Pe =n ee Te Giảng viên Tiếng Anh
Trường Cao Đẳng Sư phạm Đồng Nai Đại học Dân Lập Lạc Hồng VXN HÓOC ANH AN ANTHOLOGY OF ENGLISH LITERATURE SPGrzt-
_ Các trích phẩm tiêu biểu của các tác giả tên tuổi trong nên văn học Anh từ đầu đến thế kỷ 20
Trang 2
_AN ANT
_LÊ VĂN SỰ
LITERATURE
Gồm: % Các trích phẩm tiêu biểu của các tác giả tên tuổi
Hợp tuyển VĂN HỌC ANH
HOLOGY OF ENGLISH
trong nền văn học Anh từ đầu đến thế kỷ 20 % Phần câu hỏi hướng dẫn tìm hiểu, khai thác nội dung
các tác phẩm một cách ngắn gọn, cô đọng
NHÀ XUẤT BẢN VĂN HÓA THÔNG TIN 2001
Trang 3PREFACE
This “ANTHOLOGY OF ENGLISH LITERATURE?” is the continuation of the
book “ENGLISH LITERATURE - HISTORICAL SURVEYS AND EXTRACTS” It is designed to:
1 make a complete set of books on English literature and complement what is still insufficient in the first book
2 give a great number of typical writers and works quoted with a hope to cover all the main literary trends and periods in the English literature
from the beginning to the 20th century
3 supply the readers with a systematically-designed material so that they may have a chance to read more about the English writers and their works
To achieve these aims, we have chosen the literature texts of medium length
As such, more excerpts from a certain author may be included And this, we think, will also be favourable to the teachers when they want to prepare a test in this subject One more important thing is that all the selections are followed by the notes on the authors, vocabulary and content exploitation
questions given in a limited, short, and concise way so as not to exert too
much demand on the readers or reduce their interest when dealing with these pieces of writing
It is also advisable that this book should be jointly used with its predecessor as mentioned above The two books complement each other At last while believing that this anthology will make a good contribution to your exploration of the English treasure of literature, we are very glad and ready to welcome all the comments and suggestions from the experts and authorities in this field
Trang 4LOI NOI DAU
Tập sách “HỢP TUYỂN VĂN HỌC ANH” này nối tiếp tập “VĂN HỌC ANH - LƯỢC SỬ VÀ TRÍCH GIANG” Sách được biên soạn nhằm:
1 thực hiện một bộ sách hoàn chỉnh về VĂN HỌC ANH và bỏ sung những gì
chưa thực day du trong cuốn đầu
2 đưa ra nhiêu tác giả và tác phẩm được trích giảng với hi vọng bao quát được các xu hướng và thời kì văn học chính trong nền văn học Anh từ đầu đến
thế kỉ 20
3 cung cấp cho bạn đọc một tư liệu biên soạn có hệ thống để các bạn có cơ hội
đọc nhiều hơn về các tác giá Anh và tác phẩm của họ
Để đạt được những mục tiêu này, chúng tôi đã chọn lựa những bài văn có độ
đài vừa phải Như vậy có thể đưa thêm nhiều hơn các đoạn trích về một tác
giả nào đó vào sách Và theo thiển ý của chúng tôi điểu này cũng sẽ giúp các
giáo viên thuận lợi hơn khi soạn đề thi cho môn học này Một điều quan trọng
nữa là các bài văn chọn lọc đều có các ghi chú về tác giả, từ vựng và các câu hỏi khai thác nội dung được đưa ra một cách chừng mực, ngắn gọn và
cô đọng để không trở nên nặng nề hay giảm bớt hứng thú của độc giả khi tiếp
xúc với các áng văn chương này
Chúng tôi cũng muốn lưu ý độc giả nên dùng chung cuốn sách này với cuốn
tiên thân của nó như đã nêu ở trên Hai cuốn sách bổ sung cho nhau Cuối
Trang 5CONTENTS
THE OLD ENGLISH PERIOD (BEFORE THE CONQUEST - 1066) `
Anonymous author: The Song of BeoWUlf ì ee 12
THE MIDDLE ENGLISH PERIOD (THE 11-15TH CENTURIES)
Geoffrey Chaucer The Prologue to the Canterbury Tales 7
THE ELIZABETHANS (THE 16TH CENTURY)
Edmund Spencer: R00 ằŠằ 22
Shakespeare: - Cranmer S prophedy c2 nh nee 24
Beloved England ene 26
WInI@F 222221222 Hee 28
Fat M@R 0.222.202 HH eHneoee 30
Royal Renunciation ì 33
CONSCIENCE oo 0 2 re 37
The Weath of love : " 39
Prince Hai and Fals†aff -.cc co 4t Puck and Ob@rON oo ccc cette 46 The Quesfion che 49
Death c0 1 2212 H ghe 53
The SeVen Âg&S5 ccnHHhree 55 THE PURITAN AGE (THE 17TH GENTURY)
John Milton: The Garden of Eden ee 59
THE EIGTHTEENTH CENTURY (THE ENLIGHTENMENT)
Daniel Detoe:, The House of Robinson 61
The True-Born Englishman 64
Jonathan Swift Education in Lilliput (Gulliver's Travels) B7
A Voyage to Lilliput (Gulliver's Travels) 71
A Baneful Invention (Gulliver's Travels) 74
THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY (ROMANTICISM)
Trang 6William Wordsworth: Thomas More John Keats P B Shelley: Coleridge: Lord Byron: Sir Walter Scott: Chartes Dickens: Lord Tennyson: My Heart's in the Highlands Daffodils at Ullswater
The Vision Splendid
Lines written in Early Spring
Those Evening Bells
Toleration
Somnet
Ode on a Grecian Ưrn
Autumn: A Dirge The Phantom Ship
