(life, works: tragedies, comedies, historical plays, Shakespeare’s language, attitude to info, theatre)
1) Biography
• born on 23rd April, 1564, at Stratford-upon-Avon, father glove-maker [glav-]
• attended local grammar school
• origin of his great love to nature – nature around his birthplace
• in 18 years married 8 years older Ann Hathaway from nearby village, already pregnant
• daughter Susan, then twins Hamnet and Judith (Hemnet when he was 11 > tragedy Hamlet)
• 4 years after marriage left for London
• rewriting and editing old plays, then writing his own plays, plays woman roles
• bought the Globe Theatre with other members of King’s Men group of actors, set on fire, then without roof
• next 20 years he wrote 37 comedies, tragedies, tragicomedies and historical plays, 2 poems and 157 sonnets
• moved back to Stratford to his family, was rich, bought fine house – New Place
• died on 23rd April, 1616, after birthday celebration
• stone statue at Trinity Church in Startford with real pen (have to be renewed from time to time)
• Stratford-upon-Avon has 20 thousand inhabitants + 250 thousand tourists every year, offers houses with bed and breakfast or hotels (the most expansive with rooms named after Shakespeare’s plays)
• Shakespeare Royal Company, plays during the whole year (from birth to death)
• vocabulary: about 25 thousand words – the largest known in the world
2) Works
• tragedies: Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, King Lear, Othello, Macbeth
• comedies: The Merchant of Venice, The Merry Wives of Windsor, The Taming of the Shrew, As you like it, Comedy of Errors, Measure for Measure, A Midsummer Night’s Dream
• historical plays: Richard II., Richard III., Henry IV., Henry V., Henry VI., Henry VIII., Julius Caesar, Anthony and Cleopatra
3) Romeo and Juliet
This famous tragedy is about the unhappy love and death of Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet. They were the only children of two powerful clans of Verona. These Houses of Montague and of Capulet hated each other.
Romeo fell in love with Juliet when he was 16 and she was 14. They got married in secret because their families not only hated but fought one another too and their parents did not allow them to become husband and wife in any case.
In a quarrel, a few days after wedding, Romeo unfortunately killed one of Juliet’s cousins Tybalt. Prince of Verona sent Romeo to the exile outside Verona. Juliet’s parents didn’t know about secret wedding of their daughter and that’s why they wished her to marry a rich nobleman called Paris. To escape this, Juliet took a drug which made her fallen into such a deep sleep that people thought her to be dead.
In the same time Romeo wanted to come secretly to Verona and take Juliet away with him. But he found his loved beauty in her deep sleep and he believed Juliet to be dead. That’s why he poisoned himself.
When Juliet awoke and saw her husband’s dead body, she killed herself too. Over the death children their parents made peace but too late for their children.
4) The Merchant of Venice
Bassanio wanted to marry his beloved Portia. However he did not have enough money. He asked his friend Antonio – a Venetian merchant but he didn’t have money too. Antonio knew the Jew Shylock and he borrowed money from him because he was the best known money-lender. Shylock promised to lend this money but on one condition. If Antonio can’t pay the sum back by a certain date, Shylock will get a pound of his flesh. Antonio was a rich man and he owned big ships but far in the sea. He wasn’t afraid of Shylock condition and he agreed, signed contract and waited for his ships. But ships were lost at the sea and Antonio couldn’t pay this debt. Shylock hated Antonio because he often spoke against Jews and that’s why he asked at the court the pound of flesh from Antonio’s body. At the last moment clever Portia thought of an excellent plan to save Antonio from death. She changed her clothes into those of the judge and she came at the court dressed as a lawyer. She agreed Shylock to take a pound of Antonio’s flesh but not a drop of his blood.
Ernest Hemingway
(life, “the Lost Generation”, works: novels, short stories, plots and characters, style)
1) Biography
• born in 1899 in Oak Park, Illinois, USA; 4 sisters, 1 brother
• travelled all his life, lived in USA, Cuba and Paris
• in childhood dressed like a girl, in adult age hated his mother
• loved fishing, canoeing, bullfighting (in Spain), hunting (in Africa)
• as a student very good in English grammar, wrote for school magazine
• refused to join army in World War I. because of bad left eye, served in a Red Cross hospital unit in Italy, injured
• moved to Chicago, started writing for The Toronto Star, married Hadley, moved to Paris, Canada
• had son, wrote The Sun Also Rises, divorced, married Pauline
• wrote Farewell to Arms, met Martha, moved to Spain, worked as a war correspondent during Spanish Civil War
• wrote For Whom the Bell Tolls, married Martha
• secret agent of USA during World War II., started drinking
• married Mary in Cuba, wrote The Old Man and the Sea
• won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1954
• committed suicide in 1961 because of depression, shot himself to the head, drunken
• belonged to the group of writers and artists called “the Lost Generation”, because of war, expecting another, worse catastrophe
• good narrator, characteristic frequent monologues, short sentences
• brave characters, not always survive, but live their lives to the fullest
2) Works
• best novels For whom the bell tolls, Farewell to arms
• Nobel’s price for the short story The old man and the sea
• another works: The fifth column, The green hills in Africa etc.
