Lecture Four

The Renaissance & William Shakespeare

Teaching Objectives

Know the general characteristics of English Renaissance;

Know the important writers and their works; Understand the story of Shakespeare’s Hamlet

and Sonnets 18 and 29; analyze the story Hamlet;

Know Shakespeare’s contribution to English literature.

The English Renaissance (1500-1625)

Social and political background:

an epoch of social and cultural development embracing all Europe ; first in Italy in the 14th century, and gradually spread all over Europe.

the term means a rebirth or fresh beginning, it refers to the revival of interest in the Greek and Latin culture, and its influence was not confined to science ，literature, music and arts, but affected the whole development of civilization.

According to the conventional accounts, the scholars and artists involved in this rebirth aspired to match the cultural achievements of the great civilizations of Greece and Rome. Innovators in all creative fields modeled their works on examples set by the surviving fragments of the classical heritage: literary works, philosophical and scientific treatises, surviving paintings on walls or vases, statues and buildings. These artists and intellectuals believed they would produce a humane civilization in Europe equal to what they perceived to be the humane civilizations of Greece and Rome.

The contents of the English Renaissance: Humanism

taking interest in the welfare of human beings, they praised man and his pursuit of freedom, equality and happiness in this life.

emphasizing the dignity of human beings and the importance of this life, they voiced human’s rights and ability to fight and mould the world.

attacking the old feudal rule and condemning political oppression and religious persecution.

Two striking features of this movement

A. A thirsting curiosity for classical literature.

Old manuscripts were dug out. There arose a general revival of the study of Greek and Latin authors. While people learned to admire their works as models of literary form they also caught sth very different in spirit from the medieval Catholic dogma. So the love of classics was in fact also an expression of the general dissatisfaction with the catholic and feudal ideas.

B. The keen interest in life and human activities.

People ceased to look upon themselves as living only for God and a future world. Thinkers, artists, and poets showed their admiration for human beauty and human achievements. So arose humanism—the key-note of the Renaissance, reflecting the new outlook of the rising bourgeois. Ideas: both man and world are hindered from infinite improvement by external restricts; man could mould the world according to his desires, and attain happiness by removing all external checks by the exercise of human reason

文艺复兴是漫长的中世纪黑暗混沌时期以后从 14世纪到 16 世纪遍及欧洲许多国家的文化和思想运动，是文学艺术和科学的繁荣发展时代。它以复兴灿烂辉煌的希腊、罗马古典文化为契机和形式，实质上却是新兴的资产阶级文化的萌芽，它表现出反封建、反教会文化的强烈倾向。文艺复兴始于意大利，后来发展到欧洲各国，英国起步较晚。15 世纪后半期到 17 世纪是英国社会政治、经济方面巨大而深刻的变动、文学艺术出现空前高涨和繁荣时代。这一时期的欧洲社会经历了深刻的变化：工商业的发展，王权的巩固，海外的扩张与殖民，地理与科学的新发现，社会生活的世俗化，德英法等国先后进行的宗教改革等极大地开阔了人们的眼界，促进了资本主义经济的发展，鼓励人们进一步探索人存在的价值和现实生活的意义。

文艺复兴倡导人文主义思想。人文主义指出关心人，尊重人，以“人”为本的世界观，反对中世纪以“神”为中心的世界观，对抗神的权威。它反对宗教的苦行禁欲主义思想，提倡积极进取、享受现实欢乐的生活理想。它反对神权，肯定个人追求财富、幸福和爱情的权利，要求解放个性。它反对蒙昧主义和神秘主义，提倡理性和追求知识，发展个人才智。反对封建迫害，提倡仁慈博爱和友谊平等，并积极推进学术，传播科学知识和国家统一等新思想，对封建制度、宗教禁欲主义和上层僧侣的腐败虚伪则进行了无情的嘲讽和抨击。文艺复兴时期的文学正是以人文主义思想为内容的。意大利诗人但丁，彼得拉克，小说家薄伽丘等是意大利和欧洲早期的人文主义杰出的代表。人文主义是资产阶级上升时期反封建、反教会的思想武器，表现出蓬勃的革命朝气和乐观的战斗精神，在当时具有进步意义。

Three periods of the English Renaissance

The first period called the beginning of the Renaissance (1516-1578), characterized by imitation and assimilation in style and represented by Surrey’s（萨里） blank verse and Thomas More’s Utopia.

