“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.
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.
William Shakespeare
(1564-1616)
Shakespeare’s Works
154 sonnets
2 long poems
Comedies
十四行诗
37 plays
Tragedies History plays Tragi-comedies
HIS TRAGEDIES
among

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
the most powerful studies of human nature in all literature appropriately as the greatest achievements of his dramatic artistry his unforgettable tragic characters, such as Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, and Ma

Well-known Comedies
The Merchant of Venice 威尼斯商人 A Midsummer Night’s Dream 仲夏夜之梦 Twelfth Night 第十二夜 As You Like It 皆大欢喜 All’s Well That Ends Well 终成眷属 Much Ado about Nothing 无事生非

`A Lover's Complaint' The Passionate Pilgrim The Phoenix and The Turtle

Shakespeare’s Language
Shakespeare wrote in “Early Modern English.” EME was not very different from “Modern English,”
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.

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）
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
Meaning: That is a question whether to
live on in this world or to die, that is, to
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.

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