The Untamed Ocean
THE VICTORIAN AGE (THE 19TH CENTURY) The Roman Wall Saxons & Normans
Mr Pickwicks Adventure 1
Mr Pickwicks Adventure 2
Ancient Britain cu | want some more
London Streets: Morning
London Streets: Noon
King Alfred ¬—
The Misses Wlllis
The Song of the Kettle Equine Humour Marley’s Ghost 81 82 65 88 92 94 97 103 106 „112 115 148 122 126 131 134 - 137 139 144 143 145 150 153
Trang 7Charies Lamb Robert Louis Stevenson John Ruskin: Elizabeth Browning: Robert Browning:
William Makepeace Thackeray: William Somerset Maugham:
Oscar Wilde:
THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle J.B Priestley: Rudyard Kipling: D.H Lawrence: H.G Wells: Edward Gray Town Versus Country A Grim Fighter Paddling TH HH na A Gale on the Scottish Coast Autumn Fires Painting Is a Language Victorian Education The Ride From Ghent to Aix Pr0SpIG Vanity Fain ee The Moon and Sixpence
The Cantervill Ghost (I-VỊ)
Monastic Accomplishments
Stanley Poole, the Office Boy
Mr Smeeth, the Cashier
Mr Smeeth's First Symphony
The Beauty of Britain
England
The Settler teeters LISDOEA oo cece etter eees The ligh† that falled
The Christmas Tree (I-HH)
Left Alone 2
The Tragedy of Ugliness
Sunrise on the Moon
The Diamond Maker
Trang 8Mr Polly s Education Discontent
Our Imperial Legacy
Trang 9BIBLIOGRAPHY
1 Drake, HB An Approach to English literature for Students
Abroad Book 5 London: Oxford University Press, 1965
2 Spencer, D.H English for Proficiency London: Oxford University
Press, 1963
3 Stories from Shakespeare Longman Classics
4 Lamb, Charles and Mary Tales from Shakespeare New York:
J.M Dent and Sons Ltd, 1963
5 Harris, Raymond Best Short Stories Advanced Level 6 An Anthology of English Literature XTX Moscow, 1978
7 Carpentier — Fialip, Pet M L’Anglais Vivant Classe de 4e
Edition blue Paris: Librairie Hachette, 1958
8 Carpentier - Fialip, Pet M L’Anglais Vivant Classe de 2e Edition beige Paris: Classiques Hachette, 1958
9 English Literature 3 Moscow, 1981
10 History of English Literature Hanoi Foreign Language College
English Department
Trang 101
Beowulf is the first English poem It is more than a thousand years old It tells of times long before the people who were the ancestors of
the English people came to the country They brought the legend with them
When Hrothgar was the king of the people who lived in the south of Seandinavia, the country lived happily till a terrible monster came to their land His name was Grendel He looked like a man, but there was
long black hair all over his body Grendel was very big and strong In fact, he was as strong as many men and he did not like men When he
caught a man, he carried him to his home in the mountain and ate him there So he was also called the Man-Eater
One night Grendel came to Hrothgar’s castle to see what the king and his men did there The door was open and he saw generals and soldiers sleeping in the biggest room The monster carried away thirty of the men to his home in the mountains and ate them
In the morning the king saw that not all his soldiers were in the
castle “Grendel has been here,” he thought
When his men learned about it, many of them were afraid
“We must watch and fight Grendel,” said the king So, when Grendel came again one night, there was a very long fight But the hair of Grendel’s big body was so long that the soldiers could not use their swords against him And so he killed some of the men and again ran away with them to the mountains and ate them
Hrothgar could do nothing The monster now came uot only to the king’s palace but to the houses of the people and killed them Twelve long years passed, and the people in the land were very unhappy Hrothgar wanted to give Grendel gold to end the war between them But the monster did not take the gold
Trang 11There were no dinner at the king’s castle now People were afraid to walk near the mountains: Grendel watched for them and caught and killed many of them Hrothgar had many strong and brave men but
they did not know what to do Grendel continued to kill and kill
People of other countries heard about Grendel Beowulf a great hero who lived in Denmark, also heard about the monster He told his men
to build a good ship because he wanted to go to King Hrothgar and
help him and his people When the ship was ready, Beowulf took fourteen of his bravest soldiers with him In two days they saw the mountains of Lirothgar’s land
When Beowulf and his men came to the castle, old Hrothgar sat alone
in the big room He was very unhappy His men brought the guests to him
“Here are men who have come from over the sea,” they said “It seems
they are friends This general - they call him Beowulf - is a very strong
man.”
