Covey H
University of Colorado at Boulder, USA.
Int J Aging Hum Dev. 2000;50(3):169-83. doi: 10.2190/JAUT-1A0G-77F6-W78G.
The plays of William Shakespeare were reviewed for references to disabilities, aging and disability, and older characters with disabilities. Shakespeare's references draw from traditional cultural notions about older people with disabilities. These traditional notions include people with physical disabilities being evil, the entertainment value of disabilty, and those who were mentally ill being wild and animal-like. He viewed the aging process as disabling and old age as a time when individuals lost some abilities to function, particularly when it came to mental capacity and physical mobility. His writings show that he used disability as a literary tool to add dimension to characters and set them apart. Contemporary literature continues to share some of Shakespeare's view on aging and disability but also departs from them in important ways. For example, contemporary treatment of disabilities and aging places more emphasis on the human side of the affects of aging and disabilities. Disabilities and aging are not cast in the same negative terms as Shakespeare used.
对威廉·莎士比亚的戏剧进行了审查，以查找其中关于残疾、衰老与残疾以及残疾老年角色的内容。莎士比亚的相关描述借鉴了关于残疾老年人的传统文化观念。这些传统观念包括身体残疾者邪恶、残疾的娱乐价值，以及精神疾病患者狂野如兽。他将衰老过程视为致残因素，认为老年是个体丧失某些功能能力的时期，尤其是在心理能力和身体 mobility 方面。他的作品表明，他将残疾用作一种文学手段，以丰富角色并使其与众不同。当代文学在一定程度上延续了莎士比亚对衰老和残疾的一些观点，但也在重要方面与之不同。例如，当代对残疾和衰老的处理更加强调衰老和残疾影响的人性一面。残疾和衰老不再像莎士比亚所使用的那样被赋予相同的负面含义。
