This essay explores Shakespeare's use of the classical legend of Medea in 2 Henry VI and shows how the remainder of the first tetralogy is haunted by her first crime, the killing of her young brother Absyrtus. (1) The mutilated body of Absyrtus held a particular interest for classically-minded English writers of the early modern period; in 2 Henry VI it is invoked by the Lancastrian Young Clifford as he swears revenge on the house of York for the death of his father. (2) I will show how Shakespeare augments and sensationalizes chronicle history by absorbing this notorious and popular story into his history plays, and will argue that the Lancastrian nobleman's brief classical reference signifies more than might first appear. By invoking this myth, Shakespeare registers anxiety about the irreversible damage done by civil war. Moreover, the story demonstrates Clifford's bloody intentions toward Yorkist bodies, but also forecasts his own fate, because of his misunderstanding of what it means to use Medea as an example. Inga-Stina Ewbank posits that, although Shakespeare does not explicitly return to the Absyrtus story after 2 Henry VI, the bloody classical legend "continues, as it were, underground to enrich the texture of the episodes of 2 and 3 Henry VI which are consequent on this scene." (3) In my discussion of 3 Henry VI and Richard III, I will show how the latter two plays in the tetralogy are haunted by Clifford's reference to Medea and Absyrtus. Having explicitly compared himself to the child-killer in 2 Henry VI, Clifford realizes his own Medea-like potential in 3 Henry VI, when he slaughters the Earl of Rutland, young son of the Duke of York. The cruel death of this child and the memory of the classical myth of fratricide that underpins it are a means for Shakespeare to complexify not only Clifford's character, but also those of other historical figures who find themselves pulled into Clifford's reimagining of the Absyrtus story: Margaret, York, and even the future Richard III, who is unexpectedly affected by his brother's fate. As 2 Henry VI moves to its conclusion, Clifford discovers the body of his father, Lord Clifford, who has been slain in battle by the Duke of York. Declaring "York not our old men spares; / No more will I their babes" (5.3.51-52), a raging Clifford compares himself to Medea and Aeneas, both familiar figures from Roman mythology: Henceforth I will not have to do with pity. Meet I an infant of the house of York, Into as many gobbets will I cut it As wild Medea young Absyrtus did. In cruelty will I seek out my fame. Come, thou new ruin of old Clifford's house, He takes his father's body up on his back As did Aeneas old Anchises bear, So bear I thee upon my manly shoulders. But then Aeneas bare a living load, Nothing so heavy as these woes of mine. (5.3.56-O5) (4) For Clifford's hyperbolic swearing, Shakespeare turned to Medea as she was reconceived by the first Elizabethan translators of Ovid and Seneca. He refers to the part of the myth that sees her kill and dismember her young brother to distract her father, King Aeetes, who is pursuing her as she elopes from Colchis with Jason. (5) The fullest classical description of the fratricide is given in Ovid's Tristia (translated by Thomas Churchyard in 1572). Churchyard's translation of book 3, elegy 9 recounts the Argonauts' escape, and Medea's desperate act: When ha[s]ting ships with spee[d]y pace to draw more neare she spide, By craft we must my father flee, (we are betrayd) she cride. Whyle she for counsell paused then, and looked round about, In sight at last her brother sawe, amids her deepest doubt. Whom when she spide, forthwith she sayd: I dare us well assure. My br[o]thers death the cause shalbe, our safety to procure. Hee all unwares and dreading nought, her cancred cruell spight, Into his side her bloudy sword she thrust with raging might. …

中文翻译：

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“约克家族的婴儿”：莎士比亚第一部四部曲中的美狄亚和阿布西尔图斯