“I knew Beowulf when he was a child,” said Hrothgar “His good old
father was a brave soldier We are very happy to see you, our dear guests.”
“Hrothgar,” Beowulf answered, “I am happy to see you too Stories
about Grendel have come to me The bravest and the most clever of my
people asked me to come to you because they know that I am strong And now | am ready, alone, to fight Grendel I have learned that this monster fights without a sword So I'll fight with him without a sword
”
too
“Grendel has killed many of my best soldiers,” the king said “We are very unhappy about it ] know you will kill the monster Stay here in my castle for the night Be brave and watch for Grendel.”
Trang 12II
Beowulf and his men were alone Beowulf lay down in the big room and waited for Grendel He did not sleep
Then Grendel came from his mountains He could easily see the castle,
bright with light He walked up to the door and opened it A terrible light like fire came from his eyes In the big room of the castle he saw a group of sleeping soldiers and laughed aloud Beowulf watched him The monster killed a sleeping soldier who lay near the door He walked nearer to the table and saw Beowulf Suddenly Beowulf caught one arm of the monster with his hands Grendel felt that this man was as strong as many men He was afraid now He \‘anted to run away, but he could not free himself from Beowulfs strong hands When
Grendel and Beowulf began to fight, the castle seemed to jump up in
the air and come down again Beowulfs men struck Grendel from every side with their swords but it was all nothing to the great monster Grendel fought and fought but he could not’ free himself from Beowulf hands At last Beowulf tore the arm out of Grendel’s body Grendel cried aloud and ran away to his home in the mountains
In the morning Beowulf together with Hrothgar and his men rode into the mountains where the monster lived They rode and rode and at
last came to the monster’s big castle
Beowulf went into the castle alone In one of the rooms he saw a big
sword on the wall He understood that it was a magic sword He
quickly took it down and with that sword he killed the terrible
monster He cut off his head and brought it to his friends
The soldiers shouted with joy when they saw the great hero come out of the castle He carried the monster’s head by the hair After a short rest they all rode back to the Hrothgar’s castle
The next day everybody came to the biggest room in Hrothgar’s castle
to celebrate the monster's death Beowulf put up the head and the arm
of Grendel on the wall of the big room As the guests sat down at the
Trang 13“Grendel has made the life of our people very unhappy Now you, Beowulf, the best of men, have done what we could not do You have become my son now We shall remember you always.”
Beowulf was very happy to hear such words At supper he sat near
Hrothgar between the two sons of the king Hrothgar gave many rich presents to Beowulf and his men: beautiful horses, gold and silver There was much music and singing far into the night There was peace
in the land for the first time in many years Nobody was afraid and
everybody slept well that night
In two days Beowulf was ready to go back to his home country with his men There he became a king when his father died
AIDS TO STUDY
CONTENT EXPLOITATION 1.What was the other name of the monster?
