Chapter 39 - England's Greatest Playwright
第三十九章 - 英格兰最伟大的剧作家

William Shakespeare / 威廉·莎士比亚

Elizabeth worked hard ruling her country. But sometimes she took time off to enjoy herself. She loved music, and she kept a fifty-person choir and full orchestra at court.

伊丽莎白努力统治着她的国家。但有时她也会抽出时间来享受自己的生活。她热爱音乐，在宫廷中养着一个五十人的合唱团和完整的管弦乐队。

She paid composers to write songs for her choir. She even sang herself, playing the lyre (an instrument with strings) as accompaniment. She liked poetry, and wrote a few verses herself.

她雇佣作曲家为她的合唱团创作歌曲。她甚至亲自演唱，弹奏里拉琴（一种有弦的乐器）作为伴奏。她喜欢诗歌，还自己写了一些诗句。

Most of all, she enjoyed seeing a good play—especially a play written by William Shakespeare, England's most famous playwright. Shakespeare was born six years after Elizabeth became queen.

最重要的是，她喜欢观看好的戏剧——尤其是由威廉·莎士比亚创作的戏剧，他是英格兰最著名的剧作家。莎士比亚在伊丽莎白成为女王六年后出生。

[原书插图：英格兰地图，显示苏格兰、威尔士、爱尔兰和法国的位置关系]

When he was young, he acted in a traveling company that went from town to town, performing plays in wooden theatres and in the courtyards of inns. When he grew a little older, Shakespeare and several friends formed their own band of actors.

年轻时，他在一个巡演的剧团中演出，这个剧团从一个城镇到另一个城镇，在木制剧院和旅店的庭院中表演戏剧。当他稍微长大一些后，莎士比亚和几个朋友组建了他们自己的演员团队。

Shakespeare acted parts, helped choose costumes, ran rehearsals, found props—and wrote plays. He wrote comedies (funny plays) such as The Taming of the Shrew, about a hot-tempered woman who has to marry a man she doesn't like.

莎士比亚扮演角色，帮助选择服装，主持排练，寻找道具——还创作戏剧。他写了喜剧（有趣的戏剧），比如《驯悍记》，讲述一个脾气暴躁的女人必须结婚嫁给一个她不喜欢的男人的故事。

And A Midsummer Night's Dream, about fairies who play tricks on people who wander through the woods. He wrote tragedies (sad plays) such as Hamlet, about a prince who has to avenge his father's death.

还有《仲夏夜之梦》，讲述仙女对漫步在树林中的人们恶作恶作剧的故事。他还写了悲剧（悲伤的戏剧），比如《哈姆雷特》，讲述一个王子必须为父亲的死亡进行报复的故事。

And Romeo and Juliet, about a boy and girl who fall in love even though their families hate each other. And he wrote historical plays based on the lives of great men and women in the past. Richard III tells the story of the English king who took the throne from the Princes in the Tower.

还有《罗密欧与朱丽叶》，讲述一个男孩和女孩相爱情的故事，尽管他们的家庭彼此仇恨。他还写了基于过去伟大男男女女生活的历史的戏剧。《理查三世》讲述了那个从塔中王子们手中夺取王位的英格兰国王的故事。

Henry V is about the Battle of Agincourt, in France. In all, Shakespeare wrote more than forty plays. They have been performed over and over again for the last 450 years! Shakespeare's plays have been translated into almost every language.

《亨利五世》讲述的是发生在法国的阿金库尔战役。总共，莎士比亚写了超过四十部戏剧。在过去的450年里，它们被反复表演！莎士比亚的戏剧已经被翻译成几乎每一种语言。

[原书插图：威廉·莎士比亚肖像画，背景是伊丽莎白时代的剧院]

They have been made into movies, written about in books, and studied in schools. Some of the most familiar phrases in English come from Shakespeare's plays. Have you ever heard someone say, "Something is rotten in the state of Denmark" or "To be or not to be—that is the question"?

它们被拍成了电影，写进了书籍，在学校里被研究。英语中一些最熟悉的短语都来自莎士比亚的戏剧。你听过有人说"丹麦王国里有些东西腐烂的"或者"生存还是毁灭——这是个问题"吗？

Both lines are from Hamlet. "A horse, a horse! My kingdom for a horse!" is from Richard III. Has your mother ever said, "You're going to eat me out of house and home!"? Shakespeare first used that expression in Henry IV, Part 2.

这两句都出自《哈姆雷特》。"一匹马，一匹马！我的王国换一匹马！"出自《理查三世》。你的母亲有没有说过"你要把我的房子和家都吃光了！"？莎士比亚最早在《亨利四世》第二部中使用了这个表达。

And if you've ever heard jealousy called "the green-eyed monster," you've heard a line from Othello. One of Shakespeare's most famous plays, Macbeth, tells about a nobleman who wants to be king. Here is the beginning of the story:

如果你听过嫉妒被称为"绿眼怪物"，你就听过《奥赛罗》中的台词。莎士比亚最著名的戏剧之一《麦克白》讲述了一个想要成为国王的贵族的故事。这是故事的开头：

Macbeth / 麦克白

Scotland was at war. White-haired King Duncan, afraid that a band of rebels would throw him from his throne, sent his cousin Macbeth and Macbeth's trusted friend Banquo to fight the rebels.

