A Comparative Study of Romeo and Juliet and The Peony Pavilion英语专业毕业论文.doc

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1、 毕 业 论 文毕业论文题目：A Comparative Study of Romeo and Juliet and The Peony Pavilion学生姓名： 学 号： 院 （系）： 外语学院专 业： 英语（教育）班 级： 04本科（6）班指导教师姓名及职称： 起止时间： （教务处制表）FOREIGN LANGUAGES DEPARTMENT Declaration of Academic IntegrityI promise that the thesis contains no material which has been accepted for the award of any

2、 other degree or diploma in any institutes of higher learning and that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, the thesis contains no material previously published or written by another person, except when due reference is made in the text of the thesis. I understand that to do so would mean that I

3、 had committed plagiarism, and that it is my responsibility to be aware of the Universitys regulations on plagiarism and their importance.Signed: Date: May 5, 2008A Comparative Study of Romeo and Juliet and The Peony PavilionAbstract: William Shakespear is one of the most famous writers in Britain.

4、His famous play Romeo and Juliet was written in 16th century, portraying a classical love story. The protagonists are from hostile families, but hoping to gain the love and happiness through their struggle, they devoted to it, died for it.William Shakespeare presents us an innovative spirit in fight

5、ing against feudalism and pursuing for pure love. At the same time, “Chinese Shakespeare” -Tang Xian-zu is one of the most famous dramatists in China and he wrote The Peony Pavilion in the same century. Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet and Tang Xian-zus The Peony Pavilion share many similarities, thoug

6、h each has some different Aesthetic value. This paper is dedicated to study the cultural and artistic manifestations in these two plays by analyzing their background and theme, plot and conflict, and Aesthetic value to depict their similarities and differences respectively.Key words: Comparative lit

7、erature； Romeo and Juliet；The Peony Pavilion摘要：威廉莎士比亚是英国最杰出的剧作家。他的著名剧作罗密欧与朱丽叶著于16世纪，作品描写了一个经典的爱情故事，男女主人公的家庭是世仇，但他们希望通过其斗争获得真爱和幸福。威廉莎士比亚给我们呈现了一次反封建主义，追求真爱的革命。 与此同时，“中国的莎士比亚”-汤显祖，是中国最杰出的戏剧作家之一，他也于16世纪写下了牡丹亭。莎士比亚的罗密欧与朱丽叶与汤显祖的剧作牡丹亭同为经典爱情故事，二者同于十六世纪写成；同为戏剧经典，二者之间存在很多相似之处，却也有着根本的差异，具有不尽相同的审美价值。本文从故事背景、主题、

8、情节、戏剧冲突、审美观念等对两部剧作进行分析，探讨相同时代跨国界的文学著作蕴涵的文化和艺术表现形式，在作品中体现两部著名爱情剧作在文学上不可思议的共通之处，以及不同文化背景下各自的特色。 关键词：文学；罗密欧与朱丽叶；牡丹亭Contents1.Introduction32.Background and Theme43.The Character of Heroine 7 3.1 The same age to yearn for love 7 3.2 The same constrains from society 7 3.3 The same dispassionate and logica

9、l personality 8 3.4 The same goal of individual liberty and pure love 84.Plot and Dramatic Conflicts 95.Aesthetic Distance106.Conclusion11References12Acknowledgements131. IntroductionLove and marriage are the eternal theme of mankind, whose subject matter in literary works is ubiquitous, no matter i

10、n the West or East. In China, Tangs most representative work is The Peony Pavilion which was written in 1598. Just three years before its accomplishment, in 1595， Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet was born in Britain. Tang Xianzu is called “Chinese Shakespeare”. Both Tang and Shakespeare are two dazzlin

11、g writers which bring their influence all around the world. Its clear to see that there are many cherished and similar literary value thoughout the two plays.This paper provides a comparative study of Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet and Tangs The Peony Pavilion. Its aiming to post some of the same bel

12、letristic value in the world by comparing these two famous love stories.2. Background and ThemeTang was born in 1550 and lived at the end of Ming Dynasty and Shakespeare was born in 1564 and lived during the Renaissance. Its just the time of germination of Capitalism both in West and East. Tang insi

13、sted his own idea on politics when he was an official so that he can not reach his goal on career at that moment. When he was old, he became a writer on drama aiming to make his ideal by art. In some extent, what he can not own was reflected on his drama. Shakespeare had been an official, teacher, s

