高二下教材培训Unit 19 The merchant of Venice说课稿(人教版高二英语下册说课)

发布时间:2016-2-21 编辑:互联网 手机版

SEFCB2 unit 19 The merchant of Venice 说课稿

平阳县第一中学 蔡新虹

一、 教材分析

本单元的中心话题是“莎士比亚与他的戏剧”;内容涉及“莎士比亚”、“威尼斯商人”、“亨利四世”、“哈姆雷特”、“罗密欧与朱丽叶”、“特洛伊罗斯与克瑞西达”等。语言知识和语言技能都是根据“莎士比亚与他的戏剧”这一中心话题设计的。

1、 Warming up部分由两个练习组成。第一个练习要求学生说出书中对白出自莎士比亚的哪部戏剧,并解释他们的含义。要完成这个练习,学生首先得对莎士比亚的作品要有所了解,因为,要准确理解戏剧中的对白,学生就必须要了解故事情节及相关背景。第二个练习的目的是要帮助学生更多地了解莎士比亚的作品,尤其是他创作的戏剧。

2、 Listening部分由两个练习组成,听力内容是一段独白,向学生介绍了《威尼斯商人》的故事片段,该片段为阅读部分的故事提供了背景。第一个练习就故事的主要内容设置了四个问题,比如,故事发生的地点、借款与还款方式等。第二个练习用图表的形式,直观地考察学生对故事中五个主要人物的身份、表现以及他们之间的关系的理解。这两个练习主要训练学生把握文段细节的能力。

3、 Speaking部分要求学生就“同情与报复”和“爱情与金钱”这两个话题进行讨论。这是贯穿《威尼斯商人》始终的两条线索,对他们的讨论至今仍有着现实意义。对这两个问题的回答,直接或从侧面反映了人们的人生观、价值观以及人们对待生活的态度。因此,在教学和训练本单元有关“在交谈中强调细节”的日常用语的同时,教师还有责任给学生以正确的引导,帮助学生明辨是非,确立正确的人生价值取向,建立符合社会规范的道德体系,并做遵纪守法的公民。

4、 Reading部分是根据莎士比亚的戏剧《威尼斯商人》中的一个片段改编的。该故事情节生动、曲折,语言地道并带有莎翁时代的特色,内容富有深刻的教育意义。

5、 Language Study部分由词汇和语法两部分组成。词汇部分要求学生用课文中出现的词汇或短语完成六个句子。这个练习一方面帮助学生巩固词汇和短语,另一方面也帮助学生加深对课文的理解。语法部分复习直接引语和间接引语的用法,设置了两个练习,这两个练习的内容都是《威尼斯商人》中的故事,对阅读课文是很好的补充。

6、 Integrating skills部分继续呈现Reading部分未讲完的故事。该剧的结局皆大欢喜,但令人回味无穷。写作部分要求学生根据所给的故事情节编写一部短剧,并把故事内容表演出来。

7、 Tips部分介绍了戏剧中展开矛盾的手法。戏剧中的人物往往分别代表着“正义”和“非正义”两方。得道者多助,失道者寡助。“正义”和“非正义”两方谁胜谁负的结局,就形成了戏剧的效果。

8、 Checkpoint部分举例复习直接引语和间接引语的用法。

二、 教学重点和难点

(一) 重点:

1、词汇:理解、内化、运用本单元中出现的一些重要单词如:deny, mercy, accuse, bless, declare, count, therefore, worthy, punish, order和词组pay back, have mercy on, go about, as far as I know, tear up, at the mercy of, etc.