The second period known as the flowering time of the Renaissance (1578 -1625), in the Elizabethan Age, regarded as the flowering time of English literature and the highest glory of Renaissance with representative authors as Shakespeare (great comedies, tragedies, historical plays and sonnets) and Francis Bacon’s prose.

The third period(1625-1660 ), the epilogue (ending, last part) of the Renaissance represented by The King James’s Bible with clearness, brevity and precision as its features. Apart from its religious influence, the version has had a great influence on English language and literature. The standard modern English has been fixed and confirmed.

Statue of Shakespeare

‘What piece of work is a man, how noble in reason, how infinite in faculties, in form and moving how express and admirable, in action how like an angel, in apprehension how like a god: the beauty of the world, the paragon of animals—and yet, to me, what is this quintessence of dust? Man delights not me...’ (Act Two, Scene Two, Arden)

William ShakespeareWilliam Shakespeare

“What piece of work is a man, how noble in reason, how infinite in faculties, in form and moving how express and admirable, in action how like an angel, in apprehension how like a god: the beauty of the world, the paragon of animals—and yet, to me, what is this quintessence of dust? Man delights not me...”

“人类是一件多么了不得的杰作 ! 多么高贵的理性 ! 多么伟大的力量 ! 多么优美的仪表 ! 多么文雅的举止 ! 在行为上多么像一个天使 !在智慧上多么像一个天神 ! 宇宙的精华 ! 万物的灵长 ! 可是在我看来，这一个泥土塑成的生命算得了什么？”

William Shakespeare(1564-1616)William Shakespeare(1564-1616)

William Shakespeare belongs to those rare geniuses who have become landmarks in the history of world culture. He is generally considered the greatest dramatist in human history, the supreme poet of the English language and one of the first founders of realism. His brilliant works are universally celebrated for their comprehensive understanding of the human condition.

Shakespeare’s life born on April 23rd, 1564, in Stratford-on-Avon,

Warwickshire went to school at 7 and had to leave school six years

later and helped his father in the trade a legend of him an actor and playwright in one of the leading companies

of players, and later on a shareholder of the theater in 1582, married in 1616,died

Shakespeare’s Burial Site

William Shakespeare, died on April 23, 1616, and was buried in the Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, shown here.

The Globe TheatreThe Globe Theatre

The Globe Theatre, where dramatist William Shakespeare saw his plays performed 400 years ago, has been rebuilt near its original location on the south bank of the Thames River in London, England. The rebuilt theater opened in 1997 and offers performances of Shakespeare’s plays during the summer. The rebuilt theater encloses a roofless inner pit, into which the roofed stage projects. Traditional materials were used in the rebuilding. A thatched roof covers the galleries where the audience sits, and the outer walls are made of lime plaster.

Globe Theatre Interior

Audience members at the reconstructed Globe Theatre in London can sit on benches in one of the three covered galleries or stand in the open yard, just as audiences did in the original Globe Theatre of Shakespeare’s time. The projecting stage has a thatched roof and an elaborately decorated back wall. Large oak pillars, painted to look like marble, support a canopy, which has been painted to represent the heavens.

Shakespeare’s Works

His complete works include 37 plays, 2 narrative poems and 154 sonnets.

He is mainly famous for his great plays, especially the outstanding “Four Great Tragedies”. (“Hamlet”, “King Lear”, “Othello” and “Macbeth”)

Shakespeare’s sonnets are also very good. We’ll first introduce Sonnet 18, the most famous sonnet written by Shakespeare.

Shakespeare’s Comedy

Comedy, drama that aims to make its audience laugh, usually with a happy or amusing ending,

as opposed to tragedy. Comedy is associated with humorous behavior, wordplay, pleasurable

feeling, release of tension, and laughter. It generally follows a fixed pattern of theatrical

surprises that leads to a sense of exhilaration in the spectator. Of all dramatic genres, comedy is

the most widely performed.

Shakespeare’s TragediesShakespeare’s Tragedies • Tragedies were concerned with the

harshness and apparent injustice of life. They involved the trials and the final death of a hero who was an important person and whose death led to the downfall of others. Often, a hero’s fall from happiness was due to a weakness in his character.