2 How many soldiers did Beowulf take with him? 3 Did Hrothgar know Beowulf?
4 How did Beowulf want to fight with Grendel?
5 Arrange the following facts in the order they come in the story: a Beowulf became a king
b There was peace in the land for the first time in many years c Beowulf heard about Grendel
d Grendel and Beowulf began to fight
e Hrothgar gave rich presents to Beowulf and his men f Beowulfs men built a ship and sailed to Hrothgar’s land g Grendel came to the castle and killed a sleeping soldier near
the door
Trang 1416
1 Grendel often came and killed many people
k Beowulf caught one arm of the monster with his hands | Beowulf told Hrothgar that he wanted to fight the monster
Trang 15THE PROLOGUE TO THE CANTERBURY TALES by Geoffrey Chaucer Translated by Nevill Coghill on 10 15
When in April the sweet showers fall
And pierce the drought of March to the roof and all The veins are bathed in liquor of such power, When also Zephyrus with his sweet breath Exhales an air in every grove and heath upon the tender shoots, and the young sun His half-course in the sign of the Ram has run, And the small fowl are making melody
That sleep away the night with open eye
(So nature pricks them and their heart engages)
Then people long to go on pilgrimages
And palmers long to seek the stranger strands
Of far-up saints, hallowed in sundry lands, And especially, from every shire’s end
In England, down to Canterbury they went To seek the holy blissful martyr, quick
To give his help to them when they were sick, It happened in that season that one day
In Southwark, at Thetabard, as I lay
Trang 1620 25 30 35 40 18
Ready to go on pilgrimage and start For Canterbury, most devout at heart
At night there came into that hostelry Some nine and twenty in a company
Of sundry folk happening then to fall In fellowship, and they were pilgrims all] That towards Canterbury meant to ride
The room and stables of the inn were wide;
They made us easy, all was of the best
And shortly, when the sun had gone to rest,
By speaking to them all upon the trip I soon was one of them in fellowship
And promised to rise early and take the way To Canterbury, as you heard me say
But none the less when I have time and space,
Before my story takes a further pace, It seems reasonable to say
What their conditions was, the fullarray Of each of them, as it appeared to me According to profession and degree, And what apparel they were riding in; And at a Knight I therefore will begin
There was a Knight, a most distinguished man,
Trang 1745 50 55 60 65
To ride abroad had followed chivalry, Truth, honour, generousness and courtesy
He had done nobly in his sovereign’s war
And ridden into battle, no man more, As well in christian as in heathen places,
And ever honoured for his noble graces When we took Alexandria, he was there He often sat at table in the chair
Of honour, above all nations, when in Prussia In Lithuania he had ridden, and Russia, No christian man so often, of his rank Under assault, he had been there, and in
North Africa, raiding Benamarin;
In Anatolia he had been as well,
And fought when Ayas and Attalia fell,
For all long the Mediterranean coast
He had embarked with many a noble host In fifteen mortal battles he had been And jousted for our faith at Tramissene Thrice in the lists, and always killed his man This same distiguished knight had let the van Once with the Bey of Balat, doing work For him against another heathen Turk; He was of sovereign value in all eyes
Trang 1870
75
80
85
And though so much distinguished he was wise And in his bearing modest as a maid
He never yet a boorish thing had said In all his life to any, come what might;
He was a true, a perfect gentle-knight Speaking of his equipment, he possessed Fine horses, but he was not gaily dressed He wore a fustian tunic stained and dark With smudges where his armour had left mark;
Just home from service, he had joined our ranks
To do his pilgrimage and render thanks He had his son with him, a fine young Squire,
A lover and cadet, a lad of fire
With looks as curly as if they had been pressed He was some twenty years of age, I guessed
In stature he was of a moderate length,
With wonderful agility and strength He’d seen some service with the cavalry
In Flanders and Artois and Picardy
AIDS TO STUDY CONTENT EXPLOITATION
1 When did people long to go to pilgrimages? Describe the natural scene in April (lines 1-17)
2 How many people engaged in the pilgrimage including the writer/ 20
Trang 193 Where did they meet each other? Who began the story first? What was the story about? (ines 27, 41)
4 How many mortal battles had the knight been in? (ine 62) 5 What were the qualities of the knight? (lines 69-79) 6 Describe the son of the knight
7 A useful note to understanding The Prologue: The Canterbury Tales (Geoffrey Chaucer) is the great work of Chaucer’s maturity the product of his final interest in literature Turning his attention from his audience at court to a wider reading public, he hit upon a masterful scheme for his collection of stories Something similar is indeed to be found in the Arabian Nights and The Decameron, but their settings are static while Chaucer’s is dynamic
The PROLOGUE gives the frame of the work It presents the pilgrims en route to Canterbury to visit the shrine of Thomas Becket, in a series of portraits unmatched in medieval poetry Excluding royalty and nobility on one hand, and the impoverished on the other, they represent all of English society Yet each portrait, besides being typical, is individualized, too
Trang 20SONNET 75
The arrangement used by Spencer in his Amoretti (a sonnet sequence which is composed of 88 sonnets), in which the rhymes are delicately and ingeniously interlinked in the scheme abab bebe cdcd ee Some of
the sonnets sound in the conventional note of sonneteers, such as the
promise of immortality through the poet’s verse but many are original by Edmund Spencer
& personal
22
One day I wrote her name upon the strand; But came the waves, and washed it away
Again, I wrote it with a second hand;
But came the tide, and made my mains his prey
Vain man, said she, that dost in vain assay A mortal thing so to immortalize;
For I myself shall like to this decay, And eek my namé be wiped out likewise Not so, quoth I: let baser thing devise To die in dust, but you shall live by fame
My verse your virtues rare shall eternize,
And in the heavens write your glorious name Where, when as death shall all the world subdue,
