|
英国阿伯里斯特威斯大学的研究人员表示，被世人仰慕的文学巨匠莎士比亚其实还有不为人知的一面：他曾是一个“无良商人”，而且还是逃税份子。研究人员查阅文档后发现，莎士比亚曾是一个有钱的地主，在欧洲饥荒期间他曾以高价出售囤积的粮食，且因逃税而屡次被告上法庭。研究人员称，莎士比亚尽其所能“逃避税收，从别人的消费中将个人收益最大化，在创作有关弱势人群的文学作品的同时搜刮他们的钱财。”研究人员指出，因为当时没有版权概念，莎士比亚完全没有意识到自己的作品也能带来收入；通过合法和非法的商业活动，到1613年莎士比亚已是当地最大的地主，并在当年宣布退休，而他的工作生涯仅为24年。 It sounds like the sort of character who would have been deeply unpopular in one of his plays. William Shakespeare was a 'ruthless businessman' and tax dodger, researchers have claimed. Although he wrote plays that championed the rights of the poor and the needy, archived documents show the playwright was actually a wealthy landowner repeatedly dragged before the courts and fined for illegally stockpiling food and threatened with jail for evading taxes. He 'stored grain, malt and barley for resale at inflated prices to neighbours and local tradesmen' at a time when Europe was suffering famines, the academics said, and channelled the profits into land purchases. | 
