02-01-威廉·莎士比亚 [4]
．And more and more people came．By 1592 London was hearing the name William Shakespeare again and again．
■ 4 伦敦的新生活
坐了两天的马车我们抵达伦敦，一路上威尔谈笑风生，双眼熠熠生辉，此时他踌躇满志，对生活无限憧憬。
“我曾和‘女王剧团’的演员聊过天，”他告诉我，“他说可以帮我在剧团找个活干，或许可以演戏，或者让我帮忙写剧本。我曾给他看过一些我的作品，他很感兴趣。”
我们驱车进入伦敦城时，我开始感到心慌。这是很大、很大的一座城市，而我们只是两个从小镇来的微不足道的小伙子。城市的拥挤、喧嚣掺和着种种气味至今令我记忆犹新。伦敦市内生活着20万居民——我以前从未见过这么多的人。
我们来到了泰晤士河，看到了著名的伦敦桥以及商店和住宅鳞次栉比。河下游便是伦敦塔，女王的敌人一旦从河上的闸门进了这座塔，几乎不能生还。
我们在东切普塞德街找到一处不太贵的小客栈住下，晚饭吃了几块面包、肉，喝了点啤酒。
“哇，我们终于到了这儿！”威尔说道，“终于！”
“是啊，”我说，“接下来我们干什么呢？”
他笑道：“什么都干！”
第二天我们便出去找活干。
在伦敦最初几年的情况很好。由于身边钱不多，我们工作很卖劲。因为新演员一星期只能拿到6先令的报酬，更何况并不是每个星期都能上台演出，最后我决定放弃做演员。
“为什么不干呢？”威尔说道，“这生活不是很好吗。”
那个月我们工作的“女王剧团”正在滨渠街的“窗帘剧院”演出。威尔分别在两出不同的戏中扮演了四个小角色，在一出戏中扮演士兵和凶杀犯，在另一出戏中同时扮演小偷和一位爱上奈特王后的意大利勋爵，他很喜欢这角色。
“我不如你聪明，”我说，“我总记不住全部的台词。上了台又忘记自己演的角色！当我演意大利勋爵时我竟背出演士兵的台词。上台不是太迟就是太快，甚至会站错位置。”
威尔笑道，“那你打算怎么办？”
“做戏装，”我说，“还有道具。我和约翰·海明谈过了，他说剧团也正需要有个人能帮着安排戏装和其它事情。”
“那好吧，”威尔慢慢地说道，“你会干好的。对了，明天上台我要参加决斗，并且最后要失血过多而死。你打算怎样弄到血呢？”
“我早准备好啦！”我温和地笑道，“是羊血。今天早上我跑了一趟伦敦肉市场，你要多少血就有多少血。我会替你保管，不让它冻结。”
威尔善于演戏。虽称不上最出色，但已算很好的了。做演员真不容易，事事都得干。最起码得学会背台词——有可能同时得背六出不同的戏的台词，因为戏院并非每天上演同一出戏。做演员必须会奏乐，能歌善舞，还要跳跃，摔跤和决斗。决斗必须看起来像真的一样，否则伦敦市内的观众一眼就可以看出真假。
“女王剧团”的约翰·海明成了我们多年的朋友，他教会我们俩许多东西。
当然我要学的东西很多。我学会了如何用牛皮纸做鞋，学会了用一点面包洗掉演员帽子上的污渍，使帽子焕然一新。我要跑遍伦敦买到最好的头发制成假发，还要懂得如何用木头和彩色纸做成鱼、水果和肉片。
威尔夜以继日地忙碌，连我都不知道他什么时候睡觉。他不停地演戏、写他自己的剧本、看书，接触其他作家，结识新朋友……他一直在学习、学习、再学习。
一天我们在东切普塞德街的公猪头酒吧同理查·白贝芝喝酒。白贝芝是“斯特林奇大臣剧团”的演员，对威尔很友好。
“威尔，你已经创作了四个剧本，”他说道，“剧本写得不错，你的创作一直在进步，而我的演技也日益精湛。你就到‘斯特林奇大臣剧团’来，在河滨的‘玫瑰剧院’工作吧。你可以为我们写剧本。”
于是我们俩都进了“玫瑰剧院”。一起过来的还有约翰·海明和奥古斯丁·菲利普——他也是个好演员。
在“玫瑰剧院”，我们比以往更加努力工作。由于需要日光，我们上午预演，下午演戏。到了吃午饭时，人们已经陆续过河来占位子等候看戏，而且每次来的观众有增无减。时至1592年，威廉·莎士比亚在伦敦已颇具名望。
■ 5 The plague years
Will wrote his play Richard Ⅲ for Richard Burbage，and it was a great success．Richard the Third was a wicked king—a murderer－but he was wonderful on the stage，with Burbage's great voice and fine acting．Soon all London was saying King Richard's famous words when his horse is killed in war：
A horse！a horse！my kingdom for a horse！
All kinds of people came to see plays and Will was making a lot of new friends．One day，after the play，he was talking to a young man outside the Rose．He was a very beautiful young man，a bit like a girl，perhaps—but still very good-looking．Later，I asked Will who he was．
‘The Earl of Southampton，Will said．He's only eighteen，but he loves poetry and plays．’
‘Isn't he a friend of the Earl of Essex？’I asked．Everybody knew the Earl of Essex．He was young and good-looking—and some people said that Queen Elizabeth was in love with him．
