論莎士比亞《馬克白》中人性之限制

Human Finiteness as Represented in William Shakespeare’s Macbeth

本論文旨在運用漢斯．吉歐格‧迦達瑪在＜＜真理與方法＞＞中就人理性的侷限之論述來詮釋莎士比亞劇作＜＜馬克白＞＞中所凸顯之人性之限制。本劇中馬克白與其夫人在奪取蘇格蘭王位前後心態之變化說明了人試圖掌握不可知之未來面臨之不安與失敗。

The purpose of this paper is to interpret Shakespeare’s Macbeth in terms of Hans-Georg Gadamer’s concept of human finiteness. In this paper, I first explicate Gadamer’s concept of human finiteness. Then, I start to point out the elements that lead to the tragedy of the protagonists. In this play, both Macbeth and his wife Lady Macbeth strive to fulfill their ambition to become king and queen of Scotland by their acts of murder but suffer a tragic end from their miscalculations and the ensuing load of guilt that burdens their conscience. Highlighting man’s essential limitations both in self-knowledge and dominating the future, this play indeed well illustrates Gadamer’s concept of human finiteness.