高中进阶 (2289 期 20151103) 4-5 版

Shakespeare in Modern English?

• Who is Shakespeare? Who is Shakespeare? How much do you know How much do you know about him?about him?

• Have you ever read any Have you ever read any plays or poems written by plays or poems written by Shakespeare? If so, what Shakespeare? If so, what were they? What were the were they? What were the plays or poems about?plays or poems about?

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Pre-Pre-readingreading

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Pre-Pre-readingreadingWILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

William Shakespeare (1564-1616) is William Shakespeare (1564-1616) is widely considered to be the greatest widely considered to be the greatest writer in the English language. He wrote writer in the English language. He wrote 38 plays and 154 sonnets (38 plays and 154 sonnets ( 十四行诗十四行诗 ).).

HIS FAMOUS PLAYS

ComediesComedies: : A Midsummer Night’s DreamA Midsummer Night’s Dream, , As You Like ItAs You Like It, , Twelfth NightTwelfth Night and and The Merchant of VeniceThe Merchant of Venice

TragediesTragedies: : Hamlet, Othello, King LearHamlet, Othello, King Lear, , Macbeth Macbeth andand Romeo and JulietRomeo and Juliet

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Pre-Pre-readingreadingHAVE A TRY

Can you understand what Shakespeare was saying?Can you understand what Shakespeare was saying?

He that is your friend indeed will help He that is your friend indeed will help you in your need: If you sorrow, he you in your need: If you sorrow, he will weep; If you wake, he cannot will weep; If you wake, he cannot sleep. Thus, of every grief in heart, sleep. Thus, of every grief in heart, he bears a part with you.he bears a part with you.

He that is thy friend indeed, He will help thee in thy need: If thou sorrow, He will weep; If thou wake, He cannot sleep: Thus of every grief in heart He with thee does bear a part.

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capture v. 捕捉

Jonson failed to see that these speeches were intentionally “meaningless.” Shakespeare was capturing a feverish mind at work, tracing the ups and downs of a character’s moral crisis.

While While readingreading

intentionally adv. 故意地

ups and downs 跌宕起伏

WORD BANK

feverish adj. 焦躁不安的trace v. 描绘，追述

meaningless adj. 没有意义的

moral adj. 精神上的，心理上的crisis n. 关键点，转折点

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... actors have long depended on the subtle changes of meaning and emphasis that the great playwright placed in his work. They will search for them, however, not in the original but ...

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emphasis n. 重点

WORD BANK

playwright n. 剧作家place v. 安排，放置

subtle adj. 微妙的

original n. 原稿，原作

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So, instead of wasting time peeling away ... spend its money hiring such experts and enabling those 36 promising playwrights to write the next Broadway hit based on Shakespeare’s original work.

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WORD BANK

enable v. 使能够promising adj. 有前途的

peel away 剥去

hit n. 受欢迎的事物

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Fill in each of the following blanks with the proper form of the given word.

VOCABULARY EXERCISES

While While readingreading

1. I didn’t ignore her ______________—I just didn’t recognize her. (intend)2. Teaching history to five-year-olds in a ___________ way can be very difficult. (meaningless)3. It must be _____________ that not all natural remedies are safe. (emphasis)4. Although the technology ___________ in the U.K., it has been developed in the U.S. (original)5. She’s a ___________ in modern British literature. (specialize)

intentionallyintentionally

meaningfulmeaningful

emphasizedemphasized

originatedoriginated

specialistspecialist

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Translate the following sentences into English.Translate the following sentences into English.

1. 这家公司很可能要关闭。 (likely)

2. 今年将是情势多变的一年。 (ups and downs)

3. 你能一字不差地复述我刚才说过的话吗？ (word for word)

4. 在体育中，真正重要的不是获胜而是参与比赛。 (count v.)

It is highly likely that the factory will have to It is highly likely that the factory will have to closeclose

In sport, what really counts is not the In sport, what really counts is not the winning but the playing.winning but the playing.

It’s going to be a year of ups and downs.It’s going to be a year of ups and downs.

Can you repeat what I’ve just said word for Can you repeat what I’ve just said word for word.word.

VOCABULARY EXERCISES

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1. According to the article, why does the author think Shakespeare’s plays can be hard for today’s audiences?A. Because Shakespeare’s language is very difficult indeed.B. Because many speeches in Shakespeare’s plays are meaningless.C. Because the directors and actors don’t have a firm grasp of Shakespeare’s plays themselves.D. Because Shakespeare’s plays haven’t yet been translated into modern English.

Choose the best answer.

COMPREHENSION

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O

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2. According to the article, how do directors and actors usually understand Shakespeare’s characters?A. By asking experts specialized in Shakespeare’s language.B. By reading Shakespeare’s original works line for line.C. By working with dozens of promising playwrights from around the globe.D. By searching for subtle changes of meaning and emphasis in the translation.

COMPREHENSION

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O

Choose the best answer.

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3. What is the main idea of the article?A. Shakespeare’s language is too difficult for today’s audiences.B. It’s a waste of time to translate Shakespeare’s work into modern English.C. Language counts a lot in Shakespeare’s plays.D. Many of Shakespeare’s productions these days are of a poor quality.

COMPREHENSION

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O

Choose the best answer.

1. What is the author’s intention by mentioning Ben Jonson’s complaint in Paragraph 3?

The author intends to argue that the reason why Shakespeare’s plays tend to be hard has been long misunderstood.

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Answer the following question.

While While readingreadingCOMPREHENSION

2. Why would actors who are searching for subtle changes of meaning and emphasis usually end up in failure?

Because instead of the original work, they would usually depend on the translation, in which these subtle changes of meaning and emphasis are lost.

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Answer the following question.

While While readingreadingCOMPREHENSION

..., they grasp what Macbeth feels—but only if an actor knows what that character’s words mean.

☞ 在 only if 这个短语中，副词 only 是中心词，而从属连接词 if只是用来连接从句的。因此，它表示“只有……（才）”、“只有在……的时候”的意思。e.g. I told him he would succeed only if he tried hard.

一个容易与之混淆的短语是 if only 。在 if only 这个短语中，中心词是从属连接词 if, 而副词 only 只是加强了 if 的语气。因此，if only 仅仅是 if 的一种强化形式，常常用在虚拟语气中，表达强烈的愿望或遗憾，可译为“但愿”、“要是……该多好啊”等。e.g. If only I were as clever as you!

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Language Language studystudyGRAMMAR TIP

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YOUR TURN

Language Language studystudy

Fill in the blanks with either “only if” or “if Fill in the blanks with either “only if” or “if only”.only”.

1. ____________ the case is urgent should you call out the doctor in the middle of the night.

2. The pills might have helped him, ___________ he had taken them regularly.

3. ___________ she had done what I told her, she wouldn’t be in this trouble.

4. Children are admitted ___________ accompanied by an adult.

5. Others will believe in you ___________ you first believe in yourself.

Only Only ifif

if if onlyonly

If If onlyonly

only only ifif only only

ifif

Here are some most famous quotes from Shakespeare’s work. Which one do you like most? What does it mean? Discuss it with your classmate.

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Question for further discussion:Question for further discussion:

After After readingreading

To be, or not to be: that is the question. (Hamlet)

All the world ‘s a stage, and all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts. (As You Like It)

Cowards ( 懦夫 ) die many times before their deaths; the valiant ( 勇士 ) never taste of death but once. (Julius Caesar)

All that glisters is not gold. (The Merchant of Venice)

Nothing will come of nothing. (King Lear)

There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so. (Hamlet)