I don't know about that．The Queen was fifty-nine years old，and a very，very clever woman．But it was true that she liked to have good-looking young men around her，and the Earl of Essex was her favourite．Then．It all changed later，of course.‘Yes，he is，’said Will．‘But I think Essex is a dangerous man Henry needs better friends than him．’
‘Henry，eh？’I said，surprised．‘My word！Do you really call him Henry？Not Lord Suthampton？’
‘Only when other people aren't there．’Will laughed．‘I'm still just an actor from Stratford，Toby．Not very important．Let's go and have a drink at the Boar's Head on our way home．’
Will was always like that．Quiet，never shouting about himself to the world．
In the Boar's Head we met some friends and started talking．The talk was all about the plague，which was coming back again into London．
‘Have you heard the latest news？said one man．‘They say that more than thirty people are dying every week now．’
‘And the City Council，’said another man，wants to close all the theatres．They always do that when the plague comes to London．There'll be no work for any of us actors．’
‘But the players can go on tour，surely？’said Will．
‘Yes，’said the first man．‘But it's a hard life．A different town，a different inn，a different play，every night．I think I'll stay in London．’
The plague is terrible in any place，but it was worst in London．In those narrow streets，with houses so close together，and the dirty water running down the middle of the street，there was no escape
■ 4 伦敦的新生活
坐了两天的马车我们抵达伦敦，一路上威尔谈笑风生，双眼熠熠生辉，此时他踌躇满志，对生活无限憧憬。
“我曾和‘女王剧团’的演员聊过天，”他告诉我，“他说可以帮我在剧团找个活干，或许可以演戏，或者让我帮忙写剧本。我曾给他看过一些我的作品，他很感兴趣。”
我们驱车进入伦敦城时，我开始感到心慌。这是很大、很大的一座城市，而我们只是两个从小镇来的微不足道的小伙子。城市的拥挤、喧嚣掺和着种种气味至今令我记忆犹新。伦敦市内生活着20万居民——我以前从未见过这么多的人。
我们来到了泰晤士河，看到了著名的伦敦桥以及商店和住宅鳞次栉比。河下游便是伦敦塔，女王的敌人一旦从河上的闸门进了这座塔，几乎不能生还。
我们在东切普塞德街找到一处不太贵的小客栈住下，晚饭吃了几块面包、肉，喝了点啤酒。
“哇，我们终于到了这儿！”威尔说道，“终于！”
“是啊，”我说，“接下来我们干什么呢？”
他笑道：“什么都干！”
第二天我们便出去找活干。
在伦敦最初几年的情况很好。由于身边钱不多，我们工作很卖劲。因为新演员一星期只能拿到6先令的报酬，更何况并不是每个星期都能上台演出，最后我决定放弃做演员。
“为什么不干呢？”威尔说道，“这生活不是很好吗。”
那个月我们工作的“女王剧团”正在滨渠街的“窗帘剧院”演出。威尔分别在两出不同的戏中扮演了四个小角色，在一出戏中扮演士兵和凶杀犯，在另一出戏中同时扮演小偷和一位爱上奈特王后的意大利勋爵，他很喜欢这角色。
“我不如你聪明，”我说，“我总记不住全部的台词。上了台又忘记自己演的角色！当我演意大利勋爵时我竟背出演士兵的台词。上台不是太迟就是太快，甚至会站错位置。”
威尔笑道，“那你打算怎么办？”
“做戏装，”我说，“还有道具。我和约翰·海明谈过了，他说剧团也正需要有个人能帮着安排戏装和其它事情。”
“那好吧，”威尔慢慢地说道，“你会干好的。对了，明天上台我要参加决斗，并且最后要失血过多而死。你打算怎样弄到血呢？”
“我早准备好啦！”我温和地笑道，“是羊血。今天早上我跑了一趟伦敦肉市场，你要多少血就有多少血。我会替你保管，不让它冻结。”
威尔善于演戏。虽称不上最出色，但已算很好的了。做演员真不容易，事事都得干。最起码得学会背台词——有可能同时得背六出不同的戏的台词，因为戏院并非每天上演同一出戏。做演员必须会奏乐，能歌善舞，还要跳跃，摔跤和决斗。决斗必须看起来像真的一样，否则伦敦市内的观众一眼就可以看出真假。
“女王剧团”的约翰·海明成了我们多年的朋友，他教会我们俩许多东西。
当然我要学的东西很多。我学会了如何用牛皮纸做鞋，学会了用一点面包洗掉演员帽子上的污渍，使帽子焕然一新。我要跑遍伦敦买到最好的头发制成假发，还要懂得如何用木头和彩色纸做成鱼、水果和肉片。
威尔夜以继日地忙碌，连我都不知道他什么时候睡觉。他不停地演戏、写他自己的剧本、看书，接触其他作家，结识新朋友……他一直在学习、学习、再学习。
