“酷刑”“懲罰”“規(guī)訓(xùn)”——論莎士比亞的自由觀

1、 ii“Torture” “Punishment” “Discipline”: On Shakespeare’s Thoughts on Freedom Postgraduate: Tang Hongfang Grade: 2007 Major Field of Study: English Language Marx calls him one of “the greatest dramatic geniuses of mankin

2、d”. Shakespeare holds the great banner of humanism in all his creations. He affirms life, praises life, advocates human’s rights of pursuing a happy life, opposes all forms of feudal shackles. In order to understand Shak

3、espeare’s literary characters in an initial way and deepen the understanding of his thoughts’ profoundness, this paper is going to explain Shakespeare’s thoughts on freedom from the perspective of Foucault’s theory of po

4、wer. This thesis is composed of five parts. Chapter 1 introduces Shakespeare and his literary achievements, then surveys the studies on Titus Andronicus, The Taming of the Shrew and Hamlet, and at last presents the writi

5、ng intention and innovation of the thesis. In Chapter 2, Foucault’s three forms of penal system will be introduced. In Discipline and Punish, Foucault shows the historical shift of penal system from “Torture”, to “Punish

6、ment”, then to “Discipline”. “Torture” a body torment; “Punishment” a soul deterrence, “Discipline” a training both over the body and the soul. Foucault points out that this shift naturally has not upgraded human’s right

7、s of freedom, but has suppressed human in a more delicate and insidious way. Chapter 3 describes the specific embodiment of “Torture”, “Punishment”, “Discipline” in Titus Andronicus, The Taming of the Shrew and Hamlet re

8、spectively, and details each protagonist’s resistance as follows: Titus’ violent revenge to the corporal torture; Katharina’s single disobedience to the psychological punishment and Hamlet’s unbreakable struggle to the m

9、ental and physical discipline. Chapter 4 explores Shakespeare’s thoughts on freedom. Seemingly, the penal system is getting more humanistic and civilized by abandoning the barbarous torture and laying out reasonable laws

10、. However, when the main penalty is imprisonment and modification, human’s rights of freedom are deprived of secretly. By creating classic works and vivid characters, Shakespeare discloses the nature of the penal system