Unit Four Renaissance Drama and Shakespeare.docVIP

Unit Four Renaissance Drama and Shakespeare Warming-up 常识预习1. What English period is known as the age of Shakespeare?2. Can you name some of the comedies written by Shakespeare?3. What are the most popular tragedies by Shakespeare?4. Shakespeare uses a lot of old English in his works. What do these words mean in modern English? Thou, thee, thine, thy.5. The 154 sonnets by Shakespeare attract more attention than anything else he wrote except Hamlet. Do you know any of them?6. Ben Jonson said that Shakespeare “was not of an age, but for all time!” What’s your opinion? Lecturette专题讲座 Renaissance Drama and ShakespeareThe 45-year long reign of Elizabeth I of England is the English Renaissance. The greatest achievement of the Elizabethans was in the development of their drama, and the greatest figure of Elizabethan drama was William Shakespeare (1564-1616). This era in English cultural history is often referred to as the age of Shakespeare.However, the development of professional drama would have been impossible without the protection of Queen and Court. And Shakespeare was one of the owners of the Globe theatre built in 1599. All roles at Shakespeare’s time were interpreted by men and boys – no women were allowed to act. As a rule noble characters speak verse, especially when they are in the grip of great emotions, but servants speak prose.Shakespeare is the most widely known poet and playwright of the English language, whose language has been said to be the richest employed by any single man.His early comedies and tragedies reflect the influence of popular contemporary style and, above all, inspiration from his reading of stories from the classics. In his later works he developed a style of his own and a depth of character analysis which makes his plays uniquely alive and still popular 400 years later.Shakespeare was born in Stratford-o-Avon where his family house, his old grammar school and his grave can still be seen today. The Merchant of Venice (c 1595)