Whispered in the dark, this question begins a tale of conspiracy, deception, and moral ambiguity.

在黑暗中的輕聲疑問，揭開了關於陰謀、 欺騙和道德模糊地帶的故事。

And in a play where everyone has something to hide, its answer is far from simple.

而對於每個角色都有所隱瞞的一齣劇來說，這問題的答案一點也不簡單。

Written by William Shakespeare between 1599 and 1601, "Hamlet" depicts its titular character haunted by the past, but immobilized by the future.

莎士比亞在 1599 至 1601 年撰寫的《哈姆雷特》，描述了與書同名主角擺脫不了過去的糾纏，又被未來綑綁得動彈不得。

Mere months after the sudden death of his father, Hamlet returns from school, a stranger to his own home,

在父親驟逝後僅僅數月，哈姆雷特自校返家， 在自己家中卻儼然像個陌生人，

and deeply unsure of what might be lurking in the shadows.

也極不確定是什麼潛伏在陰影中。

But his brooding takes a turn when he's visited by a ghost that bears his father's face.

但他的擔憂在一個有著他父親面容的鬼魂造訪他後，出現了轉折。

The phantom claims to be the victim of a "murder most foul," and convinces Hamlet that his uncle Claudius usurped the throne and stole queen Gertrude's heart.

幽靈宣稱是一起「卑劣謀殺」的受害者，並說服哈姆雷特相信他的叔父克勞迪篡奪了王位﹑偷走了皇后葛簇特的心。

The prince's mourning turns to rage, and he begins to plot his revenge on the new king and his court of conspirators.

王子的哀悼轉為怒火，並開始策劃向新國王以及他的共謀廷臣們復仇。

The play is an odd sort of tragedy, lacking either the abrupt brutality or all-consuming romance that characterize Shakespeare's other work in the genre.

這是一齣另類的悲劇，缺乏了莎士比亞此類作品中常見的突發暴行或無盡浪漫。

Instead, it plumbs the depths of its protagonist's indecisiveness and the tragic consequences thereof.

反之，它深入探究主角的優柔寡斷以及因此造成的悲慘後果。

The ghost's revelation draws Hamlet into multiple dilemmas—what should he do, who can he trust, and what role might he play in the course of justice?

鬼魂揭露的真相讓哈姆雷特陷入多重困境——該怎麼做、能相信誰，以及自己在伸張正義中可能扮演什麼角色？

These questions are complicated by a tangled web of characters, forcing Hamlet to negotiate friends, family, court counselors, and love interests, many of whom possess ulterior motives.

這些問題因為關係糾結的角色而更趨複雜，迫使哈姆雷特與朋友、家人、宮廷顧問以及愛人不停協商，而當中許多人都有著不可告人的動機。

The prince constantly delays and dithers over how to relate to others and how he should carry out revenge.

王子不斷推延和躊躇要如何與他人建立關係以及要如何復仇。

This can make Hamlet more than a little exasperating, but it also makes him one of the most human characters Shakespeare ever created.

這讓哈姆雷特令人極為惱怒，但也因此讓他成為莎士比亞筆下最具人性的角色之一。

Rather than rushing into things, Hamlet becomes consumed with the awful machinations of thinking itself.

與其匆忙行事，哈姆雷特反而被思想本身的可怕陰謀所吞噬。

And over the course of the play, his endless questions come to echo throughout our own racing minds.

而隨著劇情的演進，他無止境的問題也漸漸在我們思緒翻騰的腦海中迴盪。

To accomplish this, Shakespeare employs his most introspective language.

為了達到這個效果，莎士比亞運用了最具反思效果的語句。

From the usurping king's blazing contemplation of heaven and hell, to the prince's own cackling meditation on mortality, Shakespeare uses melancholic monologues to breathtaking effect.

從篡位國王對天堂和地獄的鮮明沉思，到王子本身對道德的生動冥想，莎士比亞運用了憂鬱獨白來製造讓人摒息的效果。

This is perhaps best exemplified in Hamlet's most famous declaration of angst.

哈姆雷特舉世聞名焦慮獨白，或許就是這種手法的最佳詮釋。

To be, or not to be, that is the question: Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or to take arms against a sea of troubles, and, by opposing, end them?

「生存或毀滅，這是值得深思的問題。哪一種行為比較高貴呢？默然忍受命運暴虐的毒箭，抑或挺身反抗世間無涯的苦難，奮力結束一切？」

This monologue personifies Hamlet's existential dilemma: being torn between thought and action, unable to choose between life and death.

這段獨白反應了哈姆雷特面對的困境：在想法和行動之間掙扎、面對生死無法抉擇。

But his endless questioning raises yet another anxiety:

但他無止境的提問造就了另一種不安：

Is Hamlet's madness part of a performance to confuse his enemies, or are we watching a character on the brink of insanity?

哈姆雷特的瘋狂，是為了困惑敵人的表演，還是我們正看著一個瀕臨崩潰的角色？

These questions weigh heavily on Hamlet's interactions with every character.

這些問題重壓在哈姆雷特和每位角色的互動上。

And since he spends much of the play facing inward, he often fails to see the destruction left in his wake.

正因為他在劇中多數時間都是面對著自己的內心，以致經常不能意識到自己造成的損害。

He's particularly cruel to Ophelia, his doomed love interest who is brought to madness by the prince's erratic behavior.

他對愛人歐菲莉亞尤其殘酷，她注定逃不過厄運， 因為他飄忽不定的行為而陷入瘋狂。

Her fate is one example of how tragedy could have been easily avoided, and shows the ripple effect of Hamlet's toxic mind games.

她的命運在在證明了，悲劇原可以很容易被避免，也顯示了哈姆雷特惡毒的心理遊戲所引起的連鎖反應。

Similar warning signs of tragedy are constantly overlooked throughout the play.

類似的悲劇徵兆在整齣劇中不斷地遭到忽視。

Sometimes, these oversights occur because of willful blindness, such as when Ophelia's father dismisses Hamlet's alarming actions as mere lovesickness.

這些失察有時是刻意忽視的後果，例如歐菲莉亞的父親將哈姆雷特令人擔憂的行為視為單純的相思病。

At other points, tragedy stems from deliberate duplicity, as when a case of mistaken identity leads to yet more bloodshed.

其他時候，悲劇源自刻意欺騙，像是一次的弄錯身分導致更多的殘殺。

These moments leave us with the uncomfortable knowledge that tragedy evolves from human error—

這些時刻都令我們不安，清楚知悉悲劇都是人為錯誤所致，

even if our mistake is to leave things undecided.

儘管我們犯的錯是「不做決定」。

For all these reasons, perhaps the one thing we never doubt is Hamlet's humanity.

基於這些理由，或許我們未曾質疑過的，只有哈姆雷特的人性。

But we must constantly grapple with who the "real" Hamlet might be.

但我們必須持續思辨，到底誰才是「真正的」哈姆雷特。

Is he a noble son avenging his father?

是為父親復仇的高尚兒子？

Or a mad prince creating courtly chaos?

還是在宮廷裡製造混亂的瘋狂王子？

Should he act or observe, doubt or trust?

他該採取行動還是持續觀察、該懷疑還是信任？

Who is he?

他是誰？

Why is he here?

他為什麼在這裡？

And who's out there, waiting in the dark?

那麼在黑暗中等待的，又是誰？

Here's a question for you: Do you prefer Shakespeare's comedies or his tragedies?

問你個問題：你比較喜歡莎士比亞的喜劇還是悲劇？

Register your vote by clicking one of these videos.

點選下列其中一部影片投票吧。