一天我们在东切普塞德街的公猪头酒吧同理查·白贝芝喝酒。白贝芝是“斯特林奇大臣剧团”的演员，对威尔很友好。
“威尔，你已经创作了四个剧本，”他说道，“剧本写得不错，你的创作一直在进步，而我的演技也日益精湛。你就到‘斯特林奇大臣剧团’来，在河滨的‘玫瑰剧院’工作吧。你可以为我们写剧本。”
于是我们俩都进了“玫瑰剧院”。一起过来的还有约翰·海明和奥古斯丁·菲利普——他也是个好演员。
在“玫瑰剧院”，我们比以往更加努力工作。由于需要日光，我们上午预演，下午演戏。到了吃午饭时，人们已经陆续过河来占位子等候看戏，而且每次来的观众有增无减。时至1592年，威廉·莎士比亚在伦敦已颇具名望。
■ 5 The plague years
Will wrote his play Richard Ⅲ for Richard Burbage，and it was a great success．Richard the Third was a wicked king—a murderer－but he was wonderful on the stage，with Burbage's great voice and fine acting．Soon all London was saying King Richard's famous words when his horse is killed in war：
A horse！a horse！my kingdom for a horse！
All kinds of people came to see plays and Will was making a lot of new friends．One day，after the play，he was talking to a young man outside the Rose．He was a very beautiful young man，a bit like a girl，perhaps—but still very good-looking．Later，I asked Will who he was．
‘The Earl of Southampton，Will said．He's only eighteen，but he loves poetry and plays．’
‘Isn't he a friend of the Earl of Essex？’I asked．Everybody knew the Earl of Essex．He was young and good-looking—and some people said that Queen Elizabeth was in love with him．
I don't know about that．The Queen was fifty-nine years old，and a very，very clever woman．But it was true that she liked to have good-looking young men around her，and the Earl of Essex was her favourite．Then．It all changed later，of course.‘Yes，he is，’said Will．‘But I think Essex is a dangerous man Henry needs better friends than him．’
‘Henry，eh？’I said，surprised．‘My word！Do you really call him Henry？Not Lord Suthampton？’
‘Only when other people aren't there．’Will laughed．‘I'm still just an actor from Stratford，Toby．Not very important．Let's go and have a drink at the Boar's Head on our way home．’
Will was always like that．Quiet，never shouting about himself to the world．
In the Boar's Head we met some friends and started talking．The talk was all about the plague，which was coming back again into London．
‘Have you heard the latest news？said one man．‘They say that more than thirty people are dying every week now．’
‘And the City Council，’said another man，wants to close all the theatres．They always do that when the plague comes to London．There'll be no work for any of us actors．’
‘But the players can go on tour，surely？’said Will．
‘Yes，’said the first man．‘But it's a hard life．A different town，a different inn，a different play，every night．I think I'll stay in London．’
The plague is terrible in any place，but it was worst in London．In those narrow streets，with houses so close together，and the dirty water running down the middle of the street，there was no escape