2、功能:用本单元中“在交谈中强调细节”的日常交际用语来表达自己对“同情与报复”和“爱情与金钱”的看法。

3、 语法:复习直接引语和间接引语。

(二) 难点:

1、 如何理清戏剧中的人物关系。

2、 如何分析戏剧中的人物性格。

3、 如何体会戏剧的语言。

4、 如何自己改编和表演戏剧。

三、 教学目标

1、 语言知识:

1) 词汇:(见教学重点)

2) 话题:Talking about Shakespeare and his plays

3) 功能:在交谈中细述详情(Recounting details in the conversation)

Correct me if I’m wrong, but…

You shouldn’t forget that…

One of the most important facts is…

You could, for example, …

The way I would go about is…

As far as I know, …

After all, …

But in this particular case…

What shouldn’t be forgotten is …

4) 语法:复习直接引语和间接引语。

2、 语言技能:

1) 听:捕捉特定信息、抓关键词,听懂一段介绍《威尼斯商人》的故事片段,理清人物关系,训练学生把握文段细节的能力。

2) 说:要求学生就“同情与报复”和“爱情与金钱”这两个话题进行讨论。

3) 读:通过阅读“The Merchant of Venice”这部戏剧,训练学生找出文章的主题,理解故事的情节,预测故事情节发展和可能的结局的能力。

4) 写:通过本单元的各项语言输入,形成对戏剧的进一步了解,并能自己改编和表演戏剧。

3、 学习策略:

1) 通过任务型教学活动设计和活动型教学,训练和培养学生自主、合作、探究、创新的学习能力。

2) 利用图书馆和网络搜集资料并加工处理信息。

3) 用英语进行讨论、表演等交际活动。

4、 情感态度和文化意识:

1) 在完成任务的过程中培养团队协作、互助精神,体验学习英语的快乐。

2) 通过对莎士比亚作品的学习,体会戏剧的语言,感受戏剧的魅力。

3) 理解戏剧和现实生活的联系,提高英语语言的鉴赏能力和修养。

4) 通过口语部分的讨论,确立正确的人生价值观。

四、 教学策略

1、 引趣激趣策略。创造多种情景激发学习兴趣,其中包括戏剧表演、辩论等活动。

2、 循序渐进策略。如任务的安排从简到难,语言操练从机械性操练到交际性操练。

3、 资源开发策略。互联网为英语教学提供了广阔的空间和丰富的资源,拓宽了学生英语学习的渠道。

4、 任务型活动策略。任务型语言教学的倡导者认为,学习者可以通过完成各种任务发展交际的能力。

五、 任务设计

我们首先给整个单元设计了一个主题任务--戏剧节。同时采用任务型教学“P-T-P”立体型自主学习模式(Pre-task---Task-cycle---Post-task),安排了一些单元教学前和单元教学后的活动任务。

(一) Pre-unit activity:

Task1 莎士比亚及其作品简介

活动内容:从图书馆和因特网上搜集有关莎士比亚的生平、作品、作品简介、经典佳句、名作海报、电影、flash等资料。

1) 个人活动:搜集“莎士比亚与他的戏剧”的有关资料。

2) 小组活动:将小组成员的成果汇总、讨论、整理成文或制作 简单课件。

3) 班级活动:每小组各派一名“reporter”将本组的成果向全班做演示。

Goal: 使学生对莎士比亚这位十六世纪文艺复兴时代的文学巨匠和他的巨作有更感性的认识。为本单元的学习打下良好的基础。

( 二) Task-cycle

(见各课时教学设计)

(三) Post-unit task

Task 1 为the Merchant of Venice配音

活动内容:在学生熟悉课文内容的情况下,让学生来为这部戏剧配音。

1) 个人活动:认真揣摩角色心理,模仿VIDEO中对话的发音和语气。

2) 小组活动:各小组组长按照小组成员的特点分派角色,熟悉剧本。

3) 班级活动:小组配音,其他同学和老师给各组评分。

Goal: 使学生对课文有更好的理解,更能体会人物的心理,了解人物性格,感受莎士比亚的戏剧语言的魅力。

Task2 写人物或作品评论

活动内容:学生挑选莎士比亚的一部作品或是作品中的一个角色,发表自己的感受和理解。

Goal: 使学生进一步熟悉莎士比亚的作品。提高学生的写作能力,加强学生语言实践能力。

Task 3 戏剧表演

活动内容:学生挑选课文片段或是改编writing部分进行表演

1) 个人活动:背诵台词,体会角色的个性和心理,通过语言与动作表现人物的个性特征。

2) 小组活动:把全班分成4个小组,分别担任导演、道具、旁白、Shylock、Antonio、Bassanio、Portia、Duke等角色。由导演负责全局的指挥和排练工作。