苏格兰正在战争中。白发苍苍的邓肯国王，害怕一群叛军会把他从王位上推翻，派遣他的表兄弟麦克白和麦克白信任的朋友班柯去对抗叛军。

He waited anxiously to hear the outcome of the battle. Finally, a soldier arrived, covered with blood, straight from the battlefront. "Macbeth faced the enemy with brandished steel!" the soldier gasped.

他焦虑地等待着听到战斗的结果。最后，一个士兵赶到了，浑身都是血，直接从战场前线回来。"麦克白挥舞着钢铁面对敌人！"士兵气喘吁吁地说。

Macbeth's Decision / 麦克白的决定

In another part of the castle, Banquo was getting ready for bed. He took off his sword and handed it over to his servant, and then glanced out at the starless night. "There's good housekeeping in heaven," he murmured to himself. "All their candles have been put out!"

在城堡的另一个地方，班柯正准备上床。他脱下剑交给他的仆人，然后望向没有星星的夜晚。"天堂里的管家工作做得很好，"他自言自语道。"他们所有的蜡烛都熄灭了！"

📚 Chapter Vocabulary / 本章词汇表

基础生活词汇 / Basic Life Vocabulary

music

/ˈmjuːzɪk/

中文：音乐
定义：有组织的声音艺术
例句：Elizabeth loved music and kept a choir at court.

friends

/frɛndz/

中文：朋友
定义：亲密的伙伴关系
例句：Shakespeare and several friends formed their own acting company.

house

/haʊs/

中文：房子
定义：居住的建筑物
例句："You're going to eat me out of house and home!"

family

/ˈfæməli/

中文：家庭
定义：血缘关系的群体
例句：Romeo and Juliet's families hated each other.

sleep

/sliːp/

中文：睡觉
定义：休息状态
例句：Banquo was getting ready for bed but felt too restless to sleep.

mother

/ˈmʌðər/

中文：母亲
定义：女性家长
例句：Has your mother ever used Shakespeare's expressions?

戏剧艺术词汇 / Theatre & Arts Vocabulary

playwright

/ˈpleɪraɪt/

中文：剧作家
定义：写戏剧的人
例句：William Shakespeare was England's greatest playwright.

play

/pleɪ/

中文：戏剧
定义：舞台表演作品
例句：Elizabeth enjoyed seeing plays written by Shakespeare.

actors

/ˈæktərz/

中文：演员
定义：表演者
例句：Shakespeare formed his own band of actors.

comedies

/ˈkɑːmədiz/

中文：喜剧
定义：有趣的戏剧
例句：Shakespeare wrote comedies like The Taming of the Shrew.

tragedies

/ˈtrædʒədiz/

中文：悲剧
定义：悲伤的戏剧
例句：Hamlet and Macbeth are famous tragedies.

theatres

/ˈθiːətərz/

中文：剧院
定义：表演场所
例句：Plays were performed in wooden theatres and inn courtyards.

历史专业词汇 / Historical Terms

queen

/kwiːn/

中文：女王
定义：女性统治者
例句：Elizabeth became queen six years before Shakespeare was born.

king

/kɪŋ/

中文：国王
定义：男性统治者
例句：King Duncan ruled Scotland in Macbeth.

nobleman

/ˈnoʊbəlmən/

中文：贵族
定义：高贵出身的人
例句：Macbeth was a nobleman who wanted to be king.

throne

/θroʊn/

中文：王位
定义：国王的座位和权力
例句：Richard III took the throne from the Princes in the Tower.

battle

/ˈbætəl/

中文：战役
定义：大规模军事冲突
例句：Henry V is about the Battle of Agincourt in France.

castle

/ˈkæsəl/

中文：城堡
定义：大型防御建筑
例句：Banquo was in another part of the castle.

文化社会词汇 / Culture & Society

famous

/ˈfeɪməs/

中文：著名的
定义：广为人知的
例句：Shakespeare is England's most famous playwright.

language

/ˈlæŋɡwɪdʒ/

中文：语言
定义：人类交流的体系
例句：Shakespeare's plays have been translated into almost every language.

phrases

/ˈfreɪzəz/

中文：短语
定义：词语组合
例句：Many familiar English phrases come from Shakespeare's plays.

jealousy

/ˈdʒɛləsi/

中文：嫉妒
定义：因羡慕而产生的负面情感
例句：Shakespeare called jealousy "the green-eyed monster."

love

/lʌv/

中文：爱情
定义：深深的感情
例句：Romeo and Juliet fell in love despite their families' hatred.

books

/bʊks/

中文：书籍
定义：文字作品
例句：Shakespeare's plays have been written about in many books.

📊 处理统计信息 / Processing Statistics