Vocabulary. damnation - проклятие

damnation - проклятие

lust - страсть, вожделение, похоть

forbidden - запрещенный

define - определять, давать характеристику evidence - подтверждение astound - поражать, изумлять. spectacle - зрелище awe-inspiring - внушающий страх conqueror - завоеватель subversive - разрушительный, глобальный witchcraft - колдовство shepherd - пастух

Answer the Questions

1.What was Marlowe's most famous work?

2. What is his best play about?

3. Where was Marlowe born?

4. What kind of service work for goverment did he do?

5. What play helped Marlowe establish his theatrical reputation?

6. What do his later plays focus on?

4.5. William Shakespeare William Shakespeare (1564—1616), was an English play­wright and poet. He is generally considered the greatest dramatist the world has ever known and the finest poet who has written in the English language. Shakespeare has also been the world's most popular author. No other writer's plays have been produced so many times or read so widely in so many countries.

Many reasons can be given for Shakespeare's broad appeal. But his fame basically rests on his understanding of human nature. Shakespeare understood people as few other artists have. He could see in a specific dramatic situation the qualities that relate to all human beings. He could thus create characters that have meaning beyond the time and place of his plays. Yet his characters arc not symbolic figures. They are remarkably individual human beings. They struggle just as people do in real life, sometimes successfully and sometimes with painful and tragic failure.

Shakespeare wrote at least 37 plays, which have traditionally been divided into comedies, histories, and tragedies. These plays contain vivid characters of all types and from many walks of life. Kings, pickpockets, drunkards, generals, hired killers, shepherds, and philosophers all mingle in Shakespeare's works.

In addition lo his deep understanding of human nature, Shakespeare had knowledge in a wide variety of other subjects. These subjects include music, the law, the Bible, military science, the stage, art, politics, the sea, history, hunting, woodcraft, and sports. Yet as far as scholars know, Shakespeare had no profes­sional experience in any field except the theater.

Shakespeare was bom to what today would be called middle- class parents. His birthplace was the small market town of Stratford- upon-Avon. Shortly after he married at the age of 18, Shakespeare apparently left Stratford to seek his fortune in the theatrical world of London. Within a few years, he had become one of the city's leading actors and playwrights. By 1612, when he seems lo have partially retired to Stratford, Shakespeare had become England's most popular playwright.

Shakespeare has had enormous influence on culture through­out the world. His works have helped shape the literature of all English-speaking countries and of such countries as Germany and Russia. Shakespeare also contributed greatly to the develop­ment of the English language. He freely experimented with gram­mar and Vocabulary and so helped prevent literary English from becoming fixed and artificial.

Shakespeare's influence on language has not been limited to writers and scholars. Many words and phrases from Shakespeare's plays and poems have become part of our everyday speech. They are used by millions of people who arc unaware that Shakespeare created them. For example, Shakespeare originated such familiar phrases as fair play, a foregone conclusion, catch cold, and dis­graceful conduct. As far as scholars can tell, Shakespeare also in­vented such common words as assassination, bump, eventful, and lonely.

Many people can identify lines and passages as Shakespeare's even though they have never seen or read one of his plays. Ex­amples include «To be, or not to be», «Friends, Romans, country­men, lend me your ears», and «А horse! a horse! my kingdom for a horse!»

Shakespeare's genius as a poet enabled him to express an idea both briefly and colorfully. In his tragedy «Othello», for example, he described jealousy as «the green-eyed monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on». In the tragedy «King Lear», Shakespeare described a daughter's ingratitude toward her father as «sharper than a serpent's tooth».

Besides influencing language and literature, Shakespeare has affected other aspects of culture in the English-speaking world. His plays and poems have long been a required part of a liberal educa­tion. As a result, Shakespeare's ideas on such subjects as heroism, romantic love, and the nature of tragedy have helped shape the attitudes of millions of people. His brilliant portrayals of historical figures and events have also influenced our thinking. For example, many people visualize Julius Caesar, Mark Antony, and Cleopatra as Shakespeare portrayed them, not as they have been described in history books.

Even historians themselves have been influenced by Shakespeare's greatness. Shakespeare lived in England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, a period known as the Elizabethan Age. Historians consider the Elizabethan Age as a peak of English cul­ture. But one can question whether the period would seem so im­portant if Shakespeare had not lived and worked in it.

Shakespeare's widespread influence reflects his astonishing popularity. His plays have been a vital part of the theater in the Western world since they were written more than 300 years ago. Through the years, most serious actors and actresses have consid­ered the major roles of Shakespeare to be the supreme test of their art.

Shakespeare's plays have attracted large audiences in big, so­phisticated cities and in small, rural towns. His works have been performed on the frontiers of Australia and New Zealand. They were part of the cultural life of the American Colonies and pro­vided entertainment in the mining camps of the Old West. Today, there arc theaters in England, the United States, and Canada dedi­cated to staging some of Shakespeare's works yearly.

Shakespeare's plays appeal to readers as well as to theatergoers. His plays — and his poems — have been reprinted and translated countless limes. Indeed, a publishing industry flourishes around Shakespeare, as critics and scholars examine every aspect of the man, his writings, and his influence. Each year, hundred of books and articles appear on Shakespearean subjects. Thousands of schol- ars from all over (he world gather in dozens of meetings annually to discuss topics related to Shakespeare. Special libraries and li­brary collections focus upon Shakespeare. Numerous motion pic­tures have been made of his plays. Composers have written operas, musical comedies, and instrumental works based on his stories and characters.

The world has admired and respected many great writers. But only Shakespeare has generated such varied and continuing inter­est — and such constant affection.

During the Elizabethan Age, the English cared little about keep­ing biographical information unrelated to affairs of the church or state. In addition, playwriting was not a highly regarded occupa­tion, and so Elizabethans saw little point in recording the lives of mere dramatists. However, a number of records exist that deal with Shakespeare's life. They include church registers and accounts of business dealings. Although these records arc few and incomplete by modem standards, they provide much information. By relating these records to various aspccts of Elizabethan history and society, scholars have filled in the gaps in the factual account of Shakespeare's life. As a result, they provide a reasonably clear and dependable biography of the playwright.