3) 班级活动:各小组同台演出,由老师和各组导演组成评委会,给各组评分。

4) 学校活动:这个活动如果有条件的话可以发展到全级段甚至全校性的一个课本剧表演比赛。比如说在我们学校这个比赛已经是一个一年一度的传统项目了,学生对此有这极高的热情。

Goal:真正体现任务型教学“在用中学,在学中用”的原则。全面提高学生的综合素质。

六、 教学资源

针对本单元话题我们向学生提供以下网站以供参考。

1) http://www.themonlogueshop.com/shakespearesample.html

2) http://www.absoluteshakespeare.com/plays/plays.htm

3) http://the-tech.mit.edu/shakespeare/

4) http://www.shakespeare.com

5) http://shakespeare-1.com/

6) http://www.uclan.ac.uk/online/shakespeare.htm

7) http://mingzhu66.db66.com/spell/zz/s/7.asp

8) http://mail.sjsmit.edu.tw/~lhw/Shakespeare001.htm

9) http://www.hongen.com/edu/shfz/ywxz/sn013101.htm

10) http://www.rudemechanicals.com/

七、 课时安排和教学程序

根据本单元教材的内容、学生学习英语的特点和规律,我把本单元划分为5课时:Period 1: Warming up& Listening

Period 2-3: Reading& Integrating skills & Speaking

Period 4: Language study &Writing

Period 5: Performing

The First Period Warming up

Goals: 1. Encourage the students to talk about Shakespeare and his plays.

2. Learn some quotations and know their meanings.

3. Improve the students’ listening ability.

Step 1 Lead in

1. 1. Game

According to my suggestions, can you guess who he is?

1) He is an Englishman.

2) He is a poet and dramatist.

3) During his life, he wrote 37 plays, 154 sonnet etc.

4) His works represented the literature achievements of English Renaissance(文艺复兴).

5) The Merchant of Venice is one of his world-famous works.

---------He is William Shakespeare.

Step 2 Warming up

1 Brainstorm

Talk about Shakespeare.

Encourage the students to present as many words as possible about Shakespeare and his plays.

2 Report

Before the class, students are asked to work in groups to search some information about Shakespeare and his plays from the library and Internet. It’s time for them to show their results in class.

After the students’ report, teacher can give them some additional information.

3 Match

(Show four posters of shakespeare’s plays)

Match the meaning with the quotations and the plays.

e.g. Meaning: That is a question whether to live in this world or to die, that is, to take action or to do nothing.

Quotation: “To be or not to be: that is the question.”

Play: Hamlet

4.More quotations

All the quotations above are used in English almost as if they were proverbs. To English speakers they have a clear meaning. There are a great number of popular saying taken from Shakespeare. Do you know their meanings?

Quotation Play Meaning

Every inch a king King Lear A real king.

Breathe life into a stone All’s Well That Ends Well A very good medicine.

For goodness’ sake Henry VIII

“Oh Please” or “For God’

All the world’s stage As You Like It Life should not be taken too seriously

A dish fit for the gods Julius Caesar Very good food

Good riddance Troilus and Cressida It is good to get rid of (you).

It smells to heaven Hamlet Sth that is very bad or corrupt.

My salad days Anthony and Cleopatra When I was young.

What’s done is done Macbeth There is no changing the past, so forget about it.

A pound of flesh The Merchant of Venice A harsh demand or terrible punishment.