Shakespeare’s ComediesShakespeare’s Comedies

Title Written Title Written

The Tempest（暴风雨） 1611 As You Like it（皆大欢喜）

1599

The Two Gentlemen of Verona（维洛那两绅士）

1594 The Taming of the Shrew（驯悍记）

1593

Measure for Measure（一报还一报）

1604 All’s Well That Ends Well（终成眷属）

1602

The Comedy of Errors（错误的喜剧）

1592 Twelfth Night （第十二夜）

1601

Much Ado About Nothing（无事生非）

1598 Pericles, Prince of Tyre（泰而亲王西功克斯）

1608

Love’s Labor Lost （爱的徒劳）

1594 The Winter’s Tale（冬天的故事）

1610

A Midsummer Night’s Dream（仲夏夜之梦）

1595 The Merchant of Ven

ice （威尼斯商人）

1596

The Merry Wives of Windsor（温莎的风流娘们）

1600

Shakespeare’s ComediesShakespeare’s Comedies

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Fairies emerge from doorways in space, and Bottom’s bed hangs suspended before the moon in this 1998 production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, Oregon. The set, lighting, staging, and costumes all combine to intensify the play’s enchanted, unreal atmosphere.

Scene from As You Like It

Shakespeare’s second period, encompassing the mid and late-1590s, is characterized by comedies and histories. The scene pictured here is from a 20th century production of As You Like It (1599-1600), one of Shakespeare’s best-known comedies.

Shakespeare’s TragediesShakespeare’s Tragedies

Title Written Title WrittenThe Tragedy of Coriolanus

1607 Hamlet（汉姆雷特） 1601

Titus Andronicus（泰特斯 安特罗尼斯）

1593 King Lear（李尔王） 1605

Romeo and Juliet（罗密欧与朱丽叶） 1594 Othello（奥赛罗） 1604Timon of Athens （雅典的泰门） 1607 Antony and

Cleopatra 1607

Julius Caesar（裘里斯 凯撒） 1599 Cymbeline（辛白

林） 1609Macbeth（麦克白） 1605 Troilus and Cressida 1601

1. What is meant by the question, "To be or not to be . . . "? 2. What does Hamlet mean by "noble"? 3. What are "slings and arrows"? 4. Give a synonym for "fortune" in this context. 5. What is Hamlet referring to when he speaks of ending a sea

of troubles? 6. To what does Hamlet compare death? 7. Define consummation in this context. 8. Why is this "a consummation devoutly to be wished"? 9. Define "contumely." 10. What does life consist of according to Hamlet?

Study Guide QuestionsStudy Guide Questions

Melancholy Hamlet

Hamlet’s attitude is different in ‘To be,

or not to be’. He asks himself about

death beyond religious

considerations; the nature of his dilemma has

changed, as Hamlet tells us with a lucid

simplicity.

10. How does one make a "quietus . . . with a bare bodkin"?

11. How could you summarize Hamlet’s problems? 12. According to Hamlet, why do we bear fardels? 13. What does Hamlet refer to as "the undiscovered

country"? 14. Define "bourn." 15. According to the passage, what do we dread? 16. How does our "conscience . . . make cowards of

us all"? 17. What does Hamlet mean when he says, "the nati

ve hue of resolution / Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought..."?

18. What is Hamlet trying to excuse at the end of the soliloquy?

Study Guide QuestionsStudy Guide Questions

Melancholy Hamlet

Am I a coward?Who calls me villain? breaks my pate across?Plucks off my beard and blows it in my face?Tweaks me by the nose? gives me the lie i' the throat,As deep as to the lungs?

我是不是个懦夫 ?            有谁能指责我是个恶棍 , 敲我的脑袋 , 扭我的鼻子 ,            揪掉我的胡须然後吹它於我脸上 , 斥骂我是个无耻的谎者 ?            谁能对我如此 ?

The Drowning of Ophelia

The watercolor is especially striking in its visualization -- the

almost identical vacant expression on the

face-- the white dress that billows over the water to suggest the wings of an angel.

Probably this is the most famous image of Ophelia. The model was Elizabeth Siddal, painted by John Everett Millais, 1852

Quotations

Frailty, thy name is woman .

To be or not to be, that is the question.

The time is out of joint; O cursed spite, That ever I was born to set it right!

