德伯家的苔丝 presentation.pptVIP

Chapter LIX The last paragraph “Justice” was done, and the President of the Immortals (in Aeschylean phrase) had ended his sport with Tess. And the d’Urberville knights and dames slept on in their tombs unknowing. The two speechless gazers bent themselves down to the earth, as if in prayer, and remained there a long time, absolutely motionless: the flag continued to wave silently. As soon as they had strength they arose, joined hands again, and went on. “死刑”执行了，用埃斯库罗斯的话说，那个众神之王对苔丝的戏弄也就结束了。德贝维尔家的骑士和夫人们在坟墓里躺着，对这件事一无所知。那两个一言不发的观看的人，把身体躬到了地上，仿佛正在祈祷，他们就那样躬着，过了好久好久，一动也不动。黑旗继续不声不响地在风中飘着。他们等到有了力气，就站起来，又手拉着手往前走 In the Greek tragedian Aeschylus’ Prometheus Bound, Prometheus dared to steal fire from the gods for the benefit of men, thus improving human life, but he was punished by eternal agony sent by the president of the gods. Aeschylus’s view of that divine justice was ironic—just as Hardy’s justice is placed in ironic quotation marks—since it seemed deeply unjust to punish Prometheus so severely. Analysis Analysis However, compared with Prometheus’s brave deed, Tess’s suffering seems simply a game or “sport” . It is hard to know whether Tess has brought any benefits to anyone. In any case, Hardy hints that Tess’s life may have a mythical and tragic importance like that of Prometheus, but it is up to us to judge how ironic this justice is, or what her life’s importance might be. Analysis Its tired and unimpassioned tone suggests the narrator’s weariness with the ways of the world, as if quite familiar with the fact that life always unfolds in this way. Nothing great is achieved by this finale: the two figures of Liza-Lu and Angel “went on” at the end, just as life itself will go on. Tragedy Society environment Law system Morality ethic Religion factor Themes Criticism of social conventions of Victorian England (ideas of social class as well as the sexual double standard) Naturalism as against the ache of modernism The injustice of existence; Men dominati