6 Death in the family

　　After the plague years，we were busy all the time．There were new companies of players and Will now belonged to the Lord Chamberlain's Men．The Lord Chamberlain was a very important man，close to the Queen，and we often put on plays for the Queen's court，and in the houses of the great lords of England．We had some very good actors．There was Will，and Richard Burbage，of course，and John Heminges．And there was Augustine Phillips，Henry Condell，and Thomas Pope．There were other actors，too，but those six were the real company．They worked together for more than twenty years．And made a lot of money，too．

　　I did the costumes and properties for the Chamberlain's．John Heminges said I was the best properties man in the city．

　　Will was special—because he wrote the plays．And what plays they were！He never wrote the same play twice，like some writers．He was always trying something new，something different And he wrote fast，too．

　　John Heminges could never understand that．‘How can you write so fast，Will？’he asked him．‘And you never make a mistake or change a word．’

　　Will didn't really understand it himself．‘It's all in my head，’he said．‘I think about it，and then it just comes out on paper．’

　　He wrote a play about love in 1595．Young love．It was Romeo and Juliet．It was a very sad play，because the young lovers die at the end．But the playgoers loved it．They wanted to see it again and again．

　　Will played the part of old Capulet，Juliet's father．One of the boy actors played the part of Juliet．There were no women actors，so boys played all the women's parts．Of course， Will never put real love-making on stage．He did it all with words—clever，beautiful words，and you forgot that the women and girls were really boys in dresses．Some of the boy actors were very good，and went on to play men's parts when they were older．

　　We played Romeo and Juliet at Richmond Palace that year．We always played before the Queen at Christmas．She liked to see the new plays，and she paid us ￡10 a play．We often had to work through the night to get the stage ready in time，but it was exciting to be in one of the Queen's palaces at Christmas．There was a lot of singing and dancing，and eating and drinking．Some years Christmas began in November and didn't finish until February or March．

　　The year 1596 began well，but that summer the weather was really bad．Cold．Wet．It never stopped raining，and the plague began to come back into London．We were in Stratford for the summer，but I went down to Hampshire for a few weeks to do some business for Will about some sheep．Will didn't need me at home，because he was busy writing his new play，A Midsummer Night's Dream．

　　I came back to Stratford one wet August evening．The house in Henley Street was strangely quiet，and I went round the back and up to Will's room—his writing room， we called it．He was just sitting there not doing anything，just sitting．

　　‘What's the matter，Will？I said．‘Where is everybody？’

　　‘At church．His face was grey，and his eyes looked empty，dead．

　　‘What's happened？’I asked．‘What is it？’

　　He looked at me．‘Hamnet… ’he began．‘Hamnet was ill last week，and…and he died，yesterday．He was only eleven，Toby，and he's dead．My boy．My only son．He's dead，Toby．Dead．’He put his face in his hands．

　　What Can you say to a man when something like that happens to him？I sat down next to him and put my hand on his arm．We sat together，silently．I knew that Will loved that boy of his—red-haired，bright as a new penny，full of life．Just like his father．

　　After a while I said，‘You'll have other sons

　　‘Anne's forty already．’Will's voice was tired．‘She's had no children since the twins．’

　　‘Well，now，you've got two fine girls in Susanna and Judith．They'll marry before long，and then you'll have more grandsons than you can count．You'll see．There'll be boys running up and down stairs，shouting for their Granddad Will！’

　　He smiled sadly，but his eyes were not so empty now．Pleased，I went on quickly：

　　‘And there are all your brothers—Gilbert，Richard，Edmund．They'll have sons too．The Shakespeare family will never die out．Think of the family，Will，the family！’

　　And he did．He was already a famous poet and playwright，but he was a family man，too．The next year，1597，he bought a new house for his family．It was a big，grand house，called New Place，right in the middle of Stratford．It cost ￡60—a lot of money—and the townspeople began to say‘Mr Shakespeare’，not‘Young Will the actor’or‘John Shakespeare's boy’．They were happy to do business with him，and to borrow money from him．

　　Anne was very pleased with the new house．The wife of Mr Shakespeare of New Place was an important person in Stratford．But she still didn't like Will's work．

