Question

Happy Shakespeare Day!

The 23rd April is World Book Day, but did you know that it is also Shakespeare Day? Everybody has heard of Shakespeare, but do you know many plays he wrote? Have you heard of many of his poetry?

Shakespeare’s plays fit into three categories: tragedies, comedies and histories. Perhaps his most famous play is the tragedy story of Romeo and Juliet, which deals with two young lovers who are forbidden to marry by their parents. Other tragedies include Hamlet, a play about a vengeful ghost Othello, about an army general who is manipulated(操纵) into killing his wife, and Macbeth(麦克白). If you’ve seen Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban written which is sung in the Great Hall after the Sorting Ceremony. These words come from the Witches in Macbeth!

Shakespeare’s comedies include Much Ado About Nothing, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Twelfth Night. Twelfth Night is a play about confusing identities. Two twins are shipwrecked and the sister, Viola, dresses up as her brother, Sebastian, who she thinks is dead. It’s hilarious, because the brother reappears without Viola realizing and there’s a big love triangle going on: Viola is in love with the Duke Osino, who is in love with Olivia, who falls in love with Sebastian, except she doesn’t realize that Sebastian is actually Viola dressed up! Everybody falls in love with the wrong person, but it is all made right in the end.

The history plays, such as Antony and Cleopatra, Richard III and Henry V are based on the lives of real historical people. Antony and Cleopatra is a story about a doomed romance in ancient Egypt. Cleopatra becomes Antony’s mistress and Antony becomes so obsessed with her that he loses his military might. Cleopatra kills self by letting a snake bite her after Egypt’s army has been defeated by Octavius and Antony kills himself too.

Shakespeare’s plays can be very heavy going sometimes. Some of the themes they deal with are heavy and complex, so they almost always contain a lighter subplot with characters who aren’t closely linked to the characters in the main plot. They are often used in tragedies to lighten the mood of the play and to keep the audience interested in the main plot.

1.What can we learn about Shakespeare’s tragedies?

A. Romeo and Juliet is perhaps the most famous play of all time.

B. Hamlet tells us a story of two young lovers dead in the end.

C. The army general Othello kills his wife in person purposely.

D. Macbeth gives J.K. Rowling some inspiration in her writing.

2.What is not a probable ending in Twelfth Night?

A. Viola and Sebastian reunited. B. Osino and Viola got marred.

C. Osino and Olivia got married. D. Sebastian and Olivia got married.

3.Characters in the lighter subplot of Shakespeare’s plays are often used to_____.

A. deal with the heavy and complex themes

B. distinguish the characters in the main plot

C. make the mood of the play softer than before

D. interest the audience in the subplot to the great extent

Answer 1