Module3Literature在英国乃至世界文学史上，莎士比亚都有举足轻重的地位，下面让我们走进他的文学世界。WilliamShakespeareOfallthefamousEnglishwriters，probablythebestknownisWilliamShakespeare.HewasborninStratforduponAvonin1564onApril23rd.HisfatherwasanimportantmanintownsoShakespearehadagoodupbringing.Shakespeareprobablywenttoschool(althoughnorecordssurvivetoprovethis)butnotuniversity.Hegotmarriedwhenhewas18toAnneHathawayandthecouplehad3children.Shakespearewrote38playsand154sonnets(asonnetisakindofpoem)．HebeganworkinginhishometownofStratfordbutby1592waswritinginLondon.HebecamerichenoughtobuyahouseinthecapitalandoneinStratford.Hewrotesadstoriescalledtragedies，likeRomeoandJuliet，funnystoriesorcomedies，romanticstoriesandstoriesabouthistoricalfiguressuchasJuliusCaesar.Shakespearediedonhisbirthdayin1616，almost400yearsago.Butwhyarehisworksstillpopulartoday?Hisworkslookedatcommonhumanthemes，suchasbetrayal，murder，lust(欲望)，power，ambitionandlove.ThesethemesareasmuchapartofhumannaturetodayastheywereallthoseyearsagoandarethethemesweseeinmodernsoapoperasandHollywoodfilms.Eventhoughhistheatre，TheGlobe,wasburneddownin1613，itwasrebuiltinLondonin1997andyoucanstillseehisplaysperformedtheretoday.Shakespeare'sinfluenceontheEnglishlanguagecanstillbefelttoday.Wetalkabout“fairplay”，meaninghonestbehaviourbutthisphrasewasfirstusedbyShakespeare.Hecoinedthephrase“youcanhavetoomuchofagoodthing”．AnditwasShakespearewhocameupwiththeexpressiontodisappear“intothinair”whichwestillusetodaywhenwelosesomething.Shakespeare'sworkshavebeentranslatedintoeverymajorlanguageintheworld.Andperhapswe'llstillbeasfascinatedbyhisworks400yearsfromnowaswe'vebeenforalmostthelast400.1．worksn．作品2．influencen.影响3．disappearv.消失4．burndown烧毁5．betranslatedinto被翻译成1．HowlongdidShakespearelive?2．WhyareShakespeare'sworksstillpopulartoday?【答案】1.52years.2．Becausehisworkslookedatcommonhumanthemes.