3) For whom the bell tolls
For whom the bell tolls is a psychological picture of the Spanish Civil War. The Main character of this novel is Robert Jordan. He is a capable American who comes to the guerrilla group to help them to destroy a strategically important bridge. Here he meets a girl, Mary, and falls in love with her. Robert finds he is nothing alone and death means nothing. The fourth day Robert succeeds in blowing the bridge up but he is badly hurt and cannot go on with the group. He knows he is going to die. In the end he realised what a beautiful place the world really is and how much it is worth fighting for.
4) The old man and the sea
The setting of this novel is Cuba, the city of Havana and later on the sea in the Gulf of Mexico. The action covers a very short period of time.
The idea was abidingness of human life and its timeless calling: man can be destroyed but not defeated. The author pointed out the human dependence on nature and the mutual permanent struggle between the two. According to Hemingway it is not possible to gain mastery over nature.
All this is symbolized by the positions of the little bay and the old man, the gap between generations, the search and discovery for something new. Man carries victory hidden inside him.
The action concerns an old Cuban [kju:bn] fisherman who went out to sea to catch the fish. Manoli is the boy who used to go with him as his helper. For forty days they had no luck, they did not catch even a single fish. For this reason the boy’s parents forbade him to go to the sea with the old man anymore. Santiago had to catch fish on his own.
One day he recognized that it is exactly eighty-four days since he last caught a fish. He went fishing. Suddenly something bit. It was a big fish that dragged the old man along the sea with it for several days. But Santiago won.
On the way home, sharks swam by the ship several times and ate the fish. Only a skeleton of the big fish remained. The boy was sad at the bad luck of his friend so he decided to join him at sea again.
1) Biography
• born in 1899 in Oak Park, Illinois, USA; 4 sisters, 1 brother
• travelled all his life, lived in USA, Cuba and Paris
• in childhood dressed like a girl, in adult age hated his mother
• loved fishing, canoeing, bullfighting (in Spain), hunting (in Africa)
• as a student very good in English grammar, wrote for school magazine
• refused to join army in World War I. because of bad left eye, served in a Red Cross hospital unit in Italy, injured
• moved to Chicago, started writing for The Toronto Star, married Hadley, moved to Paris, Canada
• had son, wrote The Sun Also Rises, divorced, married Pauline
• wrote Farewell to Arms, met Martha, moved to Spain, worked as a war correspondent during Spanish Civil War
• wrote For Whom the Bell Tolls, married Martha
• secret agent of USA during World War II., started drinking
• married Mary in Cuba, wrote The Old Man and the Sea
• won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1954
• committed suicide in 1961 because of depression, shot himself to the head, drunken
• belonged to the group of writers and artists called “the Lost Generation”, because of war, expecting another, worse catastrophe
• good narrator, characteristic frequent monologues, short sentences
• brave characters, not always survive, but live their lives to the fullest
2) Works
• best novels For whom the bell tolls, Farewell to arms
• Nobel’s price for the short story The old man and the sea
• another works: The fifth column, The green hills in Africa etc.
3) For whom the bell tolls
For whom the bell tolls is a psychological picture of the Spanish Civil War. The Main character of this novel is Robert Jordan. He is a capable American who comes to the guerrilla group to help them to destroy a strategically important bridge. Here he meets a girl, Mary, and falls in love with her. Robert finds he is nothing alone and death means nothing. The fourth day Robert succeeds in blowing the bridge up but he is badly hurt and cannot go on with the group. He knows he is going to die. In the end he realised what a beautiful place the world really is and how much it is worth fighting for.
4) The old man and the sea
The setting of this novel is Cuba, the city of Havana and later on the sea in the Gulf of Mexico. The action covers a very short period of time.
The idea was abidingness of human life and its timeless calling: man can be destroyed but not defeated. The author pointed out the human dependence on nature and the mutual permanent struggle between the two. According to Hemingway it is not possible to gain mastery over nature.
All this is symbolized by the positions of the little bay and the old man, the gap between generations, the search and discovery for something new. Man carries victory hidden inside him.
