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1、ContentsvWhat is drama? vThe Classifications of DramavElements of DramavThe Development of English DramavAn Appreciation of Shakespeares HamletvSuggestions on Reading DramaWhat is Drama?vThe word drama comes from the Greek verb dran, meaning “to perform.” vWhen we speak drama, we mean a story in dia
2、logue performed by actors, on a stage, before an audience- in other words, a play. vWe also use the term drama in a more general sense to refer to the literary genre that encompasses all written plays and to the profession of writing, producing, and performing plays. The Classifications of DramavTra
3、gedy: A type of drama in which the characters experience reversals of fortune, usu. for the worse. In tragedy catastrophe and suffering await many of the characters, esp. the hero.vComedy: A type of drama in which the characters experience reversals of fortune, usu. for the better. In comedy things
4、work out happily in the end.vTragicomedy: a type of play that contains elements of both tragedy and comedy. The most important agents in tragicomedy included both people of high degree and people of low degree.Aristotle on Tragedyv“Tragedy, then, is an imitation of an action that is serious, complet
5、e, and of a certain magnitude; in language embellished with kind of artistic ornament, the several kinds being found in separate parts of the play; in the form of action, not of narrative; through pity and fear effecting the proper purgation of these emotions.” -The Poetics Part VIThe definition fur
6、ther explained:vThis definition suggests that tragedies are solemn plays concerned with grave human actions and their consequences.Tragic plays end sorrowfully, often with the death of the hero. They highlight lifes sorrows and are typically brooding and solemn.v Aristotle suggested that the pity an
7、d fear aroused in the audience are purged or released and the audience experiences a cleasing of those emotions and a sense of relief when the action is over. 亚里士多德对悲剧的定义v“悲剧是对一个严肃、完整、有一定长度的行动的摹仿；它的媒介是语言，具有各种悦耳之音，分别在剧中的各部分使用；摹仿方式是借人物的动作来表达，而不是采用叙述法；借引起怜悯与恐惧来使这种情感得到陶冶”。Elements of English Dramav Plot
8、 is the unified arrangement of the incidents of the play.v By arrangement of incidents, a dramatist may create suspense, evoke laughter, cause anxiety or elicit surprise. Suspense is created by conflict.Drama is essentially the development and resolution of conflicts.v Characters nThe vital center o
9、f a playnThe human qualities are the most engaging feature.nDrama lives in the encounter of characters, and its essence is human relationships, the things men and women say and ndo to each other.Elements of English Dramav Dialogue v Major functions: to advance plot; to establish setting;and to revea
10、l character. v Soliloquy is a dramatic speech uttered by one character speaking aloud while alone on the stage(or while under the impression of being alone) .Soliloquies often appear in plays from the age of Shakespeare, notably in his Hamlet and Macbeth .The best known of all dramatic soliloquies i
11、s Hamlets speech which begins To be or not to be.Elements of English DramavStagingv things as the positions of actors onstage, their nonverbal gestures and movements, the scenic backgroud, the props and costumes, the lighting and sound effects.vSome playwrights, like Shakespeare, provide only scant
12、suggestions for action.vTheme is its central idea or meaning.vIt is very likely that a play will include more than one theme.The Development of English DramavPart one : British drama v1) From the beginning to Shakespeare v2)William Shakespeare and his contemporaries: Christopher Marlowe, Ben Jonsonv
13、3) Restoration (the return of Charles II to become King of England in 1660, and period afterwards王政复辟) and the Eighteenth Century： Richard Brinsley Sheridan 理查德布林斯利夏里丹 The Birth of Jesus Christ, Noahs ArkRepresentative Playwrights in English DramaThe Development of English Dramas v4) The nineteenth
14、century: Oscar Wildev5) The twentieth century: Bernard ShawvPart two: American dramav1) 1916 : Eugene ONeill v2) 1940s: Arthur Miller 阿瑟米勒 vDeath of a SalesmanDrama in the Renaissance PeriodvThe Miracle Play: the miracles” were simply plays based on Bible stories, such as the creation of the world,
15、Noah and the flood, the birth of Christ.vThe Morality Play: a morality represented the conflict of good and evil with allegorical personages, such as Mercy, Peace, Hate and so on.vThe Interlude: a short performance slipped into a play to enliven the audience after a solemn scene. E.g.: “The Play of
16、the Weather”Drama in the Renaissance PeriodvThe Classical Drama: contact with Greek and Latin drama. Comedy: “Gammer Gurtons Needle” (1562) ; tragedy: “Gorboduc” (1562) The above plays were the forms of drama prevailing until the reign of Elizabeth.The Playwrights: University WitsvA group of men of
17、letters who wrote for the stage of the 16th century, e.g., Lyly, Marlowe, Greene, etc, who were all of humble birth and struggled for a livelihood by writing . They entered the dramatic circle between the years 1587-93. They were hard workers, revising old plays and wrote new one; making rapid progr