•Juliet: O Romeo, O Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo?Deny thy father and refuse they name;Or, if thou wilt not, be sworn my love,And I'll no longer be a Capulet.--- Act Two, Scene II, line 33.

Juliet: What's in a name? That which we call a roseBy any other name would smell as sweet:--- Act Two, Scene II, line 43.

Shakespearean SonnetsShakespearean Sonnets

foot/feet (metrical feetfoot/feet (metrical feet 音步音步 ): unit ): unit of rhythm in a line of poetry contaiof rhythm in a line of poetry containing one stressed syllable and onning one stressed syllable and one or more unstressed syllables, ae or more unstressed syllables, as in the four divisions of : for men s in the four divisions of : for men /may come/ and men /may go./may come/ and men /may go.

rhyme: sameness of sound berhyme: sameness of sound between words or syllables, esp. tween words or syllables, esp. the endings of lines of verse, athe endings of lines of verse, as in ds in dayay, aw, awayay; vi; visitsit, , it. it.

rhyme scheme: form of words tharhyme scheme: form of words that sound same but not the same wt sound same but not the same words, usu. expressed in the form ords, usu. expressed in the form of letters such as aabbcc, meaninof letters such as aabbcc, meaning two lines of verse rhyme with eg two lines of verse rhyme with each other.(ach other.( 押韵格式，常用字母表押韵格式，常用字母表示，如示，如 aabbccaabbcc 表示两行诗的押韵表示两行诗的押韵格式格式 ))

Stanza: group of (esp. rhyming) lines forming a unit in the same type of poem.

Quatrain: poem consisting of four lines.

Couplet: two successive lines of verse of equal strength.

Iambus: metrical foot in poetry consisting of one unstressed syllable followed by one stressed syllable.

Iambic pentameter: line of verse with five metrical feet, each consisting of one unstressed syllable followed by one stressed syllable.

Blank verse: verse written in lines of usu. Ten syllables, without rhyme.

The sonnet is a lyric poem The sonnet is a lyric poem consisting of a single stanza of consisting of a single stanza of fourteen iambic pentameter lines fourteen iambic pentameter lines with a rigid rime-scheme. This with a rigid rime-scheme. This verse form was first employed by verse form was first employed by the Italian poets in the early the Italian poets in the early period of the Renaissance in the period of the Renaissance in the hands of Dante and especially of hands of Dante and especially of Petrarch. Petrarch.

It was introduced into England in the 16th cenIt was introduced into England in the 16th century, and adopted by many English poets, wittury, and adopted by many English poets, with chiefly two variants: the Italian or Petrarchah chiefly two variants: the Italian or Petrarchan sonnet form and the English or Shakespearn sonnet form and the English or Shakespearean. The chief difference between the two forean. The chief difference between the two forms lies in their two different rime schemes: ams lies in their two different rime schemes: abba, abba, cdcdcd or abba, abba, cdecde for bba, abba, cdcdcd or abba, abba, cdecde for the Italian form and abab, cdcd, efef, gg for ththe Italian form and abab, cdcd, efef, gg for the English form. All of Shakespeare’s 154 sone English form. All of Shakespeare’s 154 sonnets belong to the latter type.nets belong to the latter type.

18 18 Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate: Thou art more lovely and more temperate: Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And summer's lease hath all too short a date: And summer's lease hath all too short a date: Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines And often is his gold complexion dimmed; And often is his gold complexion dimmed; And every fair from fair sometimes declines, And every fair from fair sometimes declines, By chance or nature's changing course untrimmeBy chance or nature's changing course untrimmed; d; But thy eternal summer shall not fade, But thy eternal summer shall not fade, Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st; Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st; Nor shall death brag thou wander'st in his shade, Nor shall death brag thou wander'st in his shade, When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st: When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st: So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see, So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see, So long lives this, and this gives life to thee. So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

Shakespearean SonnetsShakespearean Sonnets

Study QuestionsStudy Questions Why does the poet compare `thee` to a summer’s day? And

who could `thee` be? What picture have you got of English summer, and could y

ou explain why? How does the poet answer the question he puts forth in the

first line? What makes the poet think that “thou” can be more fair tha

n summer and immortal? What figures of speech are used in this poem? What is the theme of the poem?

