作者

威廉．莎士比亞 (William Shakespeare)／原著

英國伊莉莎白時代傑出的詩人及劇作家。其最為人稱道的是他的悲劇作品，故與希臘三大悲劇家艾斯奇勒斯（Aeschylus）、索福克里斯（Sophocles）、尤里比底斯（Euripides）合稱戲劇史上四大悲劇家。
他的戲劇作品風靡至今，不僅在全球各地上演，亦在各界的改編與重新演繹下，現身於各類文藝作品中。莎士比亞以多部令人驚嘆的經典戲劇築起他崇高的戲劇地位，因此馬克思稱他為「最偉大的戲劇天才」。

蘭姆姊弟 (Mary and Charles Lamb)／改寫

蘭姆姊弟皆為英國知名散文家。一八○六年，好友威廉．戈德溫（William Godwin）和他的第二任妻子瑪莉．戈德溫（Mary Godwin）一同邀請瑪麗改寫莎士比亞的戲劇作品，希望能將莎劇改寫成散文，以供大眾閱讀；於是兩姊弟聯手，由姐姐瑪麗負責喜劇，弟弟查爾斯則負責悲劇，將莎劇改編成大眾讀物，即是一八○七年問世的《莎士比亞故事集》（Tales from Shakespare）。
由蘭姆姊弟改寫的《莎士比亞故事集》不僅提升莎士比亞文學劇作家的地位，亦成為戲劇初學者領略莎士比亞作品的入門首選，讓不習慣戲劇念白格式的讀者，亦能領略莎劇的精妙之處。

繪者簡介
楊宛靜

專職自由插畫家。
居住在臺中，喜愛大自然、貓咪，以及簡單、美好、幽默的人事物。平常喜歡騎著腳踏車吹風、看電影、旅行、閱讀、聽音樂與園藝。喜歡動物，因此畫了許多以動物為故事主角的插圖，畫風多變。期許自己一直畫下去，以圖像帶給大人和小孩歡樂！
繪有《狐狸的錢袋》、《神奇掃帚出租中》、《親愛的》、《大鬼小鬼圖書館》等插畫作品。

譯者

譯者簡介
張佩雯

文字工作者，兼職翻譯，譯有《安徒生童話》。

目錄

導讀
作家生平解析
I. 羅密歐與茱麗葉
II. 威尼斯商人
III. 仲夏夜之夢
IV. 李爾王
V. 無事生非
VI. 哈姆雷特

I. Romeo and Juliet
II. The Merchant of Venice
III. A Midsummer Night's Dream
IV. King Lear
V. Much Ado about Nothing
VI. Hamlet, Prince of Denmark

試閱

午夜時分，羅密歐和他的同伴一起離開。可是不久他們就走散了，因為羅密歐早已把他的心留在剛才的屋子裡，所以獨自徘徊一會後，就從茱麗葉住房後面那座果園的圍牆跳了進去。他在那兒回味方才發生的愛戀，不久茱麗葉竟出現在他前方的窗臺上。她美麗的容貌就像東方初昇的朝陽那般耀眼；在羅密歐眼裡，果園上空黯淡的月光，在她這輪燦爛的旭日下顯得憔悴蒼白。茱麗葉用手托著臉頰，羅密歐恨不得自己是她手上的一隻手套，好撫摸她光滑動人的面龐。茱麗葉誤以為此處只有她獨自一人，便深深地嘆了一口氣說：「可憐的我啊！」
羅密歐聽見她說話後為之狂喜，他以茱麗葉無法聽見的音量輕聲喃語：「啊，美麗的天使，再多說一點吧！妳出現在我視線上方，正如一位有翼天使從天而降，凡人只能昂首瞻仰。」
茱麗葉並未察覺此刻有人正偷聽她的喃喃自語，內心充斥著今晚的冒險奇遇帶來的刺激感，口中不禁呼喊著自己情人的名字（她不知道他在那裡）：「喔，羅密歐、羅密歐！你為什麼會是羅密歐呢？為了我，斷絕與你父親的關係、放棄你的姓氏吧！如果你不願意，那麼只要你發誓愛我，那一刻起，我就不再是卡帕萊特家的人了。」
羅密歐受到茱麗葉這番話的鼓舞，本想開口說話，可是他還想再聽她多說幾句。那位女孩仍舊熱烈地自言自語著（她以為是這樣），她責怪羅密歐不該叫羅密歐，不該是蒙特鳩家的人；她情願他喚作別的名字，或者把那可恨且不屬於他的名字丟掉，他就能擁有她的一切。
聽到這樣的情話，羅密歐不禁搭聲說話，好像她剛才是直接對他說話似。他要茱麗葉稱他為「愛人」或是她喜歡的名字，如果她不喜歡羅密歐這個名字，那他從此不再是羅密歐。

※※※※※※※※

It being midnight, Romeo with his companions departed; but they soon missed him, for, unable to stay away from the house where he had left his heart, he leaped the wall of an orchard which was at the back of Juliet’s house. Here he had not been long, ruminating on his new love, when Juliet appeared above at a window, through which her exceeding beauty seemed to break like the light of the sun in the east; and the moon, which shone in the orchard with a faint light, appeared to Romeo as if sick and pale with grief at the superior lustre of this new sun. And she, leaning her cheek upon her hand, he passionately wished himself a glove upon that hand, that he might touch her cheek. She all this while thinking herself alone, fetched a deep sigh, and exclaimed: ’Ah me!’ Romeo, enraptured to hear her speak, said softly, and unheard by her: ’O speak again, bright angel, for such you appear, being over my head, like a winged messenger from heaven whom mortals fall back to gaze upon.’ She, unconscious of being overheard, and full of the new passion which that night’s adventure had given birth to, called upon her lover by name (whom she supposed absent): ’O Romeo, Romeo!’ said she, ’wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father, and refuse thy name, for my sake; or if thou wilt not, be but my sworn love, and I no longer will be a Capulet.’
Romeo, having this encouragement, would fain have spoken, but he was desirous of hearing more; and the lady continued her passionate discourse with herself (as she thought), still chiding Romeo for being Romeo and a Montague, and wishing him some other name, or that he would put away that hated name, and for that name which was no part of himself, he should take all herself. At this loving word Romeo could no longer refrain, but taking up the dialogue as if her words had been addressed to him personally, and not merely in fancy, he bade her call him Love, or by whatever other name she pleased, for he was no longer Romeo, if that name was displeasing to her.