Trang 21CONTENT EXPLOITATION
1 Where did the poet write the name of his lover? 2 What washed her name away?
3 What was the prey of the tide?
4 What was mortal and immortal according to the sonnet? 5 State the intention of the poet in this sonnet?
Trang 22CRANMER'S PROPHECY
(Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, presents the infant
princess Elizabeth to her father, King Henry VIII of England, on the occasion of her christening
As if he were inspired by Heaven, the Archbishop prophesies the glorious life of the royal baby and praises her many virtues to come Note that the play was acted in 1613, ten years after the death of
Queen Elizabeth.)
24
ch khe she shall be
A pattern to all princes living with her, And all that shall succeed: Saba was never More covetous of wisdom and fair virtue
Than this pure soul shall be: all princely graces,
With all the virtues that attend the good,
Shall till be doubled on her; truth shall nurse her; Holy and heavenly thoughts still counsel her;
She shall be loved and feared; her own shall bless her; Her foes shake like a field of beaten corn
And hang their heads with sorrow; good grows with her In her days every man shall eat in safety
Under his own vine what he plants, and sing The merry songs of peace to all his neighbours
Trang 231 2 8 9 AIDS TO STUDY VOCABULARY NOTES a pattern: a model
Saba: The Queen of Sheba who one day invited to visit her Solomon
whose wisdom she had heard of (1 Kings X.1) covetous: very desirous
wisdom: prudence and knowledge
to attend: to accompany
still: always
to nurse: to nourish, to take care of
her own: her own people
a foe: an enemy
10 beaten corn: corn beaten by a storm
11 to hang one’s head: to let one’s head hang, or droop, in sign of submission, or despair
12 sorrow: grief, sorry
CONTENT EXPLOITATION
Why is the emphatic future particularly appropriate to this passage? What sort of happiness is symbolized in lines 12-14?
Find an example of poetical imagery in the text and say if you think
it is appropriate or not; explain your reasons
What good point in the reign of Elizabeth could serve as a pattern to
her successors?
Trang 24B ELOVED ENGLAND Qn 2 wo NK 26
This royal throne of kings, this scepter’d isle, This earth of majesty, this seat of Mars,
This other Eden, demi-paradise,
This fortress built by Nature for herself Against infection and the hand of war, This happy bread of men, this little world, This precious stone set in the silver sea, Which serves it in the office of a wall
Or as a moat defensive to a house,
Against the envy of less happier lands,
This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England, This land of such dear souls, this dear land SHAKESPEARE AIDS TO STUDY I, VOCABULARY NOTES scepter’d = bearing a sceptre, the mark of authority seat = residence
Mars = the Roman God of war
Eden = the garden where Adam and Eve lived
infection = communication of moral or physical disease
Trang 257 set = a precious stone is set, or fixed, in precious metal
8 In the office of = by way of, instead of 9 a moat = a ditch or trench round a fortress
10 blessed = to which God has given happiness
11 plot = space of ground 12 realm = kingdom
13 soul = the spiritual part of man; here, souls = men II CONTENT EXPLOITATION 1 What is a throne?
Who was Mars in classical mythology?
wo
b9
Why does Shakespeare compare England to Eden?
Hà Count how many beats, or accented syllables, there are to a line;
scan lines 1, 4, 5 and 6
Trang 26WINTER
When icicles hang by the wall, And Dick the shepherd blows his nail,
And Tom bears logs into the hall, And milk comes frozen home in pail, When blood is nipped, and ways be foul
Then nightly sings the staring owl, Tu-whit!
Tu-whoo! - a merry note,
While greasy Joan doth keel the pot
When all aloud the wind doth blow,
And coughing drowns the parson’s saw, And birds sit brooding in the snow,
And Marian’s nose looks red and raw, When roasted crabs hiss in the bowl,
Then nightly sings the staring owl, Tu-whit!
Tu-whoo! - a merry note, While greasy Joan doth keel the pot
W SHAKESPEARE (Love’s Labour’s Lost.)
