Reading 4.12

 

Unit 12  Most Quoted Quotes:

Shakespeare (n.莎士比亞(1564-1616))’s Hamlet (n.《哈姆雷特》n.哈姆雷特)

 “To be or not to be, that is the question . . .” Few speakers of English have not heard of Hamlet’s famous words. Even fewer, however, realize that the source (n. [ C]出處，來源) of many other familiar sayings is exactly the same—Shakespeare’s Hamlet. This play tells the story of a prince of Denmark (n.丹麥Danish adj. 丹麥的Dane n. [C]丹麥人) named Hamlet, whose father, the king, has been assassinated (vt.(政治) 暗殺). By doing so, Hamlet’s evil uncle has ascended (vt. (fml.)上升，登上) the throne (n. [C] (the ～)王位) and married Hamlet’s mother, the queen. Later, the ghost of Hamlet’s father appears and tells Hamlet what has happened. Accordingly (adv.因此，於是), Hamlet vows (vi.誓言要，立誓n. [C]誓言) to revenge himself on (向某人報復，對某人報仇) the murderer of his father, which means killing his own stepfather (n. [C]繼父), who is also the new king. By the end of the play, all of these three characters—Hamlet, the king, and the queen—are dead.

What does Hamlet intend by the line mentioned above? So well­known is the play that the meaning of this line is often left unexplained. Actually, it is just the beginning of a soliloquy (n. [C][U] (pl. soliloquies)(戲劇中的) 獨白) by Hamlet. Hamlet speaks to himself and explains that he is thinking of life and death. In other words, he is contemplating (vt.考量，思量contemplation n. [U]深思，沉思) the advantages and disadvantages of his own death. If he settles the score (報復 (某人)，(和某人) 算帳) and takes his uncle’s life, he will probably be killed as a result—but then his problems will be over. If he does nothing, he will continue to live—but he will have to shoulder the burden (n. [C] (usu. sing.)負擔，重擔vt.使負擔，使煩惱) of the mental agony (n. [U]極度痛苦、痛楚) that he feels about his father’s death, his mother’s hasty (adj.倉促的，草率的haste n. [U]倉促，匆忙) remarriage, and his own loss of the crown (n. [C] (the ～)王權，王位vt.為…加冕). This raises many questions, such as why people endure (vt.忍受，忍耐endurance n. [U]忍受，忍耐) torment (n. [U]折磨，痛苦vt.折磨，使痛苦)? So afraid of death are people that many would face the suffering of this world rather than whatever death might bring. After all, no one knows what death is like. It might be much more intolerable (adj.不能忍受的，無法容忍的tolerable adj.可忍受的，可接受的) than life.

Many other lines from Hamlet are also often quoted by English speakers around the world. Some of the most profound (adj.深奧的；深刻的，深遠的) ones are spoken by Polonius (n.波洛尼厄斯), an adviser (n.[C]顧問) to the king. When his son, Laertes (n.雷奧提斯), leaves Denmark, Polonius gives him some constructive (adj.有建設性的construct vt.建築，建造construction n. [U]建設，建造) advice. One bit of advice goes like this: “Give every man thy (det.(舊式用語) 你的) ear, but few thy voice; / Take each man’s censure (n. [U] (fml.)嚴厲的批評、譴責), but reserve thy judgment” (I.iii.68-69). By saying this, Polonius suggests that his son listen to every person’s point of view (觀點) and heed (vt. (fml.)聽從，注意n. [U]留心，注意) the words of others. Polonius meanwhile reminds Laertes to avoid expressing his own ideas too freely and to open his heart ((向某人) 敞開心扉) only to a few intimate (adj.親密的，密切的intimacy n. [U]親密，密切) friends. The key point is that his son should listen and learn, since a person who talks all the time (一直，始終；經常) has no chance to hear and consider other people’s ideas. According to Polonius, it is good to accept (“Take”) other people’s criticism (“censure”), but it’s not prudent (adj.謹慎的，審慎的) to judge others.

Like his father Polonius, Laertes too gives sound advice to his sister, Ophelia (n.歐菲莉亞), who has lost her heart to (愛上(某人)) Hamlet. Laertes warns her off (告誡某人不要…) Hamlet since he might not be able to marry her, even if he truly loves her. Laertes says, “his will is not his own, / For he himself is subject to his birth” (I.iii.17-18). That is, Hamlet comes from royal (adj.王室的，皇家的royalty n. [U]王室成員) blood, so he cannot marry only because of love. His future is controlled by (“subject to”) his status (n. [U]地位，身分

) (“his birth”)—the position he was born into. For example, he might have the duty to marry a foreign princess so that his country can have better diplomatic (adj.外交的diplomacy n. [U]外交，外交手段diplomat n. [C]外交官) relations.