Step 3 Listening

Have you watched The Merchant of Venice? Here is an introduction to the play, which is the most outstanding romantic comedy. It will tell us how the story takes place and helps us learn about the main characters in it.

1. Listen to the tape and finish Ex.1.

2. Listen to the tape again and finish Ex.2.

Step 4 Post-listening

1. Retell the introduction.

2. Discussion:

a. Can Portia save Antonio?

b. How will Portia do to save Antonio?

Homework

1.Choose one of Shakespeare' s plays to read.

2. Retell the listening part.

3. Preview the play The Merchant of Venice.

Period 2-3 Reading & Integrating skills & speaking

Goals: 1. Learn and master some important expressions.

2. Improve the students' reading ability.

3. Analyse the characteristic of the characters in the play.

4. Improve the students' speaking ability.

Step 1 Pre-reading

1. Review the relationship between the characters.

Shylock Antonio

hate

punish help

Portia Bassanio

love

2. Retell the listening part. (when\where\cause)

Step 2 reading

1. Skimming

Skim the whole play and choose the best answers.

1) In writing style, this text is a _________.

A. drama B. story C. fable D. fiction

2) The text mainly talk about _________.

A. Antonio' s charities(善行) and Shylock' s cruelty.

B. Portia' s cleverness and Antonio' s charities.

C. Shylock' s cruelty and Portia' s cleverness.

D. the three colorful characters of Antonio, Portia and Shylock.

2. Scanning

Read the play carefully and answer the questions.

1) What was Antonio accused of?

2) Why did Shylock refuse to have mercy on Antonio?

3) What did the Duke mean by saying “ Don' t be so bitter."?

4) What did the Duke' s words “ How can you hope for mercy yourself when you show none?" mean?

5) Who did the Duke at the count support?

6) What was Portia' s opinion of mercy?(Mercy brings good. Mercy falls like the gentle rain from the sky upon the earth. It is twice blessed. It blessed those who give it, and those who receive it. It is the highest of the highest. We should learn to show mercy on others.)

Ask the students to read it aloud and translate it.

7) What are the two meanings of “ I will pay him back with all my heart."?

8) What did the Venice law say if anyone tries to kill or murder any citizen of Venice?

9) What was Shylock accused of?

10) What was the result of the trial?

Step 3 Post- reading

Task 1. Plot understanding

Finish the chart according the plot of the play.(Group work)

The components of plot( 情节的构成部分) Description

Background(背景) 有关故事人物、时间和地点方面的信息

Problem( 问题) 人物之间、个人内部存在的正反两种力量的较量

Rising action( 发展) 引发故事达到高潮的事件

Climax( 高潮) 故事中人物直接面对矛盾

Outcome( 结局) 行动逐渐停止,冲突结束

Task 2. Analyse the characteristics of the characters and find out some sentences in the play to support your idea.(Group work)

Antonio: always ready to help others, kind-hearted, was devoted to his friends, upright, dare to point out the others’ wrong deeds

Sentences: 1. It’s useless trying to agree with Shylock.

2. Give Shylock what he wants.

3. Don’t be sad for meShylock: cruel, greedy, selfish, cold-blooded, hate Antonio

Sentences: 1. Antonio is my enemy, and I hate him.

2. I would still take my pound of flesh.

3. Give me my pound of flesh.

4. I desire my pound of flesh.

5. Why must I have mercy on him?

Bassanio: With a simple mind, with a clear sense of right and wrong, devoted to his friendSentences:1. I offer ten times the money that Antonio has borrowed.

2. Please change the law a little so that we may save AntonioPortia: clever, calm, full of mercy, well-educated

Sentences 1. Mercy falls like the gentle rain from the sky . It blesses those who give it and those who receive it.

2. But he has not promised to give you any of his blood.

3. You must cut one pound of flesh, no more , no less.

4. And not one drop of blood must fall.

Task 3 Discussion (Group work)

1) Suppose you are Shylock, when you learn Antonio can’t pay back the money, what will you do?2) Suppose you are Bassanio, when you learn Antonio can’t pay back the money and he has to give a pound of flesh to Shylock, what will you do?