Trang 27AIDS TOSTUDY
I VOCABULARY NOTES 1 An icicle = a small piece of ice
2 He blows his nail = he breathes on his fingers to warm them 3 Logs = wood cut to be burnt in the fireplace
4 nipped = pinched, bitten by the cold
5 Ways = streets, small roads
6 Nightly = at night
7 To stare = to look fixedly
8 An owl = a bird that comes out at night and has an unpleasant
voice
9 To keel = To cool (obsolete)
10 Saw = sermon, words; coughing is louder than the clergyman’s
voice
11 To brood = To sit with outspread wings
12 Crabs = Small wild apples which were eaten hot in a bowl or cup of cider
II CONTENT EXPLOITATION
1 Explain: the staring owl — an icicle — roasted crabs - red and raw
2 Were roads more dirty in Shakespeare’s time than now? and why?
3 Do the birds enjoy the snow as much as boys do?
4 Pick out the phrases that do not look like modern English
Trang 28FAT MEN
(The scene is in Rome in the year 44 B.C., on the day of the
Lupercal, some time before Caesar's death A ceremony has just
taken place close by, in which Caesar has been three times offered the royal:crown by Anthony The repeated cheers of the crowd acclaiming Caesar as he thrice refused the crown have interrupted the conversation of three noble Romans, Cassius, Brutus and Casca, who have met on a public place, and are discussing Caesar, of whose popularity they are all three jealous Caesar, returning from the ceremony, crosses this public place, and noticing the discontented air of Cassilis, who is lean and sullen-looking, calls out to Anthony )
Caesar
Anthony
Caesar
30
Let me have men about me that are fat; Sleek-headed men, and such as sleep o’ nights; Yond’ Cassius has a lean and hungry look;
He thinks too much; such men are dangerous Fear him not, Caesar; he’s not dangerous; ;
He is a noble Roman, and well given Would he were fatter! but I fear him not!
Yet if my name were liable to fear,
I do not know the man I should avoid
So soon as that spare Cassius He reads much He is a great observer, and he looks
Quite through the deeds of men; he loves no plays,
Trang 29Seldom he smiles; and smiles in such a sort As if he mock’d himself, and scorn’d his spirit That could be mov’d to smile at anything
Such men as he be never at heart’s ease,
Whiles they behold a greater than themselves!
And therefore are they very dangerous I rather tell thee what is to be fear’d, Than what I fear, for always I am Caesar Come on my right hand, for this ear is deaf,
And tell me truly what thou think’st of him
SHAKESPEARE (Julius Caesar 1599)
AIDS TO STUDY
I ABOUT THE AUTHOR
William Shakespeare (1564-1616), still considered as the greatest
writer of plays in the English language
I VOCABULARY NOTES
1 sleek: smooth and shiny, like the hair of a horse in good condition well-given: of good disposition, kindly
Trang 30UI CONTENT EXPLOITATION
1 What impression of Caesar’s character is conveyed by this passage? 2 How much imperial majesty appears in the thought and expression? 3 Cassius is one of the band of conspirators who are to murder Caesar
on a charge of ambition dangerous to the Republic What signs of this ambition can you find in his passage?
Trang 31ROYAL RENUNCIATION
(Richard || is about to abdicate his throne in favour of Henry Bolingbroke who becomes Henry IV, in 1399.)
King Richard
What must the king do now? Must he submit? The king shall do it: must he be depos’d? The king shall be contented; must he lose The name of king? o’ God’s name, let it go? I'll give my jewels for a set of beads, My gorgeous palace for a hermitage, My gay apparel for an almsman’s gown, My figur’d goblets for a dish of wood, My sceptre for a palmer’s walking-staff, My subjects for a pair of carved saints, And my large kingdom for a little grave, A little little grave, an obscure grave; Or I'll be buried in the king’s highway,
Some way of common trade, where subjects’ feet
May hourly trample on their sovereign’s head;
For on my heart they tread, now whilst I live, And, buried once, why not upon my head?
Aumerle, thou weep’st; my tender-hearted cousin! We'll make foul weather with despised tears; Our sighs and they shall lodge the summer corn,
Trang 3234
And make a dearth in this revolting land
Or shall we play the wantons with our woes,
And make some pretty match with shedding tears?