The action concerns an old Cuban [kju:bn] fisherman who went out to sea to catch the fish. Manoli is the boy who used to go with him as his helper. For forty days they had no luck, they did not catch even a single fish. For this reason the boy’s parents forbade him to go to the sea with the old man anymore. Santiago had to catch fish on his own.
One day he recognized that it is exactly eighty-four days since he last caught a fish. He went fishing. Suddenly something bit. It was a big fish that dragged the old man along the sea with it for several days. But Santiago won.
On the way home, sharks swam by the ship several times and ate the fish. Only a skeleton of the big fish remained. The boy was sad at the bad luck of his friend so he decided to join him at sea again.
Prague
Prague – the Capital of the Czech Republic
(important historical events, famous landmarks, a sightseeing tour of Prag, museums, galleries, theatres, public transport, industries)
1) History
• founded by Princess Libuse of the Premyslid dynasty, the glory of Prague “would touch the stars”
• the Slavs come to Prague valley in the 6th century
• 9th century – Prague castle, 10th century – Vysehrad
• imperial residence of Charles IV. (archbishopric, Charles University 1348, Charles Bridge, St. Vitus Cathedral)
• Hussite movement, Jan Zizka
• seat of Rudolph II. (scientists, e. g. Tycho de Brahe, Johannes Kepler)
• 1918 capital of the Czechoslovak republic
• after World War II. liberated by the Russians
• occupation in 1968 started normalization
• now home of President, the Czech Parliament, the Czech government and all important state ministries
• kinds of transport: underground, airport, trams, buses, cars, trains, boats
2) Sights
• the Prague Castle – largest residential complex in Czech Republic, founded in 9th century; seat of Bohemian Kings, since 1918 seat of President; Vladislav Hall, Spanish Hall; the Royal Palace, the Gothic St. Vitus’ Cathedral, the Castle Gallery, St. George’s Monastery, Golden Lane
• the Old Town Square – astronomical clock of 15th century; every hour the procession of the 12 apostles in the upper part and the copy of 12 medallions with the signs of the zodiacal constellation in the lower part can be seen
• Vysehrad – oldest seat place the Premyslide princess; rotunda of St. Martin, cemetery with the tombs [tu:ms] of famous people
• the Charles Bridge – one of the oldest standing stone bridges in Europe; founded by Charles IV. in 1357; on both sides there are 30 statues of baroque art
• the Carolinum – the oldest building of Charles University
• Wenceslas Square – shopping centre of Prague; statue of St. Wenceslas by Josef Vaclav Myslbek, symbol of freedom
• the National Museum – Neo-Renaissance building of 19th century, situated at the top of Wenceslas Square
• the National Gallery – spread out in different Prague spots
• the National Theatre – Neo-Renaissance building, 1881 burnt down, 1883 rebuilt, decorations by Mikolas Ales, Vaclav Hynais
3) Out sightseeing tour to Prag
• St. Vitus’ Cathedral, Prague Castle
• Vysehrad – Myslbek’s statues, Slavin cemetery
• Old Town of Prague
• Bethlehem Chapel, Trade Fair Palace
• Kinsky Palace
(important historical events, famous landmarks, a sightseeing tour of Prag, museums, galleries, theatres, public transport, industries)
1) History
• founded by Princess Libuse of the Premyslid dynasty, the glory of Prague “would touch the stars”
• the Slavs come to Prague valley in the 6th century
• 9th century – Prague castle, 10th century – Vysehrad
• imperial residence of Charles IV. (archbishopric, Charles University 1348, Charles Bridge, St. Vitus Cathedral)
• Hussite movement, Jan Zizka
• seat of Rudolph II. (scientists, e. g. Tycho de Brahe, Johannes Kepler)
• 1918 capital of the Czechoslovak republic
• after World War II. liberated by the Russians
• occupation in 1968 started normalization
• now home of President, the Czech Parliament, the Czech government and all important state ministries
• kinds of transport: underground, airport, trams, buses, cars, trains, boats
2) Sights
• the Prague Castle – largest residential complex in Czech Republic, founded in 9th century; seat of Bohemian Kings, since 1918 seat of President; Vladislav Hall, Spanish Hall; the Royal Palace, the Gothic St. Vitus’ Cathedral, the Castle Gallery, St. George’s Monastery, Golden Lane
• the Old Town Square – astronomical clock of 15th century; every hour the procession of the 12 apostles in the upper part and the copy of 12 medallions with the signs of the zodiacal constellation in the lower part can be seen
• Vysehrad – oldest seat place the Premyslide princess; rotunda of St. Martin, cemetery with the tombs [tu:ms] of famous people
• the Charles Bridge – one of the oldest standing stone bridges in Europe; founded by Charles IV. in 1357; on both sides there are 30 statues of baroque art
