[00:30.69]lesson 41
[00:58.83]William Shakespeare (1564-1616)
[01:10.30]The English poet and playwright William Shakespeare
[01:16.77]is often described as the gratest writer in the English language.
[01:25.03]he first came to notice in 1592 as a playwright in London.
[01:33.96]In 1599 he became a part owner of the Globe Theatre in London
[01:42.79]and finally retired to his birthplace,Stratford-on-Avon,in 1613.
[01:52.67]As a playwright he wrote tragedies,comedies and his torieal plays,
[02:02.80]and a poet he wrote narrative poems and sonnets.
[02:12.23]His famous polays include Hamlet,King Lear,Othello,Romeo and Juliet.
[02:22.58]The merchant of Venice
[02:32.03]This plan is thought to have been written by Shakespeare in 1596.
[02:40.78]It is about a merchant,Antonio,
[02:46.43]Who borrows money from a Jew called Shylock to help Bassanio marry Portia
[02:56.88]According to their agreement,
[03:01.13]if Antonio fails to pay the money back,
[03:06.78]Shylock can claim a pound of Antonio's flesh.
[03:13.83]When Antonio is unable to pay the money back,
[03:21.27]Shylock demands that Antonio keeps to the agreement.
[03:28.54]However,he is defeated in a court case by Portia,disguised as a lawyer,
[03:38.80]who makes a powerful speech,wins the case and saves Antonio's life.
[04:11.04]1.What kind of a person was Antonio?
[04:18.01]A merchant,much liked by everybody and always ready to help others.
[04:27.57]2.Where were Antonio's ships?
[04:34.70]At sea.
[04:39.35]3.Who was Antonio's best friend and what did he want to do?
[04:48.50]Bassanio,who wanted to marry Portia.
[04:56.07]4.What was the problem?
[05:02.32]Bassanio had no money and Portia was rich.
[05:11.17]5.Who lent Antonio the money? Shylock,the money lender.
[05:21.72]6.Who lent Bassanio the money? Antonio.
[05:32.38]7.What was the agreement between antonio and Shylock?
[05:41.34]If Antonio did not pay the money back at the end of three months,
[05:49.99]Shylock could take a pound of flesh from any part of Antonio's body.
[05:58.66]8.What news did Antonio receive? All his ships were lost at sea.
[06:11.10]9.What did Portia decide to do?
[06:18.57]She dressed up as a lawyer,dressed her maid Nerissa as a lawyer's clerk,
[06:28.70]and both went to the court of the Duke.
[06:43.85]1.What does the Duke ask Shylock to do?To have mercy on Antonio.
[06:55.69]2.What is Shylock's reply?He demands his pound of flesh.
[07:08.36]3.What does Bassanio offer?
[07:15.23]He offers Shylock six thousand ducats for the three thousand that Antonio borrowed
[07:26.46]4.What is Shylock's reply?
[07:32.62]He still demands his pound of Flesh.
[07:38.87]5.What letter does Nerissa,Portia's maid bring?
[07:47.72]A letter from a famous lawyer.
[07:53.78]6.What does the letter say?
[07:59.95]The lawyer can not come but is sending a learned doctor of law in his place
[08:21.50]1.Why do you think it was not possible
[08:29.05]for Bassanio to marry Portia without money?
[08:34.61]Probably it was not the custom of that period for men to merry rich women
[08:44.49]if they were poor themselves.
[08:49.24]2.What is your opinion of the Duke's character? He is merciful.
[08:59.51]3.What is your opinion of Shylock?He is cruel.
[09:09.46]4.Why do you think Shylock prefers to take his pound of Flesh
[09:18.92]instead of accepting the money from Bassanio?
[09:25.26]Shylock hated Antonio because Antonio had many times scolded him publicly
[09:36.63]for being greedy and cruel.
[09:42.09]5.What are the two meanings of "I will pay him back with all my heart"?
[09:52.07]Literally,with the heart which he shall cut out of my body;
[10:00.32]Metaphorically,whole heartedly,willingly.
[10:11.79]6.When Portia says "Your wife would mot be pleased.",who is she thinking of
[10:22.37]Herself.She is Bassanio's wife,
[10:29.52]but she is wearing the clothes of a lawyer,
[10:35.17]and Bassanio does not realize who she is.
[10:41.83]Language points:
[10:51.68]1.Antonio had many times scolded Shylock publicly for being greedy and cruel
[11:29.32]He could not speak for sorrow
[11:39.59]Forgive me for keeping you waiting.
[11:47.34]Many thanks to you for what you have told me.
[12:07.61]scold sb for
[12:28.46]Dad scolded me for coming home late.
[12:38.73]Mother scolded me this morning for being rude to you.
[12:53.98]2.However,Shylock agreed to lend Antonio the money on one condition.