As thus; - to drop them still upon one place,
Till they have fretted us a pair of graves
Within the earth; and therein laid, — There lies
Two kinsmen digg'd their graves with weeping eyes
Would not this ill do well? - Well, well, I see
I talk but idly, and you mock at me
SHAKESPEARE (Richard I, 1597)
AIDS TO STUDY
I ABOUT THE AUTHOR
William Shakespeare (1564-1616) was born at Stratford-on-Avon, but went to London where he became an actor
He began by writing poetry, but soon became a playwright, and often acted in performances of his own plays
The plays are divided into three groups: histories, such as
RICHARD II, HENRY IV, in which more attention is paid to poetry and dramatic effect than to strict historical accuracy; comedies, such as THE MERCHANT OF VENICE, A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S
DREAM, which sparkle with wit and humour, and sometimes
contain supernatural elements; tragedies, which reveal the depths and passions of the human soul in a way which has never been equalled
Shakespeare is the greatest master of the English language
Trang 3310 11 12 13 14 1ã 16 17 18 19
compactness and poetical suggestion, but sometimes marred by too costae! J
easy verbal effects and disappointing endings
Most of Shakespeare’s work is as vital now as when it was written II VOCABULARY NOTES
contented = willing a set of beads = a rosary gay = brightly-coloured
apparel = costumes (poetic)
an almsman = a poor man supported by charity figur’d = ornamented
a palmer = a wandering monk who has taken a vow of poverty
_a Staff = a stick to walk with
the King’s highway = the open public road Note the irony in: King’s
_ of common trade = where common people come and go (archaic) to trample = To tread heavily
buried once = once buried = when | am buried to lodge = To lay flat (corn)
a dearth = a famine (pronouced: da: 8)
revolting = rebellious
to play the Wanton = To act capriciously; To amuse oneself pretty = ingenious (archaic sense)
Trang 3420 21 22 23 24 2 ca 36
one place = the same place to fret = To corrode to eat away
kinsmen - relations, men of the same family ill = great misforfune
idly = foolishly
IH CONTENT EXPLOITATION
By what processes is the thought developed in lines 5-12, 13-17, 18-
27?
What is your opinion of the imagery in each case?
_ What do you imagine is the state of mind of Richard II when he speaks thus?
Compare the tone of the speech with the emotions which lie behind
Trang 35CONSCIENCE -
Laun Certainly, my conscience will serve me to run from this Jew, my master The fiend is at mine elbow, and tempts me, saying to me,
“Gobbo, Launcelot Gobbo, good Launcelot,” or “good Gobbo,” or “good
Launcelot Gobbo, use your legs, take the start, run away,” My
conscience says, “No; take heed honest Launcelot; take heed, honest
Gobbo;” or, as aforesaid “honest Launcelot Gobbo,; do not run; scorn
running with thy heels” Well, the most courageous fiend bids me pack:
“Vial” says the fiend; “away!” says the fiend, “for the heavens, rouse up
a brave mind” says the fiend “and run” Well, my conscience, hanging about the neck of my heart says very wisely to me, “My honest friend
Launcelot, being an honest man’s son,” - or rather an honest woman’s
son; - for, indeed, my father did something smack, something grow to,
he had a kind of taste; - well, my conscience says, “Launcelot, budge
not.” “Budge,” says the fiend “Budge not,” says my conscience
Conscience, say I, you counsel well; fiend, say I, you counsel well: to be
ruled by my conscience, I should stay with the Jew my master, who
(God bless the mark!) is a kind of devil; and, to run away from the
Jew, I should be ruled by the fiend, who, saving your reverence, is the
devil himself Certainly, the Jew is the very devil incarnal; and, in my conscience, my conscience is but a kind of hard conscience, to offer to
counsel me to stay with the Jew: the fiend gives the more friendly
counsel: I will run, fiend; my heels are at your command; I will run SHAKESPEARE (The Merchant of Venice, 1600)
AIDS TO STUDY
I VOCABULARY NOTES
1 will serve me to = will persuade me to (archaic sense) 2 The fiend = the devil
Trang 364 as afore said = as I said before
5 bids me back = counsels me, advises me to run away 6 via = away (Italian)
7 to rouse = to awaken (take your courage in both hands) 8 to smack = to have a (bad) smell
9 something = used adverbially
10 to grow to = a household phrase used of milk which has been
allowed to burn in the saucepan, thus acquiring a bad taste
(archaic)
11 to budge = to move
12 God bless the mark: an ironic expression, apologizing for some
unusually strong word (referring to ‘a kind of devil’); cf Saving your reverence
13 incarnal = Gobbo’s mistake for ‘incarnate’ 14 to offer = to have the impudence
II CONTENT EXPLOITATION
1 Study: the character of the speaker, the question to be settled, and
the treatment of the theme of indecision
2 In what does the humour of this passage lie? Pick out phrases which strike you as particularly humorous
Trang 37THE WEALTH OF LOVE _
When in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes, J all alone beweep my outcast state,