Of course, some of the most noted lines are spoken by Hamlet himself. Talking to two of his friends, Hamlet says, “there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so” (II.ii.249-250). Hamlet thinks that quality depends on our minds, not on the things themselves. If that’s true, then Hamlet must be a magnificent (adj.值得讚揚的，壯麗的) work of literature (n. [U]文學，文學作品), for most people who have read it or seen it performed have thought it is worth remembering.

—Adapted from “Most Quoted Quotes: Shakespeare’s Hamlet.”

Comprehension Check

Choose the correct answer to each question or statement.

(　　) 1. In the quote “To be or not to be, that is the question,” the “question” means ________.

(A) life or death              (B) good or evil              (C) true or false              (D) right or wrong

(　　) 2. According to the reading, which of the following is NOT true?

(A) Hamlet falls in love with the daughter of Polonius.

(B) Hamlet is deeply pained by his mother’s remarriage.

(C) Hamlet may not marry Ophelia because of his position.

(D) Hamlet ascends the throne after he kills his stepfather.

(　　) 3. What is the reading mainly about?

(A) The relations among the main characters in Hamlet.

(B) The way Hamlet revenges himself on his evil uncle.

(C) An introduction of William Shakespeare’s life story.

(D) The explanation of some of the famous lines in Hamlet.

Word File

I. Titles of Nobility (貴族)
king　國王	queen　皇后	prince　王子
princess　公主，王妃	emperor　皇帝	empress　女皇
duke　公爵	earl　伯爵	knight　爵士
II. Ways of Killing
assassinate　(政治) 暗殺	strangle　掐死，勒斃	poison　毒殺
massacre　屠殺	suffocate　悶死	slash　砍殺

Patterns in Use

1  . . . N, who/which/whom/whose . . . Examples: ‧This play tells the story of Hamlet, whose father has been assassinated. ‧Hamlet vows to revenge himself on the murderer of his father, which means killing his own stepfather. ‧Laertes gives sound advice to his sister, Ophelia, who has lost her heart to Hamlet. ‧The TV host conducted an interview with Dr. Hawking, whom everyone in my family admires.

◎Exercise A:

The following are some facts about William Shakespeare. Complete the sentences below by using the given facts and the above pattern. The first one has been done for you.

‧Shakespeare was also a recognized actor. He performed in many of his own plays. ‧Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway at 18, and he had three children with her. ‧Shakespeare died on his fifty-second birthday. His birthday also fell on St. George’s Day. ‧Shakespeare wrote 37 plays and 154 sonnets (十四行詩). That means he wrote an average of 1.5 plays a year from his first work completed in 1589. ‧The length of Hamlet is roughly four hours, and it is Shakespeare’s longest play.

Fact 1:

Shakespeare had seven brothers and sisters. At the age of 18, he married his wife Anne Hathaway

¹__, with whom he had three children__. Anne was 26 when she married Shakespeare, and their first child was born six months after the wedding.

Fact 2:

Shakespeare lived to be 52. It is believed that he was born on April 23 and died on his fifty­second birthday ²________________________.

Fact 3:

During his life, Shakespeare wrote 37 plays and 154 sonnets ³________________________from his first work completed in 1589.

Fact 4:

The Comedy of Errors is Shakespeare’s shortest play, while Hamlet ⁴________________________ is the longest one.

Fact 5:

In addition to being a playwright and a poet, Shakespeare ⁵________________________ was also a recognized actor. However, since he was such a busy man, he didn’t take on any big parts.

Exercise B:

Complete the following sentences according to the Chinese by using the pattern on page 279.

1. Romeo對Juliet一見鍾情，他在舞會上深深地被她吸引。

→ Romeo fell in love with Juliet at first sight ________________________________ at the ball.

2. 作品備受讚揚的Beethoven是音樂史上重要的人物。

→ Beethoven ______________________________ is a prominent figure in the history of music.

3. 許多青少年喜愛打籃球。籃球其實是James Naismith在1891年發明的。

→ Many teenagers love to play basketball ____________________________________ in 1891.