这篇文章探讨了莎士比亚在 2 亨利六世中对美狄亚经典传说的使用，并展示了第一部四部曲的其余部分如何被她的第一次犯罪，即杀害她的弟弟阿布西尔图斯所困扰。(1) Absyrtus 被肢解的尸体对近代早期具有古典思想的英国作家特别感兴趣；在 2 亨利六世中，兰开斯特青年克利福德在发誓要为父亲的死向约克家族报仇时引用了这一点。(2) 我将展示莎士比亚如何通过将这个臭名昭著的流行故事吸收到他的历史剧中来增强和轰动编年史，并论证这位兰开斯特贵族简短的经典参考意义比最初出现的要多。通过援引这个神话，莎士比亚表达了对内战造成的不可逆转的破坏的焦虑。而且，这个故事展示了克利福德对约克人尸体的血腥意图，但也预测了他自己的命运，因为他误解了以美狄亚为例的含义。Inga-Stina Ewbank 认为，虽然莎士比亚在 2 亨利六世之后没有明确返回阿布西尔图斯的故事，但这个血腥的经典传说“可以说是继续在地下丰富了亨利六世 2 和 3在这一幕。” (3) 在我对 3 亨利六世和理查三世的讨论中，我将展示四部曲中的后两部戏剧如何被克利福德对美狄亚和阿布西尔图斯的引用所困扰。克利福德在《亨利六世》中明确将自己与杀害儿童的凶手相提并论，他在《亨利六世》中屠杀了约克公爵的小儿子拉特兰伯爵时，意识到了自己类似美狄亚的潜力。这个孩子的残酷死亡以及支撑它的经典兄弟相残神话的记忆是莎士比亚不仅使克利福德的性格复杂化的一种手段，而且使其他历史人物的性格复杂化，他们发现自己被卷入了克利福德对 Absyrtus 故事的重新想象：玛格丽特，约克，甚至是未来的理查三世，他的兄弟命运出乎意料地受到影响。当亨利六世接近尾声时，克利福德发现了他父亲克利福德勋爵的尸体，他在战斗中被约克公爵杀死。愤怒的克利福德宣称“我们的老人不会饶恕约克；/我不再是他们的宝贝”（5.3.51-52），愤怒的克利福德将自己与美狄亚和埃涅阿斯进行比较，这两个都是罗马神话中的熟悉人物：从今以后我将不再与遗憾。遇见我约克家族的婴儿，我会像野性的美狄亚年轻的 Absyrtus 那样把它切成尽可能多的 gobbets。我将残酷地寻求我的名声。来吧，你这个旧克利福家的新废墟，他把他父亲的尸体背在背上，就像埃涅阿斯的老安奇塞斯一样，所以我把你扛在我男子汉的肩膀上。但是埃涅阿斯背负着生活的重担， 没有什么比我的这些不幸更沉重了。(5.3.56-O5) (4) 对于克利福德的夸张咒骂，莎士比亚转向了美狄亚，因为她被奥维德和塞内卡的第一批伊丽莎白时代的翻译家重新构思。他指的是神话中看到她杀死并肢解她的弟弟以分散她父亲埃埃特斯国王的注意力的部分，埃埃特斯国王在她与杰森一起从科尔基斯私奔时追捕她。(5) 奥维德的《特里斯蒂亚》（Thomas Churchyard 于 1572 年翻译）中给出了对自相残杀的最完整的经典描述。墓地' 第 3 卷的译本，挽歌 9 讲述了阿尔戈英雄的逃跑，以及美狄亚的绝望行为：当以极快的速度驾驶船只以更接近她时，我们必须通过手艺逃离我父亲，（我们被背叛）她相信。为什么她寻求咨询的时候停了下来，环顾四周，在她最深的怀疑中，终于看到了她的兄弟锯。当她躲开谁时，她立即说：我敢保证。我的兄弟 [o]thers 死的原因应该是，我们的安全采购。嘿，所有的不小心和可怕的无所事事，她那可怕的残忍的眼神， 她以狂暴的力量将她的血腥剑刺入他的身边。 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . … 环顾四周，在她最深的怀疑中，终于看到了她的兄弟。当她躲开谁时，她立即说：我敢保证。我的兄弟 [o]thers 死的原因应该是，我们的安全采购。嘿，所有的不小心和可怕的无所事事，她那可怕的残忍的眼神， 她以狂暴的力量将她的血腥剑刺入他的身边。 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . … 环顾四周，在她最深的怀疑中，终于看到了她的兄弟。当她躲开谁时，她立即说：我敢保证。我的兄弟 [o]thers 死的原因应该是，我们的安全采购。嘻嘻所有的不小心和可怕的无所事事，她那可怕的残忍的眼神， 她以狂暴的力量将她的血腥剑刺入他的身边。…