　　‘Actors are wild，dangerous people，’she often said to him．‘I'm not interested in plays or the theatre，and I don't want to know anything about your work．’

　　But she liked the money，and the new house，and the new dresses—and the six fields of apple trees and the big farm north of Stratford that came a few years later．

　　Will never talked much about Hamnet．Life goes on and Will was busier than ever．But I know he thought about his son a lot；his grief was very deep inside him．A year or two later，I was talking to John Heminges abut the costumes for Will's new play，King John．John Heminges was a family man—he had fourteen children in the end．The noise is his house！Shouting and laughing，coming and going…

　　John was looking at the playbook．‘You see this bit here，Toby，’he said．‘Will's writing about his son，isn't he？’

　　I read the words slowly，and remembered Will's empty eyes that day in August．

　　Grief fills the room up of my absent child，

　　Lies in his bed，walks up and down with me，

　　Puts on his pretty looks，repeats his words…

　　Richard Burbage said once that Will's writing changed after Hamnet's death．Will still laughed at people in his plays，but he also felt sorry for them—sorry for all the world，good and bad，rich and poor，young and old．And his people were real．No one was all good， or all bad．

　　There was a man called Shylock in his play The Merchant of Venice．This Shylock was a money-lender and a cruel man —everyone hated him．But in the end，when Shylock lost everything，you had to feel sorry for him．He was just a sad old man．

　　Perhaps Richard was right．And if anyone understood Will，it was Richard Burbage．

　　6 幼子夭折

　　瘟疫流行过后的几年，我们一直忙个不停。市里又有了几家新剧团，如今威尔属于“宫内大臣剧团”。宫内大臣身居要职，与女王关系亲密。这样一来，我们经常有机会被召进女王的宫廷演戏，或者到英国达官显贵的府邸演戏。我们剧团不乏出色的演员。其中有威尔，理查·白贝芝，约翰·海明，奥古斯丁·菲利普斯，亨利·康德尔和托马斯·蒲伯。当然还有其他演员，只是这六个人是剧团的台柱。他们已经一起合作了20多年，也赚了不少的钱。

　　我仍为“宫内大臣剧团”做戏装和道具。约翰·海明说我是伦敦市里最出色的道具师。

　　威尔就不同凡响了——因为他会创作剧本。而且写出的剧本让人叫绝！他总能标新立异，与众不同，笔头又快，而且从不像有些作家那样创作雷同的剧本。

　　约翰·海明一直感到纳闷。“威尔，你怎会写得这么快？”他问道，“并且你从未出过差错或是改动只言片语。”

　　说实在，威尔自己也说不清楚。“一切都已在我的头脑里。”他说，“我一想到，立刻就能跃然纸上。”

　　1595年他创作了一部爱情剧，讲述一对年轻的恋人，这就是《罗密欧与朱丽叶》。这是一出非常凄艳动人的悲剧。虽然最终这对年轻的恋人双双殉情而死，但是该剧广受欢迎，观众百看不厌。

　　剧中威尔扮演朱丽叶的父亲老凯布。女主角朱丽叶由剧团一位少年扮演。因为当时没有女演员，所以剧中所有的女角色都由少年来扮演。当然，威尔在舞台上对情爱并没有多加渲染，都是通过台词——优美生动的台词使你置身于剧中而忘了台上女角色实际上是化过装的少年。有些少年演员演技很好，年长后可继续上台扮演男角。

　　那年我们在里士满宫上演了《罗密欧与朱丽叶》。每逢圣诞节，我们常在女王御前演出，她爱看新剧，而且一出剧付我们10英镑。我们经常得通宵达旦，及时赶搭戏台，但圣诞节时能在女王宫廷内演出倒让人感觉是一件兴奋的事。宫廷内载歌载舞，大摆宴席，觥筹交错。有几年圣诞节11月便开始，一直热闹到次年二三月才结束。

　　1596年初风调雨顺，不料夏天天气很糟，潮湿阴冷，又遇连绵大雨，伦敦的瘟疫卷土重来，于是我们回到斯特拉福镇过夏天。威尔家中一时用不着我帮忙，当时他正忙于编写一部新剧本——《仲夏夜之梦》，于是我有几个星期去了汉普郡帮威尔料理羊毛生意。