14、ever, merchant and so on. He suffered a lot and also enjoyed many colorful time throughout his life. Because of the experience, he was daring to make tragedy on his works. They had influenced and experienced the innovation of fighting feudalism. During each of their country, the trend of fighting fe

15、udalism had different themes.In China, It was embryo stage of capitalism in the 16th century. At that time craft had great growth. Printing, metallurgy, textile, weaving and the making of ceramics had developed remarkably. Commerce and trade had thrived. The Dutch and British merchants opened trade

16、with China in 1514. The result was the population of town increased. The urban class wanted culture life and literature and art to voice their feelings, thoughts and hopes. All these stimulated the developed of literature, including drama. In the field of eastern religious philosophy, Buddhism, Conf

17、ucianism, and Taoism, the tree main schools of thought decided to tolerate each other and considered themselves as stemming from a single source after along struggle for supremacy. All concepts of right and wrong, good and evil merged to be divided into two major schools: Orthodox and Heterodox. The

18、 feudal ethics were orthodox, and the idea of freedom of love and emancipation of individualism were taboos. There were still some people daring to pursue freedom and love, to turn against anti old concepts. Tang Xian-zu is one of them. When Tang was young, he learned this from Luo Ru-fang and made

19、friends with Zi Bo. All of them were opponents on old etiquette, old tradition and old autarchy. At most extent, their mind affected Tangs thinking.In Britain, the hatred and feud among aristocracies originated during the Elizabethan age which were still deep rooted. The tragedy of Romeo and Juliet

20、was rooted in a family feud as well as in the feud ideas of that time. Matrimony was controlled by father. The tradition had its influence. Shakespeare just experienced this age of asceticism, and rising coexisted and produced many antinomies in his mind. That was also the first Age of his producing

21、 career. All these same ideology makes Tang and Shakespeare create their famous and classical works by the similar subject under different kinds of constrains imposed by feudal society and strive to gain individual liberty and pure love to post anti-feudalism. Both of the two works are comedy traged

22、y reflected in different modes. In The Peony Pavilion, it depicts a young girl named Du Li-niang who was 16 years old, restrained by old etiquette, old tradition and old autarchy; as the only child of Du Bao, perfect of Nanan, she lived in his fathers mansion for three years without even visiting th

23、e garden or any social activities. All her days are required to broider and learn ole etiquette that performed “proper behavior.” She never has opportunity to meet males except her father Du Bao and her tutor Chen Zui-liang, let alone fall in love with somebody. Living under such lonely and joyless

24、circumstances, this adolescent girl can not help but fell unhappy and sorrowful. One day, she was guided by her maid and got her first time to visit garden. She saw many beautiful flowers booming in the garden while no one would appreciate them. She thinks that she just like those flowers, though wi

25、th good youth and appearance, they are completely neglected. And then she has a dream that she dates with a young man named Liu Meng-mei in the garden and they fall in love with each other, even having body connection. Her dream was disturbed by her mother and made her dear not say goodbye to the yo

26、ung man. After that, she suffered a sickness of love and then died. After her death, she becomes a spirit and finds Liu Meng-mei in her dream, who turns to be a scholar who is on his way to capital city for taking part in an imperial examination. She takes the initiative and expresses her love to hi

27、m, and they are married as soon as her spirit reenters her body and she becomes alive again. During the story, she resolutely struggles for individual liberty, pure love and happiness and marries Liu Meng-mei at last. In Romeo and Juliet, the same adolescent girl Juliet was 14 year-old, lived in Cap

28、ulet family while this family just the hostile one to Montague family whose son named Romeo are Juliets lover. Each is devoted to the other but thery union is impossible because of the hostility between their families. Juliet falls in love with Romeo at first sight in her family ball. And then, they

29、 are going to marry in private. However, at the moment, Romeo happens to kill Juliets brother Tybalt and is banished; Juliet is also engaged by her parents to someone else, for whom she has no affection. Juliet consults Fair Lawrence, whom suggests a daring scheme to free her form an enforced marria

30、ge and give Romeo an opportunity to take her away. After she gets suggestion from him, she feigns, unfortunately Romeo misses the massage and thinks that his lover Juliet is dead. He kills himself in the funeral near the tomb. After a while, Juliet wakes up and finds out her Romeo is dead and she co

31、mmits suicide at once. Tang Xian-zu posted Chinese feudal society under which people have no freedom on individual and no right to gain happiness. People have to restrain their human requirements and follow various old rules on behavior and mind. Tang also gives us a beautiful story of seeking pure

