英语专业晨读美文-人物篇 12 Greek Tradegy

[00:01.83]Aeschylus：The Father of Greek Tragedy
[00:04.78]Aeschylus was the first known dramatist to use
[00:09.09]more than one character in his plays,
[00:11.82]and he therefore invented the concept of dialogue between characters.
[00:16.20]Before Aeschylus, plays consisted of one protagonist¹
[00:20.02]and were narrated² by the chorus.
[00:21.99] Some plays had a chorus of only one actor,
[00:25.05]while others used a large group.
[00:27.46]Aeschylus' plays also feature a chorus,
[00:30.74]but the majority of the stories are told through dialogue.
[00:33.80]Many typical dramatic concepts, such as props³, scenery, and costumes,
[00:39.05] also originated in Aeschylus' works.
[00:41.57] He also invented the dramatic trilogy.
[00:44.41] His tragedies were performed in sequences of three plays
[00:47.91] stretched out over time. After each trilogy was concluded,
[00:51.85] he staged a comedy called a "satyr drama".
[00:54.80] In a typical satyr drama,
[00:57.10]the characters are mythological⁴ creatures and the chorus is a satyr,
[01:01.36]a mischievous⁵ creature that is half-man, half-goat.
[01:04.97]The language and meter used by Aeschylus in his plays
[01:08.58]was the forerunner⁶ of blank verse, or unrhymed iambic pentameter.
[01:13.39] Blank verse became the dominant⁷ poetic⁸ and dramatic style
[01:17.44]of the English literary renaissance⁹,
[01:19.63]which occurred nearly 2 100 years after Aeschylus.
[01:23.46]Writers such as William Shakespeare,
[01:25.97]John Milton and Christopher Marlowe almost exclusively
[01:29.80] used blank verse in their famous works.
[01:32.09] Alexandrine, another writing style, is also derived¹⁰ from Aeschylus' verse.
[01:38.00]Dramatic themes such as revenge, deceit, jealousy¹¹, suffering, guilt¹²,
[01:44.89]and forgiveness are central to Aeschylus' work.
[01:48.28] Many of his plays include instances
[01:50.90] in which the gods punish mankind for attempting to be godlike.
[01:54.63] These themes were popularized in Aeschylus' tragedies,
[01:58.12]and have been common ever since.
[02:00.31]His seven known plays are divided into one complete trilogy and four additional works.
[02:06.54] "The Suppliant¹³ Women" is the only surviving part of the lost Danaüs trilogy.
[02:12.24] "The Persians" (472 B.C.) is his next known work,
[02:17.54]and concerns the wars between Greece and Persia.
[02:20.50] "The Seven Against Thebes" (467 B.C.)
[02:25.24]is the last part of his lost trilogy dealing¹⁴ with the life of Oedipus.
[02:29.29]Aeschylus traveled to Sicily several times during his life,
[02:33.11]and on his last voyage he did not return.
[02:35.96]He died at Gela, Sicily, in 456 B.C.
[02:40.66] A monument commemorating¹⁵ the "father of Greek tragedy"
[02:44.16]was erected¹⁶ at the site of his death.

1 protagonist   

n.(思想观念的)倡导者；主角，主人公

参考例句：

• The protagonist reforms in the end and avoids his proper punishment.戏剧主角最后改过自新并避免了他应受的惩罚。
• He is the model for the protagonist in the play.剧本中的主人公就是以他为模特儿创作的！

2 narrated   

v.故事( narrate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Some of the story was narrated in the film. 该电影叙述了这个故事的部分情节。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Defoe skilfully narrated the adventures of Robinson Crusoe on his desert island. 笛福生动地叙述了鲁滨逊·克鲁索在荒岛上的冒险故事。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

3 props   

小道具； 支柱( prop的名词复数 )； 支持者； 道具； （橄榄球中的）支柱前锋

参考例句：

• Rescuers used props to stop the roof of the tunnel collapsing. 救援人员用支柱防止隧道顶塌陷。
• The government props up the prices of farm products to support farmers' incomes. 政府保持农产品价格不变以保障农民们的收入。

4 mythological   

adj.神话的

参考例句：

• He is remembered for his historical and mythological works. 他以其带有历史感和神话色彩的作品而著称。
• But even so, the cumulative process had for most Americans a deep, almost mythological significance. 不过即使如此，移民渐增的过程，对于大部分美国人，还是意味深长的，几乎有不可思议的影响。

5 mischievous   

adj.调皮的，恶作剧的，有害的，伤人的

参考例句：

• He is a mischievous but lovable boy.他是一个淘气但可爱的小孩。
• A mischievous cur must be tied short.恶狗必须拴得短。

6 forerunner   

n.前身，先驱（者），预兆，祖先

参考例句：

• She is a forerunner of the modern women's movement.她是现代妇女运动的先驱。
• Penicillin was the forerunner of modern antibiotics.青霉素是现代抗生素的先导。

7 dominant   

adj.支配的，统治的；占优势的；显性的；n.主因，要素，主要的人(或物)；显性基因

参考例句：

• The British were formerly dominant in India.英国人从前统治印度。
• She was a dominant figure in the French film industry.她在法国电影界是个举足轻重的人物。

8 poetic   

adj.富有诗意的，有诗人气质的，善于抒情的

参考例句：

• His poetic idiom is stamped with expressions describing group feeling and thought.他的诗中的措辞往往带有描写群体感情和思想的印记。
• His poetic novels have gone through three different historical stages.他的诗情小说创作经历了三个不同的历史阶段。

9 renaissance   

n.复活，复兴，文艺复兴

参考例句：

• The Renaissance was an epoch of unparalleled cultural achievement.文艺复兴是一个文化上取得空前成就的时代。
• The theme of the conference is renaissance Europe.大会的主题是文艺复兴时期的欧洲。

10 derived   

vi.起源；由来；衍生；导出v.得到( derive的过去式和过去分词 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取

参考例句：

• Many English words are derived from Latin and Greek. 英语很多词源出于拉丁文和希腊文。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He derived his enthusiasm for literature from his father. 他对文学的爱好是受他父亲的影响。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 jealousy   

n.妒忌，嫉妒，猜忌

参考例句：

• Some women have a disposition to jealousy.有些女人生性爱妒忌。
• I can't support your jealousy any longer.我再也无法忍受你的嫉妒了。

12 guilt   

n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责

参考例句：

• She tried to cover up her guilt by lying.她企图用谎言掩饰自己的罪行。
• Don't lay a guilt trip on your child about schoolwork.别因为功课责备孩子而使他觉得很内疚。

13 suppliant   

adj.哀恳的；n.恳求者，哀求者

参考例句：

• He asked for help in a suppliant attitude.他以恳求的态度要我帮忙。
• He knelt as a suppliant at the altar.他跪在祭坛前祈祷。

14 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

15 commemorating   

v.纪念，庆祝( commemorate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He was presented with a scroll commemorating his achievements. 他被授予一幅卷轴，以表彰其所做出的成就。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The post office issued a series commemorating famous American entertainers. 邮局发行了一个纪念美国著名演艺人员的系列邮票。 来自互联网

16 ERECTED   

adj. 直立的，竖立的，笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立，建立

参考例句：

• A monument to him was erected in St Paul's Cathedral. 在圣保罗大教堂为他修了一座纪念碑。
• A monument was erected to the memory of that great scientist. 树立了一块纪念碑纪念那位伟大的科学家。