《冬天的故事》中之英國國教懺悔實踐與自我管理技術

Reformed Church Repentance and the Technique of Self-Governance in The Winter's Tale

學者對莎劇中所呈現的是舊教、喀爾文教、還是英國國教的懺罪實踐版本大有爭議，因此學者認為，既然互相牴觸的解讀都能在莎劇中找到佐證，表示莎劇對當時的宗教衝突與爭議十分關注。然本文的論點為，至少在《冬天的故事》一劇中，莎士比亞側重於對群體和睦的著墨，因為劇中主要呈現的，可能是英國國教所實踐的懺悔方式當中，一個特殊的、尚未被學者專門討論過的面向，也就是這種懺悔實踐如何可用來作為自我/治理的一種政治技術，以恢復社會安定和諧。本文認為，《冬天的故事》以戲劇的形式，來探究並細細考量，英國國教懺罪實踐作為一種自我治理技術中，所側重的種種要素，可能產生的政治效果。例如劇中暗指人臣或神諭給的忠告，事實上對政治秩序之重整，作用有限，然給予忠告者，暗中不聽君命所做的善行，對君主與其所冒犯之人的和解，大有幫助。該劇也探究，一連串的不善念頭所帶來的危害，並鼓勵大眾及時儘早回頭。劇中也因將里昂提斯王的懺罪歷程，呈現成一連串如忌妒、暴怒、憂傷、及感受神恩等等，不同情感狀態之間的轉換，而指涉到英國政治的情感面向。

Scholars disagree about the form of penitential practice, Catholic, Calvinist, or Reformed English Church, represented in some of Shakespeare's plays. It seems contradictory interpretations are equally plausible and, consequently, some scholars have argued for Shakespeare's interest in representing/responding to religious conflict/controversy. This paper, however, argues that Shakespeare's play, The Winter's Tale, concerns communal harmony rather than conflict because the play embodies an aspect of penitential practice not yet explored by critics: its ability to restore disrupted social order. We can read The Winter's Tale as a theatrical exploration/interrogation of the Reformed English Church's use of repentance as a political tool for self-governance. The dramatization implies the limitations of human as well as divine counsels while also acknowledging the human counselors' contribution to a ruler's or nation's rejuvenation. Also, the play probes the danger of chains of sinful thoughts and seems to encourage timely repentance. It also suggests how politics becomes an emotional matter when a ruler, using the language of reformed repentance, experiences various emotional states of jealousy, wrath, sorrow and, ultimately, divine love.