Shakespeare’s SonnetsShakespeare’s Sonnets

Sonnet 18 deals with the conventional theme Sonnet 18 deals with the conventional theme that natural beauty will surely be knocked out that natural beauty will surely be knocked out with the passing of time and that only art (poetry with the passing of time and that only art (poetry ) can bring eternity to the one the poet loves and ) can bring eternity to the one the poet loves and eulogizes.eulogizes.

Iambus（抑扬格）

Iambic Foot （抑扬音步）

5-foot Iambus (Iambic Pentameter) （五步抑扬格）

Shall I compare thee to a sum mer’s day ? a

Thou art more love ly and more tem perate. b

Rough winds do shake the dar ling buds of may, a

And sum mer’s lease hath all too short a date. b

Metre:

Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, c And often is his gold complexion dimm’d; d And every fair from fair sometime declines , c By chance, or nature’s changing course, untrimm’d. d

But thy eternal summer shall not fade, e Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st, f Nor shall Death brag thou wander’st in his shade, e When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st. fSo long as man can breathe or eyes can see, g So long lives this, and this gives life to thee. g

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? a Thou art more lovely and more temperate. b Rough winds do shake the darling buds of may, a And summer’s lease hath all too short a date. b

Sonnet 18

Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, c And often is his gold complexion dimm’d; d And every fair from fair sometime declines , c By chance, or nature’s changing course, untrimm’d. d

But thy eternal summer shall not fade, e Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st, f Nor shall Death brag thou wander’st in his shade, e When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st. fSo long as man can breathe or eyes can see, g So long lives this, and this gives life to thee. g

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? a Thou art more lovely and more temperate. b Rough winds do shake the darling buds of may, a And summer’s lease hath all too short a date. b

Sonnet 18

Introduction ( 起 )

Elucidation ( 承 )

Transition ( 转 )

Conclusion ( 合 )

• 我能否把你比作夏季的一天？• 你可是更加可爱，更加温婉；• 狂风会吹落五月的娇花嫩瓣，• 夏季出租的日期又未免太短；• 有时候苍天的巨眼照得太灼热，• 他金光闪耀的圣颜也会被遮暗；• 每一样美呀，总会失去美而凋落，• 被时机或者自然的代谢所摧残；• 但是你永久的夏天绝不会凋枯，• 你永远不会丧失你美的形象；• 死神夸不着你在他影子里踯躅，• 你将在不朽的诗中与时间同在。• 只要人类在呼吸，眼睛看得见，• 我这诗就活着，使你的生命延续。• • ------ 屠 岸译

Sonnet 29

When, in disgrace with Fortune and men’s eyes, aI all alone beweep my outcast state, bAnd trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries, aAnd look upon myself and curse my fate, bWishing me like to one more rich in hope, cFeatured like him, like him with friends possessed, dDesiring this man’s art and that man’s scope, cWith what I most enjoy contented least; dYet in these thoughts myself almost despising, eHaply I think on thee --- and then my state, aLike to the lark at break of day arising eFrom sullen earth, sings hymns at heaven’s gate, a For thy sweet love remembered such wealth brings g That then I scorn to change my state with kings. g

This sonnet also belongs to the English or Shakespearean type. There is an imperfect rime in “possessed” and “least” (in the 6th and 8th lines).

Shakespeare is supposed to reveal his own feelings and thoughts, esp. in the first octet (octave: the first eight lines of a sonnet).

(theme) The poet complains of his own miseries and dissatisfaction in life and then becomes happy upon the thought of the one he loves. From it we may see that the poet is optimistic and bravely faces troubles in life.

我一旦失去了幸福，又遭人白眼， 就独自哭泣，叹人家把我抛弃， 白白地用哭喊来麻烦聋耳的苍天， 又看看自己，只痛恨时运不济， 愿自己像人家那样：会前程远大， 或一表人才，或胜友如云广交谊， 想有这人的见识，那人的才华， 于自己平素最得意的，倒最不满意； 但在这几乎是自轻自贱的思绪里， 我偶尔想到了你啊， ---我的心怀 顿时想破晓的云雀从阴郁的大地 冲上了天门，歌唱起赞美诗来； 我怀着你的厚爱，如获至宝， 教我不屑把处境跟帝王对调。

He was not of an age, but for all time.

Ben Jonson

他不属于一个时代，而是属于永远。

本 琼森（莎士比亚同时代的戏剧家）