18、ess in dramatic technique, looked down upon by the gentlemen and suspected by the government. Among them, Christopher Marlowe was the most famous one. Major playwrights:Christopher Marlowe (1564 - 1593) nthe first great English dramatistnthe most individual and most suggestive Elizabethan playwright
19、 before Shakespeare. nthe father of English tragedynBy revealing the possibilities for strength and variety of expression in blank verse, Marlowe helped to establish the verse form as the predominant form in English drama. nHe expressed the humanist ideals about the infinite capabilities of Man, in
20、the desire for power, knowledge and money. The glory of the Elizabethan drama dates from his Tamburlaine the Great.vRepresentative works: Tamburlaine the Great (1587 - 1588) - desire for powerThe tragical History of Doctore Faustus (1589) - desire for knowledge and happiness The Jew of Malta (1590)
21、- desire for money William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616 )n37 playsn154 sonnets and 2 long poemsnthe success of his plays depend upon his penetrating exposition of human nature, his lively paintings of human life and his truthful reflections of human realityRepresentative worksnHistory: Henry IV (1-2)Com
22、edy: Mid-summer Nights Dream The Merchant of Venice Much Ado about Nothing As You Like It Twelfth NightnTragedy: Hamlet Othello King Lear MacBeth nFamous Plays: Romeo and Juliet Julius Caesar Antony and Cleopatra The Tempest The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarkva tragedy written at an uncertain
23、date between 1600 and the summer of 1602vOrigin: the history of Denmark and several plays based on the story. It took the story of revenge but transformed it into a realistic reflection of the time and made Hamlet the representative of humanism. Questions for appreciation1. What is the main idea of
24、Hamlets soliloquy? Summarize in one or two sentences the main idea of the soliloquy?2. How does the soliloquy reflect the spirit of the time or the idea of humanism?3. How do you analyze Hamlets argument in terms of structure? Main Charactersv Claudius: the current King of Denmark, Hamlets unclevKin
25、g Hamlet: Hamlets fathervGertrude: Hamlets mothervPolonius: Claudiuss chief councilor, distrustful of Hamlets relationship with OpheliavLaertes: Poloniuss son, deeply cares for Ophelia, his sister. In this contest, he kills Hamlet with a poisoned rapier to avenge the deaths of Polonius and Ophelia.
26、Hamlet kills him with the same rapier, although at the time Hamlet does not realize it has been poisoned.vOphelia: Polonius daughter. Main CharactersHamlet as a Character vprince of Denmark and heir to the throne a university student in Wittenberg with the most progressive ideal of humanismvHis prai
27、se of man and human nature is a manifestation against the supernatural power/divinity (scene ii, act 2); vHe is against the old religious doctrines: ghost; man was born evil and must suffer in the world; vHe is well aware of the evil of the time and enlists all kinds of social injustice and evils in
28、 the society. Themevthe revenge subject and the subject of struggle for the throne within the court, but the main purpose was for the revelation of something more profound and realistic: contradiction between humanist ideals and the reality.The conflict centers around the character of HamletvHow he
29、links the personal revenge with the responsibility of social changevHow he contemplates and hesitates confronted by the distance between ideal and realityvHe hesitates again and again, his tragedy is one of the time. vHe took the story of revenge but transformed it into a realistic reflection of the
30、 time and made Hamlet the representative of humanism.Famous Quotationsv“Frailty, thy name is woman!”v“For anything so overdone is from the purpose of playing, whose end, both at the first and now, was and is, to hold, as twere, the mirror up to nature; to show virtue her own feature, scorn her own i
31、mage, and the very age and body of the time her form and pressure.”v“To be, or not to be, that is the question.” Plot Summary of Act III, Scene I, HamletvIn Act III, Scene1, Claudis suspicious of Hamlets motive in the disguise of madnes, decides to test him by arranging a meeting between Ophelia and
32、 Hamlet. This includes the best known and most important of Hamlets soliloquies, in which Shakespeare has Hamlet reveal his innermost thoughts and emotions, his hesitation in particular, before taking decisive action to revenge. Text and Context of SoliloquyvBefore this soliloquy, Hamlet had got the
33、 idea aboutvhis fathers death, which put him into the sea of trouble. vThen he suffered from his girl friend, Ophelias changing her mind. vIn addition, his two good friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern threw away their friendship.Text and Context of SoliloquyvFrom all these things above, or contexts