3) Suppose you are Antonio, will you borrow money for Bassanio from Shylock? Why and why not?

Step 4 Speaking

Literature, whether we are talking about novels, plays or poems, is based on themes, that form the basis of the story and the actions of the characters. In most of Shakespeare’s plays, we can distinguish several themes. Themes that can be distinguished in The Merchant of Venice are mercy versus revenge and love versus money.

Work in groups of four. Find examples for each situation in modern life and discuss whether it is right or wrong.

Homework

1. Read the play and retell it.

2. Finish Post-reading on P69.

3. Prepare for acting.

Period 4 Language study& writing

Goals: 1 Review some useful words learnt in the unit.

2. Review the direct and indirect speech.

3. Do some practice to consolidate the direct and indirect speech.

4. Improve the students’ writing ability.

Step 1 Revision

1. Retell the play The Merchant of Venice according to the pictures and phrases.

Step 2 Word study

1. Fill in the blanks using the phrases

Pay back as far as after all in the eyes of have mercy on

Tear up offer up go down on one’s knee

1) He _____ me _____ the 100 dollars he owed me.

2) We will _________ all of the treaty rather than accept this clause.

3) It is not surprising that you have got stomachache. _________, you have eaten too much.

4) The cruel soldiers ____________ their prisoners.

5) He walked _________ the foot of the mountain.

6) The friendly staff _______ a real taste of Southwest America.

7) He __________ to look for his contact lens.

8) You may think it is a joke to drive away another person’s car, but __________the law it is theft.

Step 3 Grammar

1. Revision

Put these sentences into Indirect Speech.

1.“I have left my pen in your room,”he said.

2.“Did you see her last night?”he said.

3.She said,“Where can they find a taxi?”

4.The teacher said,“Give me some chalk.”

5.“Don’t waste your time,”I said to him.

2. Summary

Summarize the changes with the whole class.

Direct Speech

Indirect Speech

Pronouns this

these that

those

Adverbials

now

tonight

today

this morning

yesterday

last night

the day before yesterday

three days ago

tomorrow

next week

yesterday morning

yesterday afternoon

the day after tomorrow

here then

that night

that day

that morning

the day before

the night before

two days before

three days before

the next/following day

the next/following week

the morning before

the afternoon before

in two days’s time

two days after

there

Verbs come

bring

can

may

must

shall

will go

take

could

might

must/had to

should

would

Tenses

keep

be(am/is/are)keeping

have kept

had kept

will keep kept

was(were) keeping

had kept

had kept

would keep

3 Practice

Finish the exercises on P70.

Step 3 Writing

1. Read the story .

2. Read the tips on getting the main point of a play.

3. Write a short play based on this story.

Step 4 Assessment

Assess their partner’s writings.

Does the play have a title that captures the attention of the audience?

Is the number of characters appropriate?

Is the plot presented in the play gripping?

Is the story interesting to watch?

Are the writers’ ideas original?

Is the proposed resolution surprising?

Does the audience have the feeling that the play is both romantic and tragic?

Homework

1. Write a play.

2. Act out the play.

Period 5 Performing(略)

补充资料

Shakespeare Biography(莎士比亚生平)

The English dramatist and poet William Shakespeare was the author of the most widely admired and influential body of literature by any individual in the history of Western civilization. His work comprises 36 plays, 154 sonnets, and 2 narrative poems. Knowledge of Shakespeare is derived from two sources: his works and those remains of legal and church records and contemporary allusions through which scholars can trace the external facts of his life.

  Shakespeare was baptized in Holy Trinity Church, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, on Apr. 26, 1564. He is buried in the same church, where a memorial records his death on Apr. 23, 1616. In 1623 his colleagues John Heminge and Henry Condell created another memorial by publishing Mr. William Shakespeare’s Comedies, Histories, and Tragedies, the collection of his plays now known as the First Folio.