32、love without materialism. Shakespeare shows that mankind need to liberate from any hatred and constrains. He thinks that all the victory of humanism and individual liberty has to sacrifice some cherished things. He arranges the dramatic personae to dead at the end. Both of Tang and Shakespeare give

33、our human history an impact on seeking innovative mind and eternal pure love.3. The character of heroine3.1 The same age to yearn for loveJuliet, having not reached her fourteenth birthday, she is of an age that stands on the border between immaturity and maturity. This case also happens to 16 year-

34、old heroine Du Li-niang. These two adolescents lived in different countries, but they are of the same requirements spiritual and physical quality. 3.2 The same constrains from societyJuliet seems to have no friends of her age, and she is not comfortable in talking about sex (as seen in her discomfor

35、t when the Nurse goes on and on about a sexual joke at Juliets expense in Act I, scene iii).“Come Lammas-eve at night shall she be fourteen. Susan and she,-God rest all Christian souls.Were of an age: well, Susan is with God; She was too good for me:-but, as I said, On Lammas-eve at night shall she

36、be fourteen; that shall she, marry; I remember it well. Tis since the earthquake now eleven years; And she was weand,-I never shall forget it-, Of all the days of the year, upon that day: For I had then laid wormwood to my dug, Sitting in the sun under the dove-house wall; My lord and you were then

37、at Mantua: Nay, I do bear a brain:-but, as I said, When it did taste the wormwood on the nipple Of my dug and felt it bitter, pretty fool, To see it tetchy, and fall out with the dug! Shake, quoth the dove-house: twas no need, I trow, to bid me trudge. And since that time it is eleven years; For the

38、n she could stand alone; nay, by the rood She could have run and waddled all about; For even the day before, she broke her brow: And then my husband,-God be with his soul! A was a merry man,-took up the child: Yea, quoth he, dost thou fall upon thy face? Thou wilt fall backward when thou hast more w

39、it; Wilt thou not, Jule? and, by my holidame, pretty wretch left crying, and said Ay To see now how a jest shall come about! I warrant, am I should live a thousand yeas, I never should forget it; Wilt thou not, Jule? quoth he. And, pretty fool, it stinted, and said Ay.”The same things happen to Du L

40、i-niang as well. When her tutor Chen teaches her a poet named Guan Jiu (a kind of birds name) about sylphlike lady. One of sentences is “Gentleman is willing to dangle after sylphlike lady”.（窈窕淑女，君子好逑）It makes Du and her maid Chun Xiang discussed this topic a lot. Nevertheless, her tutor stops their

41、 discussion at once because it is forbidden for a girl to think or to talk about under that feudal social background.The same reason on leading to the tragic part in these two plays are also the constrains from the feudal society. There is no specific reason or personal misfeasance or demerit produc

42、ing the tragic during the story. The reason of Romeo and Juliets death is the hatred and the feudal society. The cause why Du dead suddenly is the constrained power from the feudal society and the realistic circumstance. Just as the tragic fate happens in ancient Greece, dramatic personae have no et

43、hic or moral disfigurements, having no misfeasance, either. However, they are destroyed by fate at the end.3.3 The same dispassionate and logical personalityJuliet as a simplicity girl was brought up in a strict family. After Romeo kills Tybalt and is to be banished, Juliet does not follow him blind

44、ly. She makes a logical and heartfelt decision that her loyalty and love for Romeo must be her guiding priorities. Essentially, Juliet cuts herself loose from her prior social mooringsher Nurse, her parents, and her social position in Veronain order to try to reunite with Romeo.Du shows her dispassi

45、onate personality when Liu Meng-mei asks her to marry, she refuses and suggests him to get her parents permission so that they may get together formally under that feudal society. After Lius great efforts on persuading her parents and getting permission from the emperor, they married and had a happy

46、 life at last. 3.4 The same goal of individual liberty and pure loveJuliet obeyed her parents arrangement that is going to marry with Paris. Everything has changed after she met Romeo. She begins to fight to feudal society and family for seeking individual liberty to choose her true love and happine

47、ss. She dated with Romeo in private, even plan to marry Romeo by her own decision. She refuses to be a docile daughter and begins to dispute with her father. She posts one of the most classic love in human history that she just loves Romeo without any purposes. She says “Go ask his name: if he be married, my grave is like to be my wedding-bed.”This is the mark she gives when she gets the first sight of Romeo. Of cause, Romeo fell in love with her at the same time.