Theatre and William Shakespeare

Cinzia Medaglia, English Bridge © Loescher Editore, 2013
Step
5
Literature:
William Shakespeare
The Globe Theatre
in London.
Theatre during
the Golden Age
D
uring Elizabeth’s reign the public began
attending theatres in large numbers. The
biggest and the most famous among these
theatres (or playhouses) was The Globe in
London, where lots of Shakespeare’s plays were
performed. In this period theatre was a popular
form of entertainment. In fact, thousands of
people from every social class went to see plays
that were performed every day.
William Shakespeare
W
illiam Shakespeare (1564-1616), one
of the world’s most famous and
distinguished writers, was born in 1564
Stratford-on-Avon. He wrote 38 plays
(comedies, tragedies, historical plays) and 150
sonnets. He was very popular and successful
during his time, but his popularity has grown
in time. Among his most famous plays are
Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Othello and Macbeth.
Romeo and Juliet
omeo and Juliet is the story of two young lovers,
Romeo, a Montague, and Juliet, a Capulet. They
meet, fall in love but they can’t be together because
their families are bitter enemies. In spite of this, they
get married.
Romeo, however, kills Juliet’s cousin in a duel and
is banned from Verona. Meanwhile Juliet, who has
to marry another man, takes a sleeping potion and
appears to be dead. But Romeo doesn’t know this.
When he goes back to Verona and sees she is lying
in a tomb, he believes she is dead so he kills himself.
When Juliet wakes up, she finds Romeo dead. She
doesn’t want to live without him and kills herself too.
After Romeo has seen Juliet and fallen in love with
her, he says:
R

Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight!
For I ne’er saw true beauty till this night.
Il mio cuore aveva mai amato? Occhi, rinnegatelo!
Perché non ha mai conosciuto la vera bellezza fino ad ora.
And Friar Laurence says that Romeo cannot stay in
Verona after he has killed Juliet’s cousin in a duel. The
Friar tells him that the Prince expressed sympathy
for Romeo’s cause and has shown “mercy”. But for
Romeo this is not mercy.

Tis torture, and not mercy. Heaven is here
Where Juliet lives, and every cat and dog
And little mouse, every unworthy thing,
Live here in heaven and may look on her,
But Romeo may not.
È tortura e non clemenza. Il cielo è qui
dove vive Giulietta; e ogni gatto, ogni cane,
il più piccolo topo, l’essere più insignificante,
vive qui nel cielo e può vederla,
ma Romeo non può.
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Cinzia Medaglia, English Bridge © Loescher Editore, 2013
Hamlet
amlet, the son of the King of Denmark who had died
two months before, meets his father’s ghost. The
ghost tells him that Hamlet’s uncle (the King of Denmark’s
brother) murdered him and took his throne and his wife.
Hamlet doesn’t know what to do. His restlessness gives
rise to his famous monologue: he finally decides to take
revenge against the uncle. He pretends to be mad and kills
those who are responsible for his father’s death.
This is the opening phrase of the most famous
soliloquy in the history of literature:
H

CD tr. 25 - mp3 25
To be, or not to be: that is the question:
Whether’tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them? To die: to sleep;
No more; and by a sleep to say we end
The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to, ’tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wish’d. To die, to sleep;
To sleep: perchance to dream […]
Essere o non essere, questo è il problema:
se sia più nobile d’animo sopportare gli oltraggi,
i sassi e i dardi dell’iniqua fortuna,
o prender l’armi contro un mare di triboli
e combattendo disperderli. Morire, dormire,
nulla di più, e con un sonno dirsi che poniamo fine
al cordoglio e alle infinite miserie
naturale retaggio della carne, è soluzione
da accogliere a mani giunte. Morire, dormire,
dormire: sognare forse […]
Comprehension
1
Tick the right answers to the following questions about the two passages from Romeo and Juliet.
1 Romeo thinks that
2 Romeo is sorry because
A he has never truly loved before
A he won’t see Juliet any more.
he saw Juliet.
B other people (and animals) can see Juliet and he
wants her all for himself.
B has loved only once before
he saw Juliet.
2
C he can’t see Juliet.
Tick the right answer to the following questions about the passage from Hamlet.
1 What does “to be or not to be”
mean?
2 How is life seen?
3 How is death seen?
A In a positive way as a source of
A As something good that can give
B To live or not to live
B As a kind of fight
B As something similar to a bad
C To sleep or stay awake
C As a long sleep
A To be good or to be bad
enjoyment
a rest
dream
C A
s something terrible and
frightening
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