  His mother, Mary, was the daughter of Robert Arden of Wilmcote, near Stratford. . His father, John, was a glover and leather merchant whose increasing financial success was marked by his appointment to a series of municipal posts during the first 10 years of William's life. In the mid-1570s, John Shakespeare's fortunes declined, and he no longer took a visible part in Stratford affairs. The family fortunes lost by John would later be repaired by his son.

  Shakespeare probably attended Stratford's excellent free grammar school, although no record of the fact exists. On Nov. 28, 1582, church authorities gave permission for him to marry Anne Hathaway of the neighboring village of Shottery. He was 18 years old, and she was 26; probably she was pregnant. On May 26, 1583, their daughter Susanna was baptized in Holy Trinity. Twins, named Hamnet and Judith, were baptized on Feb. 2, 1585.

  No records have been found for the years between the twins' baptism and 1592. In that year a disappointed author, Robert Greene, referred cryptically to Shakespeare in his Groatsworth of Wit Bought With a Million of Repentance; he warned his fellow writers about "an upstart crow, beautified with our feathers, that with his Tiger's heart wrapped in a player's hide, supposes he is as well able to bombast out a blank verse as the best of you: and being an absolute Johannes fac totum, is in his own conceit the only Shake-scene in a country." Thus as early as 1592, Shakespeare was sufficiently well known to be recognized by the pun on his name and the parody of a line from his Henry VI, Part 3: "O tiger's heart wrapped in a woman's hide." Greene's is the only hostile allusion to Shakespeare that exists; its motive can be guessed from his description of Shakespeare as Johannes fac totum--"Jack-of-all-trades."

  Unlike Greene, Shakespeare was an actor ("player") as well as a writer, and he was associated with a group of other actors that included the day's leading comedian, Will Kempe, and a leading tragedian, Richard Burbage. They were known, after their nominal patron, as the CHAMBERLAIN'S MEN and (after 1603) as the King's Men. By 1592, Shakespeare was acting exclusively for this company; he held shares in the company's profits; he was part of a consortium that in 1599 built and owned its home theater, the GLOBE THEATRE; and he wrote his plays exclusively for this company, at the rate of about two per year.

  In 1593-94 a plague epidemic forced the closing of the London theaters. In those years Shakespeare published two narrative poems, Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucerne. The circumstances surrounding another nondramatic work, the SONNETS OF SHAKESPEARE, are less clear. Scholars are not certain how long before their unauthorized publication (1609) they were written, whether they were all written in the same period, or whether the order in which they appeared was of Shakespeare's design. Because the sonnets are the only works in which Shakespeare may plausibly be thought to write from a frankly autobiographical impulse, they have exercised a fascination beyond even their extraordinary value as poetry.

Identity and Authorship(莎士比亚作品)

William Shakespeare (baptised April 26 , 1564 , died (O.S.) April 23 , 1616 ) is considered by many to have been the greatest writer the English language has ever known. As a playwright he wrote not only some of the most powerful tragedies, but also many of the funniest comedies ever to appear on an English stage. He also wrote 154 sonnets and several major poems, some of which are considered to be the most brilliant pieces of English literature ever written, because of Shakespeare's ability to rise beyond the narrative and describe the innermost and the most profound aspects of human nature. He is believed to have written most of his works between 1585 -1610, although the exact dates and chronology of the plays attributed to him are not accurately known.