And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries, And look upon myself, and curse my fate, Wishing me like to one more rich in hope,
Featurd like him, ike him with friends possess’d, Desiring this man’s art and that man’s scope, With what I most enjoy contented least,
Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising, Haply I think on thee, and then my state, Like to the lark at break of day arising
From sullen earth, sings hymns at heaven’s gate; For thy sweet love remember'd such wealth brings That then I scorn to change my state with kings
SHAKESPEARE (Sonnet XXIX, 1609)
AIDS TO STUDY I VOCABULARY NOTES
1 in disgrace : in Shakespeare’s time, to be an actor was not considered as respectable If people of the best society associated with actors, it was more or less secretly
2 all alone outcast: reiterated allusion to his actor’s condition 3 An outcast: a man cast out, driven away
Trang 38m> bootless: vain, useless
5 to curse: to call for malediction on
® Hke to one: archaic for: similar to one, like one; cf 11: like to the lark
7 featured = having the same features, or aspect; as handsome
8 scope: sphere of action, opportunities for the exercise of his talent 9 least: pronounced lest in Shakespeare’s time rhyming with
‘possessed’
10 haply = suddenly, by chance
11 my state = my fate, my condition, my present destiny
12 sullen = sad, dull, morose
13 to scorn = to disdain
II CONTENT EXPLOITATION
1 Explain: deaf heaven (3); with what I most enjoy contented least (8); like to the lark heaven’s gate (11-12); thy love such wealth brings
(13)
2 This sonnet was written before 1600 Read it over carefully and point out any trace of archaism you can find in it, concluding by saying whether is is far from modern English usage or not
3 Explain the poet’s intention in placing the accent on: deaf (3), one, rich, hope (5), him, him, friends (6), this, that (7); most, least (8); thee, then (10); thy, such (13); then, scorn, kings (14)
4 Sum up in your own words the idea expressed in the sonnet and
show how its various developments coincide with the way the
sonnet is divided
Trang 39PRINCE HAL AND FALSTAFF
(Prince Hal, the future Henry V, is more often to be found in taverns than at court; he spends his time in low company: and has just been summoned to the court where he expects to be reproached for his behaviour He and his companions, chief of whom is the old knight Falstaff, rehearse the scene, Falstaff playing the King’s part )
Fal Harry, I do not only marvel where thou spendest thy time, but also how thou art accompahied There is a thing, Harry, which thou hast often heard of and it is known to many in our land by the name of pitch; this pitch, as ancient writers do report, doth * defile; so doth the company thou keepest; for, Harry, now I do not speak to thee in drink but in tears, not in pleasure but in
passion, not in words only, but in woes also; and yet there is a
virtuous man whom I have often noted in thy company, but I know not his name
'° Prince What manner of man, an it like your majesty?
Fal A goodly portly man, i’faith, and a corpulent; of a cheerful look, a pleasing eye and a most noble carriage; and, as I think, his age some fifty, or byr lady, inclining to three score; and now I
remember me, his name is Falstaff Harry, I see virtue in his
1Š looks If then the tree may be known by the fruit, as the fruit by the tree, then, peremptorily I speak it, there is virtue in that Falstaff: him keep with, the rest banish And tell me now, thou naughty varlet, tell me, where hast thou been this month?
Prince Dost thou speak like a king? Do thou stand for me, and I'll play
20 my father
Trang 40Prince Well, here I] am set
5 Fal And here I stand; judge, my masters Prince Now, Harry, whence come you? Fal My noble lord, from Eastcheap
Prince The complaints I hear of thee are grievous
Fal ‘Sblood, my lord; they are false; nay, I’ll tickle ye for a young
3° prince, Pfaith
Prince Swearest thou, ungracious boy? henceforth ne’er look on me
There is a devil haunts thee in the likeness of an old fat man; a
tun of man is thy companion Why dost thou converse with that trunk of humours, that bolting-hutch of beastliness, that swollen 3 parcel of dropsies, that huge bombard of sack, that stuffed cloak-bag of guts, that roasted Manningtree ox with the pudding in his belly, that reverend vice, that grey iniquity, that father ruffian, that vanity in years? Wherein is he good, but to taste sack and drink it? Wherein neat and cleanly, but to carve a 40 capon and eat it? wherein cunning, but in craft? wherein
crafty, but in villainy? wherein villainous, but in all things?
wherein worthy, but in nothing?
Fal 1 would your grace would take me with you: whom means your
grace?
45 Prince That villainous abominable misleader of youth, Falstaff, that old white-bearded Satan
Fal My lord, the man | know
Prince I know thou dost
Fal But to say I know more harm in him than in myself, were to say
5° more than I know That he is old, the more the pity, his white
hairs do witness it If sack and sugar be a fault, God help the wicked! If to be old and merry be a sin, then many an old host
that I know is dammed; if to be fat be to be hated, then