野田秀樹劇作中的「時間」：論《The Character》與《逆鱗》

The Concept of “Time＂ in Hideki Noda's The Character and GEKIRIN

野田秀樹為日本現代戲劇界的代表人物，其劇作以結構複雜、意象繁多著稱，本論文嘗試由關鍵字「時間」著手，闡釋其劇作構成。在NODA MAP的作品中，「時間」常以物體的形態出現，登場人物也明確提及劇中「時空」轉變。這兩項新特徵，既使得「時間」成為重要的問題點，也有別於劇作家的早期創作。本文檢證創作後期以社會議題與戰爭為主題的兩作品《The Character》與《逆鱗》中的「時間」，提供解讀的方法，也試圖釐清劇作家對自身「精神技術」之思考與實踐。兩作品皆引用傳統藝能的概念或形式，如能劇「中間的世界」概念，或類似於夢幻能的人物關係。無論採用比例多寡，劇作家將現代戲劇與傳統藝能、漢字文化密切連繫，除展現傳統底蘊以外，也是對觀眾理解力的考驗。野田對歷史和文化的反思，則藉由劇中人對「時間」的探討、解釋而具象化。「時間」或為隱匿真相而使用的虛假「過去」，或為追尋真相而花費的「時間」，甚或充斥全劇的文字遊戲，也在召喚觀眾為了理解劇中日本文化與文字所必須花費的「時間」。又或者「時間」代表已被忘卻之「過去」，需要人們主動而有意識的「選擇」。抵抗忘卻、去選擇，以及追尋真相所花費的「時間」，才堪稱野田所謂「精神技術」。

The concept of “time” is one of the keywords that appears repeatedly in Hideki Noda's works, and it is not a simple idea. Noda's later works, characterized as “NODA MAP,” deal with Japan's historical or social problems, and “time” appears as an object like a floor clock or salt. Besides, characters in NODA MAP are well aware about the changes of time and space. Those new features make a distinction between Noda's early and later periods, making “time” an important issue in his plays. This paper aims to provide two aspects to approach Noda's construction of time in his later works: first, it will explain Noda's plays by analyzing the conceptualization of “time” in two of his later plays -- The Character (2010) and GEKIRIN (2016). Second, it will clarify the relationship between “time” and the playwright's idea about “mind technique”. In both of the plays, Noda applies traditional Noh theater's idea or structure to his modern dramas. The concept of “time” could be the past which has been mistakenly glorified, the pursuit of the truth, or the “time” that audiences had spent for understanding Japan's culture and character. In another case, “time” means the “past” that has already been “forgotten”, and in order to make a resistance one should “make selections”. For the playwright, actions such as selecting, finding out the truth, or spending “time” to understand tradition designate the real meaning of “mind technique”.