Shakespearean tragedies

Romeo and Juliet

Macbeth

King Lear

Hamlet

Othello

Titus Andronicus

Julius Caesar

Antony and Cleopatra

Coriolanus

Troilus and Cressida

Timon of Athens

Shakespearean comedies

The Comedy of Errors

All's Well That Ends Well

As You Like It

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Much Ado About Nothing

Measure for Measure

The Tempest

Taming of the Shrew

Twelfth Night or What You Will

The Merchant of Venice

The Merry Wives of Windsor

Love's Labour's Lost

The Two Gentlemen of Verona

Pericles Prince of Tyre

Cymbeline

The Winter's Tale

Shakespearean histories

Richard III

Richard II

Henry VI, part 1

Henry VI, part 2

Henry VI, part 3

Henry V

Henry IV, part 1

Henry IV, part 2

Henry VIII

King John

Summary: Romeo and Juliet

When the old feud between the Verona families of Montague and Capulet breaks out in street brawling, Prince Escalus threatens with death any further perpetuators of the quarrel. Remeo, a Montague, is in love with Rosaline but forgets her when he daringly attends a Capulet masked ball and sees Juliet, a Capulet. Beneath her window he hears her proclaim her love for him, and they agree to marry. They are secretly wed the next afternoon by Friar Laurence.

Tybalt, a Capulet, taunts Romeo, who refuses to fight against his cousin by marriage. Deeming Romeo a coward, his friend Mercutio fights Tybalt and is killed. The enraged Romeo slays Tybalt and is banished from Verona.

Friar Laurence advises Romeo to spend the wedding night with Juliet, then hasten to Mantua and await his friends' appeal against his banishment. Capulet betroths Juliet to Paris and persists against Juliet's protests. Her mother and her nurse failing her, Juliet consults Friar Laurence. He gives her a magic potion that will counterfeit death for forty-two hours and promises to fetch Romeo to release her from the burial vault of the Capulets.

Friar Laurence's messenger to Romeo is delayed by the plague, and Romeo learns that Juliet is dead. At her tomb he kills the mourning Paris and finds the apparently dead body of his bride. He drinks poison and dies beside her. When Juliet revives from her torpor and discovers Romeo's body, she stabs herself. Friar Laurence, Romeo's servant, and Paris' page explain all, and Montague and Capulet are reconciled over the bodies of their dead offspring.

Summary: Henry IV

Continuing Richard II, Henry IV is now king and is fighting a revolt led by the Welshman Owen Glendower and the Percies. Henry IV wishes he could switch sons with Henry Percy, the Earl of Northumberland, whose son is Henry Percy (Hotspur), a valiant soldier. The third Percy is Thomas Percy, the Earl of Worcester and brother to Northumberland. Henry IV is mad at Henry V because Henry V hangs out with John (Jack) Falstaff (who calls Henry V, Hal) and Poins. At the tavern, Poins convinces Falstaff, Bardolph, and Peto to rob some travelers. Poins and Henry V plan to then rob Falstaff et. al. of the loot. Back at the palace, Henry IV demands that Hotspur turn over the Scottish prisoners he has. As insurance, Henry IV holds Hotspur's brother-in-law Mortimer as hostage (Hotspur's wife Kate is Mortimer's sister and Mortimer's wife is Glendower's daughter). Ironically, Mortimer was proclaimed heir to the English throne by Richard II, though Henry IV became king. The Percies explain to Henry IV that they are revolting because Henry IV has placed unreasonable demands on them, even after they helped him (as Bolingbroke) become king.

Returning to Falstaff et. al., they rob the king's transport then Poins and Hal rob them and Falstaff et. al. flee. At the pub, Falstaff makes up extravagant lies about the robbery. Hal rebukes him, proving Falstaff false. In jest, the two pretend to be King Henry IV and Hal and Hal (as Henry IV) tells Falstaff (as Hal) that the man Falstaff is a thief and Hal promises to banish him for his crimes. Moving to the revolt, Mortimer, Worcester, and Hotspur plan the revolt, overseen by Glendower. Oddly, Mortimer speaks no Welsh and his wife speaks no English, so her father interprets for them. Back to Henry IV, he criticizes Henry V for this deeds and associations. Henry IV tells Henry V that Hotspur is more deserving of the crown than Henry V, whereby Henry V vows to prove himself by killing Hotspur in battle. Back at the tavern we learn that Hal repaid the travelers whom the money was stolen from, and that Hal has arranged for Falstaff to lead some forces in the king's army.

