the role of Hal’s father, the present king, in the course of communication, Falstaff doesn't tell Hal to pull his royal socks up. Rather, he instructs the young prince to spend more time with a splendid fellow called Falstaff. Falstaff regards that he is a loyal and true friend around Hal. And sometimes, indeed, he is, at least many audience thinks so, including me.
Then, they change the position, Hal do an impression of his father, and Falstaff plays him. At the beginning, Hal pretends to be his father, being angry to interrogate his son, Falstaff, why he would play with a local ruffian. Later, Hal's perspective begins to change. He claims that his son Hal must banish his fat friend, Falstaff.
Then Falstaff say the most impressive words from his bottom of heart:
Banish plump Jack, and banish all the world.③
The emotion from their eye contacts reveals that they are all touched by these sincere sentences. Especially Hal, he moves to tears, totally smothering his tears from his eyes.
However, the Hal say these words:
I do.③
Again, he supplies another sentences:
I will.③
That is really strange.
When Hal says “I do.”, he is within the context of the play within the play, as the acting the part, in his father’s tone. But then, in that instant pause, and the shift of the verb tense “I will” disclosures that he is speaking not within the play within the play, but as himself.
He is giving Falstaff warning that the moment will come, when he becomes a real king, he need to banish Falstaff.
What happens to Hal, why he needs to say these serious words?
It is believed that if you know the play well, if you love the play and the adapted movie, you cannot watch it with a dry eye.
So at the end of that game, there is a chilling premonition, and that what appears in the ending of this movie.
Gold save the king.③
With these cheerful sentences, Hal is crowned in Westminster Abbey, and eventually becomes the king. Then in the parade, Falstaff deliberately happens to meet his heart, Hal. Falstaff want to claim kinship and let the king give him some advantages. However, the king changes his voice, he is strict with this fat man, saying the follow sentence:
My lord Chief Justice, speak to that vain man
I know thee not, old man. Fall to thy prayers. How ill white hairs become a fool and jester.
I have long dreamed of such a kind of man so surfeit-swelled, so old and so profane. But, being awake, I do despise my dream.
Make less thy body hence and more thy grace, leave gormandizing.
Know the grave doth gape for thee thrice wider than for other men. Reply not to me with a fool-born jest!
Presume not that I am the thing I was.
For God doth know, so shall the world perceive, that I have turned away my former self. So will I those that kept me company When thou dost hear I am as I have been, approach me and thou shalt be as thou wast, the tutor and the feeder of my riots.
Till then I banish thee, on pain of death
As I have done the rest of my misleaders, not to come near our person by ten mile. For competence of live I will allow you, the lack of means enforce you not to evil.
And, as we hear you do reform yourselves, we will, according to your strengths and qualities, give you advancement.④
That’s a very long monologue, but when Hal says these words. It is really powerful and awful. Does he totally forget the time Falstaff around him, like his father to care of him? Does he never remember the happy ages he enjoy his youth, not worrying his duty to take charge of a country?
So why he does that?
Hal is not to do this having a mater plan, he just has an idea of how he wants his life to go, he is aware of his responsibility, who knows the fun will have to end one day.
Therefore, both these acts speak volumes. Hal gets rid of formal himself,
And I think that is the most dramatic aspect of the whole movie. Making you so convincing that Falstaff and Hal is a pair of close friend, but the end reveals that they break down their relationship in this way. So amazing, is not it?
 But the ending has its own premonition and reliable explanation. The most ambiguous part seems not so ambiguous, thanks to our greatest writer, Shakespeare.
Like the so-called “O. Henry-style ending”, disclosure when the movie ends the people of the psychological situation changes unexpectedly, or the fate of the hero suddenly reversed, giving audiences an unexpected result, but also be associated with real life, resulting in a unique artistic charm.


Reference:
①,② From: BBC Documentary: Shakespeare Uncovered_Jeremy Irons on the Henrys.
③ From: The movie: Henry IV
④ From: The Book: Henry IV