數世紀以來，《威尼斯商人》(The Merchant of Venice, 1596-1598)的批評總聚焦在「猶太人問題」(the Jewish question) 與「女人問題」(the woman question) 上：劇中放高利貸的夏洛 (Shylock) 體現了猶太人的原型，而富有、機智的波黠 (Portia) 則是強勢女性的代表。然而，這種閱讀方式將兩個問題分開處理，忽略了兩者在劇中密切的關聯，僅只以審判一景聯繫兩個角色所代表的問題。
本論文嘗試以「禮物交換」(gift exchange) 重新閱讀《威尼斯商人》。牟斯 (Marcel Mauss) 的著作《禮物》(The Gift, 1925) 初步定義原始社會中的交換行為與其涵意，奠定了禮物研究的基礎。禮物交換所建構的社會關係複雜多變，因此，除牟斯外，本論文亦援引佳寶 (Jacques T. Godbout) 與楊 (Iris Marion Young) 的理論，以期透視《威尼斯商人》中的角色在禮物交換之下的互動與劇情發展。
根據喜福特 (Alan D. Schrift) 所言，禮物描繪了「主體間的互動」(intersubjective interaction)。立基於此概念，並以上述等人的理論為架構，本論文由三個面向逐步探討《威尼斯商人》中基督男性的「自我」(self) 與猶太／女性「他者」(other) 間的禮物交換：（一）禮物交換的基礎；（二）禮物交換的聯繫與風險；（三）非對稱交換關係與重建關係。劇中安東尼 (Antonio) 與巴薩紐 (Bassanio) 的友情為禮物交換的基礎，進一步展現禮物特色，牽連／牽絆夏洛與波黠，發揮禮物效應，帶出多重「非對稱」(asymmetry) 的要素，終致重建四人的關係。 / For centuries, the Jewish question and the woman question have always been the salient concerns for criticisms of The Merchant of Venice (1596-1598): whereas Shylock the usurer embodies a Jewish archetype, Portia the clever heiress presents a powerful female figure. Nevertheless, treating the Jewish question and the woman question separately, this kind of reading ignores the close relationship between the two in the play, and connects them loosely only with the trial scene.
This thesis reads The Merchant of Venice in the perspective of gift exchange. Founding the studies of the gift, Marcel Mauss’s The Gift (1925) firstly defines the reciprocity and the significance of gift exchange in archaic societies. Since social relationship established by gift exchange is subject to change, this thesis also draws on Jacques T. Godbout’s and Iris Marion Young’s theories to probe into the interaction of characters and the movement of The Merchant of Venice.
According to Alan D. Schrift, the gift depicts “intersubjective interaction” (18). Based on this concept and structured with the above theories, the thesis examines gift exchange between the Christian male “self” and its Jewish/female other in The Merchant of Venice step by step in three dimensions: (1) the basis of gift exchange; (2) bond and risk in gift exchange; (3) asymmetrical reciprocity and reestablished relation. In the play, gift exchange brings its effect of bond and feature of asymmetry into full play. Grounded on the friendship between Antonio and Bassanio, gift exchange links/restrains Shylock and Portia, and reestablishes the characters’ relationships as a result.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:CHENGCHI/G0955510021 |
| Creators | 李筱釩, Lee, Hsiao Fen |
| Publisher | 國立政治大學 |
| Source Sets | National Chengchi University Libraries |
| Language | 英文 |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Rights | Copyright © nccu library on behalf of the copyright holders |
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