　　八月的一个雨夜，我回到斯特拉福镇。亨里街的宅邸出奇地静，我便绕到后门径直到了威尔的房间——他的“写作室”，我们这样称呼。他正坐在那里，一动不动地只是呆坐着。

　　“出了什么事，威尔？”我问道，“其他人呢？”

　　“在教堂。”他脸色苍白，眼睛茫然呆滞。

　　“发生什么事了？”我问道，“到底怎么了？”

　　他望着我。“哈姆奈特……”，他开口说道，“上星期哈姆奈特病倒了，可是……可是他昨天死了。他才11岁呀，托比，可他却死了。我的孩子。我唯一的儿子。托比，他死了，死了。”他双手掩面哭了。

　　发生这样的事你又能说什么来安慰他呢？我挨着他坐下，把手放在他的胳膊上，就这样并排静静地坐着。我知道威尔很疼爱这个儿子——他长着红色闪着光泽的头发，聪明伶俐、生气勃勃，很像他父亲。

　　稍过片刻我说道：“你还会有儿子的。”

　　“安都40岁了，”威尔说这话时，声音充满倦怠，“自孪生子以后，她就没生孩子。”

　　“好啦，不用愁的，你还有两个可爱的女儿苏姗娜和珠迪丝。将来她们结婚后，你就有数不清的外孙了。你瞧，到时，这些外孙们会在楼梯上跑上跑下围着你亲热地叫他们的威尔外公。”

　　他戚戚地笑了一下，不过现在他的眼神不再那么茫然了。我心中一喜，顺势说道：

　　“你还有兄弟——吉尔伯特、理查和埃德蒙。他们也会有儿子的。莎士比亚家族绝不会无后的。想想整个家族吧，威尔，整个家族！”

　　他的确振作起来。尽管他已成为颇具名望的诗人和剧作家，但他也是一个关心家庭的人。翌年1597年，他为家庭购置了一座新住宅。这座叫作“新地方”的住宅就在斯特拉福镇中心，规模大且堂皇，花了60英镑——一笔数目可观的钱——于是镇上的居民开始改口称他“莎士比亚绅士”而不再叫”小威尔戏子”或“约翰·莎士比亚的儿子”，而且也乐意同他做生意，向他贷款。

　　安很高兴住进新房子，身为“新地方”的莎士比亚的夫人，在斯特拉福镇自然算是一个体面人物，不过她依然不喜欢威尔从事的工作。

　　“演员都是些粗野、危险的人。”她常对他这么说，“对戏剧和戏院我毫无兴趣，对你干的事也懒得知道。”

　　她感兴趣的只是钱、新房子、新衣服——以及几年后买下的六座苹果园和斯特拉福镇北部的大农场。

　　威尔不再多提哈姆奈特，日子照样周而复始，威尔比以往更忙碌。但我知道他很怀念儿子，只不过把悲痛深埋在心里。一两年后，当我与约翰·海明商谈威尔的新剧本——《约翰王》的服装时，我就更有体会。约翰·海明是个爱家的人——他共有14个孩子。孩子们在家又叫又笑，东奔西跑，家里热闹得不得了……

　　约翰正在翻阅剧本。“托比，你瞧这段话，’他说道，“威尔分明在写他的儿子，是吗？”

　　我细细地回味这段话，眼前又浮现出八月那天威尔一双失神的眼睛。

　　“悲哀填满了我那不在跟前的孩子的房间，

　　躺在他的床上，陪着我到东到西，

　　装扮出他美妙的神情，复述着他的言语……”

　　理查·白贝芝也曾讲过。哈姆奈特死后，威尔的创作风格迥然不同。威尔照样在剧本上讥讽世人，但也对人们寄予无限的同情——同情全世界的人，不论好与坏、贫与富、长与幼。他塑造的人物是真实的。世上本无十全十美的好人，也无十恶不赦的坏人。

　　《威尼斯商人》一剧就是最好的例证。剧中的夏洛克是个残忍无情的高利贷者——每个人都憎恨他，但故事最终，当夏洛克倾家荡产之后，你又不得不起恻隐之心。他毕竟只是个可悲的老头。