Hotspur's father (Northumberland) becomes sick, greatly weakening the revolting forces since his men cannot attend the battle. This news, and Prince Hal's newfound leadership, and a report that Glendower will arrive late disheartens Hotspur, yet he overcomes these setbacks with renewed vigor. Falstaff, as military leader, hires very poor and unfit soldiers. Prince Hal and the Earl of Westmoreland observe this, but do nothing. Hotspur wishes to fight the first battle at nighttime, but delays after Sir Walter Blunt brings kind greetings from the king. Worcester meets the king the next morning, but no agreement is made, though the king offers to pardon all the revolters. Worcester, however, lies to Hotspur and tells him the king readies for battle, since Worcester does not believe Henry IV will pardon them and doesn't want Hotspur to back off. In battle, Archibald, the Earl of Douglas (Percies' side) kills Blunt, thinking Blunt is Henry IV due to a disguise. Henry V then rescues Henry IV from Douglas' sword. Falstaff and Douglas fight and Falstaff pretends to die. Henry V and Hotspur fight and Henry V kills Hotspur. Falstaff arises and stabs Hotspur in the leg, then claims to have killed him. Henry IV wins the battle (of Shrewsbury) and executes Worcester and Sir Richard Vernon, but lets Douglas go free. Henry IV also divides his power with Henry V and Hal's brother John of Lancaster. This is a play concerning honor, as reasoned by Falstaff.

Hamlet Act III. Scene I

Ham. 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: ay, there's the rub;

For in that sleep of death what dreams may come

When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,

Must give us pause. There's the respect

That makes calamity of so long life;

For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,

The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely,

The pangs of disprized love, the law's delay,

The insolence of office, and the spurns

That patient merit of the unworthy takes,

When he himself might his quietus make

With a bare bodkin? who would fardels bear,

To grunt and sweat under a weary life,

But that the dread of something after death,

The undiscover'd country from whose bourn

No traveller returns, puzzles the will,

And makes us rather bear those ills we have

Than fly to others that we know not of?

Thus conscience does make cowards of us all;

And thus the native hue of resolution

ls sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought,

And enterprises of great pith and moment

With this regard their currents turn awry,

And lose the name of action Soft you now! 生存还是毁灭,这是一个值得考虑的问题;默然忍受命运的暴虐的毒箭,或是挺身反抗人世的无涯的苦难,通过斗争把它们扫清,这两种行为,哪一种更高贵?死了;睡着了;什么都完了;要是在这一种睡眠之中,我们心头的创痛,以及其他无数血肉之躯所不能避免的打击,都可以从此消失,那正是我们求之不得的结局。死了;睡着了;睡着了也许还会做梦;嗯,阻碍就在这儿:因为当我们摆脱了这一具朽腐的皮囊以后,在那死的睡眠里,究竟将要做些什么梦,那不能不使我们踌躇顾虑。人们甘心久困于患难之中,也就是为了这个缘故;谁愿意忍受人世的鞭挞和讥嘲、压迫者的凌辱、傲慢者的冷眼、被轻蔑的爱情的惨痛、法律的迁延、官吏的横暴和费尽辛勤所换来的小人的鄙视,要是他只要用一柄小小的刀子,就可以清算他自己的一生?谁愿意负着这样的重担,在烦劳的生命的压迫下呻吟流汗,倘不是因为惧怕不可知的死后,惧怕那从来不曾有一个旅人回来过的神秘之国,是它迷惑了我们的意志,使我们宁愿忍受目前的磨折,不敢向我们所不知道的痛苦飞去?这样,重重的顾虑使我们全变成了懦夫,决心的赤热的光彩,被审慎的思维盖上了一层灰色,伟大的事业在这一种考虑之下,也会逆流而退,失去了行动的意义。

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