[13:02.94]In the agreement,Antonio made a promise to allow Shylock
[13:10.60]to take a pound of his flesh from whatever part of his body
[13:17.67]if he did not pay the money back at the end of three months.
[13:47.04]on one condition\on condition
[14:12.11]He was allowed to go swimming on condition that he kept near the other boys
[14:32.18]I'll come on condition that John is invited,too.
[14:49.03]make a promise
[14:59.89]keep one's promise
[15:07.75]break one's promise
[15:15.51]She said the man had kept his promise.
[15:26.67]I am sorry that I broke my promise.
[15:36.41]He's always making promises and then breaking them.
[15:54.57]I never promised to attend the meeting.
[16:05.80]I want you to promise me one thing.
[16:13.45]Lions are flesh-eating animals.
[16:42.50]I like meat while my sister likes fish.
[17:00.34]3.Then she thought of a clever plan to save Antonio.
[17:13.09]think of
[17:20.35]Don't worry,I will think of a way out of the difficulty.
[17:32.73]Who thought of such a wonderful idea?
[17:41.69]4.She pretended to be a lawyer,
[17:48.15]and her maid,Nerissa,dressed herself as a lawyer's clerk.
[18:03.01]pretend + to do/that
[18:13.17]They pretended to be working very hard.
[18:18.32]Let's pretend we are cowboys.
[18:27.57]5.Have mercy on Antonio.
[18:37.41]have mercy on/upon sb.
[18:49.87]They had no mercy on their prisoners.
[18:59.30]We were given no mercy.
[19:31.36]6.If you offered me six times what you have just offered,
[19:40.92]I would still take my pound of flesh.
[20:11.95]If I am wrong,you are wrong too.
[20:25.19]If she is poor,at least she's honest.
[20:49.44]A is three (four.etc.) times the size (height,length,width.etc.) of B.
[21:06.29]The new building is four times the size of the old one.
[21:19.24]This street is three times the length lf that one.
[21:31.31]A is three (four,etc,) times as big (high,long,wide,etc.) as B.
[21:40.85]A is three (four,etc.) times larger (highter,longer,wider,etc.) than B.
[22:04.80]This room is twice the size of that one.
[22:15.25]This room is twice as large as that one.
[22:27.79]7.Shylock,how can you hope for mercy yourself when you show none?
[22:38.13]how can you hope that others will show mercy to you
[22:46.57]if you show no mercy to others?
[23:01.90]I'll come when I'm needed.
[23:09.77]8. ...but I never knew so young a body with so wise a head.
[23:40.33]so/too/how+adj.+a/an + n.
[24:09.38]Did you notice that you had made so serious a mistake?
[24:19.12]It's too difficult a book for beginners.
[24:31.97]How wonderful a plan it would be!
[24:49.82]9. ... Portia... takes her seat as judge.
[24:59.17]take one's seat = sit down in one's place
[25:07.53]She bought a magazine and took her seat in the train.
[25:28.19]He then asked me to be seated.
[25:35.56]How many guests can be seated at each table?
[25:43.29]lesson 43
[25:56.17]What happened to Shylock?
[26:01.13]He has to give half of money to the city of Venice.
[26:08.39]he has to promise to leave the other half of his money
[26:14.35]upon his death to his daughter and her husband.
[26:28.90]1.What mustn't Shylock take?Any blood.
[26:37.96]2.What does Shylock decide to take instead of the pound of Flesh
[26:46.82]Three times the money that he is owed.
[26:53.35]3.Why can't he take the money instead?
[26:59.88]Because he only wanted right to be done.
[27:06.44]Language points
[27:13.80]1.You wanted justice,so you shall get justice,more than you wanted.
[28:01.27]You shall have a nice present for your birthday.
[28:11.74]You shall be sorry for what you have done,I tell you.
[28:26.58]When he comes in,nobody shall say a word.
[28:37.94]Nothing shall stop us from carrying out this plan.
[28:49.20]2.All he wanted was right to be done.
[28:57.25]all he wanted was the law to be carried out correctly
[29:07.72]3.His life shall be at the mercy of the Duke.
[29:14.38]Therefore,go down on your knees and beg the Duke for mercy.
[29:31.73]at the mercy of
[29:40.17]We were at the mercy of the enemy.
[29:49.20]They were lost at sea,at the mercy of the winds and the waves.
[30:03.15]go down on one's knees
[30:13.71]He went down on one knee before her.
[30:23.09]beg for mercy.
[30:36.25]He went down on his knees and begged for mercy.
[30:46.10]The prisoner begged the judge for mercy.
[30:55.16]4.My money and goods are as dear to me as life itself.
[31:18.44]He lost everything that was dear to him.
[31:26.48]Fame and power are very dear to him.
[31:41.95]5.They are my only comfort.
[31:48.19]My money and my goods are the only things which I love in the whole world |