第四讲：A Study of William Shakespeare.pptVIP

A Study of William Shakespeare I. Life Theatrical Career William Shakespeare (1564-1616) An English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the worlds pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called Englands national poet and the Bard of Avon. Born At Stratford-upon-Avon where he was given a grammar school education Between 1585 and 1592, he began a successful career in London as an actor, writer, and share holder of a playing company called the Lord Chamberlains Men, later known as the Kings Men. He appears to have retired to Stratford around 1613, where he died three years later. Few records of Shakespeares private life survive, and there has been considerable speculation about such matters as his physical appearance, sexuality, religious beliefs, and whether the works attributed to him were written by others. II. Shakespeare’s dramatic Career (1)1590-1594, form Henry VI to Romeo and Juliet: early works, in which the playwright experiments in different types of drama: histories, varieties of comedy, a revenge play and romantic tragedy (2) 1595-1600, from Richard II to Twelfth Night: a mature style is gradually developed, concentrated in imagery and increasingly forceful in characterization. (3) 1601-1608, from Hamlet to Timon of Athens: the great tragedies and satiric comedies showing now a fully developed style and a mode of tragic thought which is unlike either the great tragedies of ancient Greece or the cruder conceptions of the Middle Age (4) 1609-1611, from Pericles to the Tempest: the “reconciliation plays” (romance) where tragedy is transmuted(变形) into reconciliation of opposing elements III. Shakespeares Theatre Shakespeare’s theatre was characterized by an open courtyard enclosed by roofed-over galleries three stories high. The main action area was a large platform which projected into the center of the courtyard, placing the actor in intimate contact with his audience. There were seats in the galle