34、 in other words, we can see Hamlet suffered too much. He had been bearing too much trouble in his mind. As time went on, he changed as a result. vAnd we can say when he made this soliloquy, he was not the Hamlet before. He became more strong- mindedat at that time. Analysis of the Soliloquy Itselfv
35、To be, or not to be: v to live on in this world or to die; to suffer or to take action.v Whether tis noble in the mind to sufferv whether people think that its more dignified to put up withv (to suffer)The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune:v (to be passive )and let the cruel fortune inflict wh
36、atever injuries on me.v Or to take arms against a sea of troubles/ and by opposing end them:v Or like a warrior to take up arms and fight against numerous troubles and dies in the fighting and thus ends all the troubles in this life. Analysis of the Soliloquy Itselfv No more:v Death is nothing more
37、than a sleep.v natural shocks/ That flesh is heir to:v attacks by nature which all human beings are bound to suffer v shuffled off this mortal coil:v relieved from the trouble of this life that have been wound round us like coils.v the whips and scorns of the time: v the blows and contempts we suffe
38、r in the world we live inv The insolence of office v The haughty and insulting behaviours of the officials. Analysis of the Soliloquy Itselfv That patient merit of the unworthy takes:v (the kicks) that men of merit have patiently to endure at the hands of those who do not deserve respect.v the nativ
39、e hue of resolution/ Is sicklied oer with the pale cast of thought:v Over the nutural color of resolution, which is believed of red color, is thrown the pale and sickly colour of reflectionv their currents turn awry:v turn aside their currents, deviate from their purpose.v lose the name of action:v
40、no longer can be put into action Questions for DiscussionvA great deal has been written on the meaning of the famous lineTo be, or not to be. How do you understand this line in the context of the soliloquy and of the entire play?vIt should be mentioned that in this soliloquy, from the beginning to t
41、he end Hamlet used “we”,“us”,“he”,“himself”and“who”, which clearly referred to common people actually.Questions for Discussionv He was considering human being as a whole. Hev asked so many questions in place of human being, especially the matter of“life and death”v Here Hamlet is pondering on the qu
42、estion of life and death of human being as a whole instead of weighing merits and demerits of committing suicide.To be or not to be-The Main Ideav The speech conveys a sense of world-weariness as well as the authors incisive comments on the social reality of his time. Hamlet lives between action and
43、 resolution. He is so contemplative that he examines the nature of the action only to deny its possibility. He considers it better for people to die, but then says nobody knows what happens in the afterlife.The Spirit of the Time or the Idea of HumanismvBy charactering Hamlet, Shakespeare makes an e
44、xploration of life and death. Hamlet is extremely philosophical. He often sinks in difficult questions that cannot be answered with certainty. He is obssessed with the idea of death and considers death from many perspectives. He often ponders on the spiritual aftermath of death and the meaning of li
45、ving in the current society. This embodies humanists pursuti of happiness of their life.v The Spirit of the Time or the Idea of HumanismvBesides, since death is both the cause and consequence of revenge, it is intimately attached to the theme of revenge and justice. Hamlet often ponders on whether i
46、t is a right or just action to murder his uncle. He fears that if he commits suicide, he will be consigned to eternal suffering in the hell because of the Christian religious prohibiton of suicide. In this famous saying to be or not to be, Hamlet again sinks in the moral dilemma. This reflects the h
47、umanists limitation in that time. Argumentative Structurev question raised reasons given and choice made choice rejected suspendedvTo die or not to die: vTo die: death -sleep - dream (unreal);v Not to die: world of the dead unknown; Undecided Suggestions on Reading DramavRead the opening stage direc
48、tions carefully.Try to set the scene mentally.Read the opening scene slowly, referring back to the cast of the characters if you become confused about who is who.vNote the places in the action where conflicts develop most intensely.Consider what causes the conflict and how it might be resolved.vDeci
49、de what values the characters embody and believe in. Consider what causes the conflic and how it might be resolved.v Suggestions on Reading DramavListen carefully to the plays dialogue. Notice what the characters say and how they say things.Try to hear their tones of voice; consider what the charact
50、ers speeches reveal about them.vTry staging parts of the play in your mind.Try to visualize the plays setting from the dialogue and stage directions.Assingments of next Online self-learning vFinish Activity 5, and 6 of the 17thand 18th centuries (6th December)vGroup 6 get ready for presentation on J