Meaning: That is a question whether to
live on in this world or to die, that is, to
take action or to do nothing.
“To be or not to be: that is the question”
•-- Soft you now! The fair Ophelia! Nymph, in thy (your) orisons Be all my sins remember'd. ---Hamlet
且慢！美丽的奥菲利娅！——女神， 在你的祈祷之中，不要忘记替我忏悔 我的罪孽。
Hamlet
The Prince of Denmark, the title character, and the protagonist. About thirty years old at the start of the play, the son of Queen Gertrude and the late King Hamlet, the nephew of the presenttumes were often the company’s most valuable asset Costumes were made by the company, bought in London, or donated by courtiers

The Globe Theater
from the heart”
空话,空话,只是空话,没有一点发自内心.
Romeo, Romeo, why are you Romeo ? Deny your father, and refuse your name…
Version In modern English
罗密欧,罗密欧,你为什么是罗密欧?否定你的父亲放弃 你的姓氏.

Hamlet’s soliloquy
For such a figure as Hamlet, soliloquy is a natural medium, a necessary release of his anguish; and some of his questioning monologues possess surpassing power and insight, which have survived centuries of being torn from their context.

Ben Jonson dedicated（devoted） a poem in praise of Shakespeare
我的莎士比亚，起来吧。我不想把你 安置在乔叟、斯宾塞的身旁，或者叫波蒙特 躺过去一点，给你让出些地方。 即使没有墓，你也是一块丰碑， 你仍然活着，只要你的书还在， 只要我们会读书，我们会说出赞词。…… 自豪吧，我的不列颠，你拿的出一个人， 欧洲所有剧坛都向他致敬。 他不只属于一个时代，而是属于永远。

The Cost of a Show
1
shilling to stand 2 shillings to sit in the balcony 1 shilling was 10% of their weekly income
Actors



Only men and boys Young boys whose voices had not changed play women’s roles Would have been considered indecent for a woman to appear on stage
全世界是个舞台，男男女女只是演员
而已，他们都有其退场和登场，人生 在世扮演着多种角色，它的表演有七 个时期。
“Life’s but a walking shadow; a poor player, That struts and frets his hour upon the stage, And is heard of no more: it is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing.”
The evidence suggests that it was a three-storey, open-air amphitheatre approximately 100 feet (30 m) in diameter that could house up to 3,000 spectators.

Histories
2 Henry VI 3 Henry VI 1 Henry VI Richard III Richard II

King John 1 Henry IV 2 Henry IV Henry V Henry VIII

His History Plays

Shakespeare’s Language
A mix of old and very new Rural and urban words/images Understandable by the lowest peasant and the highest noble

Thou=you(主格） Thy=your（物主代词）
生存还是毁灭,这是个问题.
William Shakespeare –
All the world's a Stage (from As You Like It) ) 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, His acts being seven ages.
Thee=you（宾格）
Warming-up
Match the meaning with the quotation and the play.
Meaning: Empty words, not real thoughts or ideas from the heart.
“Words, words, only words, no matter
The Globe Theatre
– Shakespeare’s Most Successful Financial Venture
Called the “Wooden O” because of its eight sided shape. Stayed in business because of the favor of the royalty of the time
Meaning: It is best not to lend (money) to others and not to borrow from others. When we lend sth, we risk losing both the thing we lend and the friendship with the other person.
Four Great Tragedies
Hamlet(1601)
哈姆雷特
Othello(1604)
奥赛罗
King Lear(1605)
李尔王
Macbeth(1606)
麦克白

His comedies celebrate human social life even as they expose human folly（stupid） . By means that are sometimes humiliating （ degrade ） , even painful, characters learn greater wisdom and emerge with a clearer view of reality. Tragedies begin happily and end in misery. Comedies, on the other hand, begin in misery and end happily.
“Neither a borrower nor a lender be”
别借债,莫放债.
Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.
头戴王冠,寝食不安.
Meaning: A person who has great responsibility, such as a king, is constantly worried and therefore doesn’t sleep soundly.

History plays（sometimes known as chronicle plays ）----a highly popular form of drama in Shakespeare’s time.
Shakespeare’s Poetry
Poetry
Venus and Adonis The Rape of Lucrece Sonnets
William Shakespeare
(1564-1616)
Shakespeare’s Works
154 sonnets
十四行诗
2 long poems
Comedies
37 plays
Tragedies History plays Tragi-comedies
HIS TRAGEDIES
among