4. 創立Facebook的Mark Zuckerberg被視為是全世界最年輕的億萬富翁。

→ Mark Zuckerberg __________________ is considered to be the world’s youngest billionaire.

 

2  S + be + so + adj./V + so + adv. + that­clause → So + adj. + be + S/adv. + aux. + S + V + that­clause Examples: ‧The play is so well­known that the meaning of this line is often left unexplained. → So well­known is the play that the meaning of this line is often left unexplained. ‧People are so afraid of death that many would face the suffering of this world rather than whatever death might bring. → So afraid of death are people that many would face the suffering of this world rather than whatever death might bring. ‧The wind blew so hard that many windows were broken. → So hard did the wind blow that many windows were broken.

Exercise A:

Rewrite the following sentences by using the above patterns. The first one has been done for you.

1. The student was so tired that he couldn’t help nodding off during the speech.

→ So tired was the student that he couldn’t help nodding off during the speech.

2. Laura is so attractive that all the boys can’t take their eyes off her.

→ ___________________________________________________________________________

3. The detective was so acute that he sensed the flaw of the witness’s statement.

→ ___________________________________________________________________________

4. The band performed so wonderfully that the audience cheered loudly for it.

→ ___________________________________________________________________________

5. Doris spoke so fast that no one could understand her.

→ ___________________________________________________________________________

◎Exercise B:

In the box on the next page are some records from the Guinness World Records organization. Complete the sentences below by using the given information and the patterns on page 281.

1. Jon Brower Minnoch was noted as the heaviest man in the world. He weighed 634 kilograms. 2. Sultan Kosën is the tallest living man in the world. He is 2.51 meters tall. 3. Barbara Blackburn was the fastest typist in the world. She was recorded typing at the highest speed of 212 words per minute. 4. Dante Lamb paints well. Selling his first painting at the age of three, he became famous for being the youngest professional artist in the world.

1. _____________________________________________ he couldn’t stand up or walk on his own.

2. ___________________________________________________ he always stands out in a crowd.

3. _________________________________ it took her just a few minutes to type up a long passage.

4. ____________________________________ he became a professional artist at a very young age.

Writing Hands-on

Process

The main purpose of a process paragraph is to explain how a task is performed or how to deal with a problem step by step. Process writing is important in describing a recipe, scientific writing, task to be done, or a problem to be solved. A good process paragraph should include clear instructions or steps so that the readers can easily follow the steps mentioned. The following is an effective way to write a process paragraph.

1. Make a topic sentence to state what the process aims for. Giving background information of the process or outlining the process will also be fine.

2. Use suitable sentence patterns to introduce the steps.

‧Here are ways to . . .

‧There are some steps you can follow.

‧The following are the steps.

‧The steps you have to take are as follows.

3. Clarify each process or steps by explaining or giving examples.

4. Present each step in order of time, place, difficulty, or importance.

5. Use proper transitional words or phrases to link the steps, such as “first,” “first of all,” “second,” “third,” “last,” “next,” “then,” “after that,”. . .

6. When you are making the conclusion, you can either summarize the main steps of the process or describe the result briefly.

Example:

Topic: How Black Holes Are Formed

It was a star that was substantially larger than our own sun. For millions of years, this giant star had shone brightly in the universe. Then, at the end of its lifespan, the dying star began to collapse in on itself. The matter that composed the star was squeezed together into a small space until it measured no more than a mile across. The matter in it was so tightly packed that a tiny chunk of it weighed as much as a mountain. As such a dead star continued to fall into itself, it was thought to draw in every bit of matter in the surrounding area. Every particle of the dust or every stray atom was dragged into it. At this point, the star is said to have become a black hole.

Exercise:

I. The following are the steps for the first aid for burns; however, they are out of order. Put the steps in order and then use proper transitional words or phrases to link the sentences.

A. Cool the injured area in cool running water for at least twenty minutes.

B. Cover the burn loosely with a clean blanket.

C. If necessary, call an ambulance and send the injured to the hospital.

D. If any clothing is wet or affected, remove it from the injured area quickly.

E. Soak the injured area in cool water for at least twenty minutes.

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

II. Below are the steps to prepare for an interview. Develop these steps into a process paragraph.

A. Do the research and make sure you understand what the interview is all about.

B. Prepare what you may respond to the interviewer.

C. Make sure you wear properly.

D. Remember not to talk too much or too little.

E. Be confident but not too proud.

F. Making a good impression is important.

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________