Shakespeare was born and raised in Stratford－upon－Avon。 At the age of 18， he married Anne Hathaway， with whom he had three children： Susanna， and twins Hamnet and Judith。 Between 1585 and 1592， he began a successful career in London as an actor， writer， and part owner of a playing company called the Lord Chamberlain’s Men， later known as the King’s Men。 He appears to have retired to Stratford around 1613， where he died three years later。
Shakespeare produced most of his known work between 1589 and 1613。 His early plays were mainly comedies and histories， genres he raised to the peak of sophistication and artistry by the end of the 16th century。 He then wrote mainly tragedies until about 1608， including Hamlet， King Lear， and Macbeth， considered some of the finest works in the English language。 In his last phase， he wrote tragicomedies， also known as romances， and collaborated with other playwrights。
Shakespeare was a respected poet and playwright in his own day， but his reputation did not rise to its present heights until the 19th century。 The Romantics， in particular， acclaimed Shakespeare’s genius， and the Victorians worshipped Shakespeare with a reverence that George Bernard Shaw called “bardolatry”。 In the 20th century， his work was repeatedly adopted and rediscovered by new movements in scholarship and performance。 His plays remain highly popular today and are constantly studied， performed and reinterpreted in diverse cultural and political contexts throughout the world。
莎士比亚创造词汇的天赋是无与伦比的，他的话常被引用──甚至包括从未看过或读过他的戏剧的人。况且他的名气也并非昙花一现。近四百年来他的作品一直给读者和评论家带来了许多欢乐。由于莎士比亚的作品已经接受住了时间的考验，因此在将来的许许多多世纪里也将会受到普遍欢迎，这一推测看来不无道理。
在评价莎士比亚的影响时，我们应该这样考虑，如果没有他，就根本不会有他的作品。既能用丰富多样的语言贴切而生动地表现不同人物的特色，也能用朴素自然的词句传达扣人心弦的感情和思想。对文学界造成如此大的影响，难怪他的朋友、著名的戏剧家本·琼斯说：“他不只属于一个时代而属于全世纪。”
Key words ＆ Sentences
关键词句全知道
What do you know about William Shakespeare·
你对威廉·莎士比亚有多少了解呢·
William Shakespeare was a writer of plays and poems。
莎士比亚是一个写作戏剧和诗歌的作家。
William Shakespeare said Love all， trust a few， and do wrong to none。
莎士比亚说对所有人爱，对一些人信赖，对任何人都不负相待。
Iago is an evil character in the play Othello by William Shakespeare。
伊阿古是莎士比亚戏剧《奥赛罗》中的一个坏人。
William Shakespeare was born in England。
威廉·莎士比亚生于英格兰。
By 1592 London was hearing the name William Shakespeare again and again。
到了1592年，威廉·莎士比亚的名字已传遍了伦敦。
William Shakespeare is remembered as one of the best writers of all time。
威廉·莎士比亚作为最优秀的作家之一而流芳百世。
It is an anachronism to say that William Shakespeare “typed” his manuscripts。
如果说威廉·莎士比亚用打字机打手稿，那就犯了年代上的错误了。
Famous English Writer Of all the famous English writers， probably the best known is William Shakespeare。
要在所有知名英语作家中选一个，最出名的大概是威廉·莎士比亚。
Let me conclude my speech with the words of wisdom by William Shakespeare： if music be the food of love， play on。
请容许我借用威廉·莎士比亚的智慧之词来结束我的讲话：如果音乐是爱情之美食，那就让它演奏吧。
In England， Geoffrey Chaucer， William Shakespeare， John Bunyan， and others used dreams in their stories and plays。
在英国，杰弗里·乔叟、威廉·莎士比亚、约翰·班扬和其他作家都在他们的小说和戏剧里描写过梦。
The most famous dramatists in the Renaissance England are Christopher， Marlowe， William Shakespeare， and Ben Jonson。
文艺复兴时期英国最著名的戏剧家有克利斯朵夫、马洛、威廉·莎士比亚与本·约翰逊。
And we can’t ignore the Doctor’s old friend William Shakespeare and his contribution to the world’s understanding of Venice！
我们不能无视博士的老朋友威廉·莎士比亚以及他对世界能够了解威尼斯所做出的贡献。
William Shakespeare is really a greatest writer in history，威廉·莎士比亚的确是史上一伟大作家。
I have read all of Shakespeare works。
我读过莎士比亚的所有著作。
Some of Shakespeare’s most famous plays are Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet。
莎士比亚最著名的剧本是《哈姆莱特》和《罗密欧与朱丽叶》。
William Shakespeare wrote 37 plays。
威廉·莎士比亚共写了37个剧本。
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare has been on screen in London for nine years。
《莎士比亚全集》在英国伦敦公演长达九年。
Let’s Talk！
开始交流吧！
Mike： I have two tickets for Romeo and Juliet， do you want to come·
麦克：我有两张《罗密欧和朱丽叶》的门票，你想去吗·
Daisy： Absolutely， how did you get this·
黛西：当然想去，你怎么弄到票的·
Mike： My client gave them to me。
麦克：我的客户给我的。
Daisy： They are so kind。
黛西：他们真好。
Mike： Do they know you like Shakespeare’s plays·
麦克：他们知道你喜欢莎士比亚的戏剧吗·
Daisy： Yes， I’ve mention it for once。
黛西：是的，我提过一次。
Mike： Is Romeo and Juliet your favorite play·
麦克：《罗密欧和朱丽叶》是你最喜欢的戏剧吗·
Daisy： No， my favorite is Hamlet。 But I like all of Shakespeare’s plays。
黛西：不是，我最喜欢的是《哈姆雷特》。不过莎翁的其他作品我也喜欢。
Mike： He is indeed the greatest play writer in history。
麦克：他的确是史上最伟大的剧作家了。
Daisy： Yes， I just love the language in his play， very beautiful。
黛西：是的，我非常喜欢他戏剧中的语言，非常优美。
Mike： I have read his work， but I’ve never see a play。
麦克：我读过他的作品，但我从没看过戏剧。
Daisy： Then you must come， the actors are said to be very good。
黛西：那你就一定要去了，听说里面的演员非常好。
Mike： I am very excited now。
麦克：我现在就开始激动了。
John Milton
约翰·弥尔顿
弥尔顿的一生跨过了整个17世纪的四分之三。正如我们所看到的那样，弥尔顿是他那个时代的文坛巨匠，是继莎士比亚之后主要的英国诗人。他的传记比其他诗人的更为重要也更为有趣，因为它与主人公生活时代的历史紧密相连。可以断言，任何一位诗人都受到他生活于其中的环境的影响，以及受到童年时代的影响，并且有一些诗人直接投身于实际事务之中。
About Milton
关于弥尔顿
John Milton was an English poet， polemicist， and civil servant for the Commonwealth of England。 He is best known for his epic poem Paradise Lost。
He was a scholarly man of letters， a polemical writer， and an official serving under Oliver Cromwell。 He wrote at a time of religious flux and political upheaval in England， and his poetry and prose reflect deep convictions and deal with contemporary issues， such as his treatise condemning licensing， Areopagitica。 As well as English， he wrote in Latin and Italian， and had an international reputation during his lifetime。 After his death， Milton’s critical reception oscillated， a state of affairs that continued through the centuries。 At an early stage he became the subject of partisan biographies， such as that of John Toland from the nonconformist perspective， and a hostile account by Anthony à Wood。