• the Carolinum – the oldest building of Charles University
• Wenceslas Square – shopping centre of Prague; statue of St. Wenceslas by Josef Vaclav Myslbek, symbol of freedom
• the National Museum – Neo-Renaissance building of 19th century, situated at the top of Wenceslas Square
• the National Gallery – spread out in different Prague spots
• the National Theatre – Neo-Renaissance building, 1881 burnt down, 1883 rebuilt, decorations by Mikolas Ales, Vaclav Hynais
3) Out sightseeing tour to Prag
• St. Vitus’ Cathedral, Prague Castle
• Vysehrad – Myslbek’s statues, Slavin cemetery
• Old Town of Prague
• Bethlehem Chapel, Trade Fair Palace
• Kinsky Palace
Australia and New Zeland
(history, geographical features, system of government, lifestyles, regions, sights, industries)
1) Australia
• 6th largest country in the world, smallest continent in the world
• 15 million inhabitants, density about 2 people to one sq. kilometer, 40000 full-blooded Aborigines
• continental climate, some parts tropical
• discovered by captain James Cook in 1770 (landed in Botany Bay), colonization after 18 years, discovery of gold in 19th century, 1901 formed the Commonwealth of Australia as a British dominion
• federal state with Governor General, the Federal Parliament in Canberra, divided into the Senate (60) and the House of Representatives (120)
• six states: New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania
• three territories: Northern Territory, Coral Sea Islands Territory, Australian Capital Territory
• education: compulsory to 15 not yet, three types of secondary: technical, academic, general
2) Cities
• Canberra, capital, founded 1913, modern planned, many open spaces, ¼ million inhabitants, Captain Cook Memorial Waterjet – 134 meters high
• Melbourne, most elegant, founded 1801, 2nd largest, beautiful parks, museums, galleries, concert halls, three universities (Captain Cook’s cottage), ½ million inhabitants
• Sydney, oldest, founded 1788, largest, 3 million inhabitants, Opera House, Harbour Bridge
• Brisbane, 3rd largest, lies on the threshold of the tropics, textile, chemical, food factories, oil refineries, engineering works, paper mills
• Adelaide, 4th largest, two universities, biggest car factory
• Perth, industrial city, important port
3) Nature
• animals: kangaroo, platypus, echidna, termite, dingo dog, koala bear, wild horse, snake, emu
• plants: eucalyptus tree
• 120 national parks and reservations
• largest monolith in the world, 600 meters high Ayers Rock
• most rivers get dry; two big rivers – Murray, Darling
• 2/3 of surface made of deserts – Great Sand Desert, Great Victorian Desert, Gibson Desert
• mountains: Great Dividing Range, Australian Alps (Mt. Kosciusko)
4) New Zealand
• 2000 km south-east from Australia, population of 3.7 million
• two large islands – North Island, South Island
• largest town: Auckland (0.8 million inhabitants)
• capital: Wellington
• discovered by Abel Tasman in 1642
• rich agricultural country: livestock breeding, cattle, sheep
• production of meat (world’s biggest, lamb, beef, mutton), dairy products (butter, cheese, milk powder), wool
• belongs to the British Commonwealth of Nations; Governor General, the House of Representatives (92)
1) Australia
• 6th largest country in the world, smallest continent in the world
• 15 million inhabitants, density about 2 people to one sq. kilometer, 40000 full-blooded Aborigines
• continental climate, some parts tropical
• discovered by captain James Cook in 1770 (landed in Botany Bay), colonization after 18 years, discovery of gold in 19th century, 1901 formed the Commonwealth of Australia as a British dominion
• federal state with Governor General, the Federal Parliament in Canberra, divided into the Senate (60) and the House of Representatives (120)
• six states: New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania
• three territories: Northern Territory, Coral Sea Islands Territory, Australian Capital Territory
• education: compulsory to 15 not yet, three types of secondary: technical, academic, general
2) Cities
• Canberra, capital, founded 1913, modern planned, many open spaces, ¼ million inhabitants, Captain Cook Memorial Waterjet – 134 meters high
• Melbourne, most elegant, founded 1801, 2nd largest, beautiful parks, museums, galleries, concert halls, three universities (Captain Cook’s cottage), ½ million inhabitants
• Sydney, oldest, founded 1788, largest, 3 million inhabitants, Opera House, Harbour Bridge
• Brisbane, 3rd largest, lies on the threshold of the tropics, textile, chemical, food factories, oil refineries, engineering works, paper mills
• Adelaide, 4th largest, two universities, biggest car factory
• Perth, industrial city, important port
3) Nature
• animals: kangaroo, platypus, echidna, termite, dingo dog, koala bear, wild horse, snake, emu
• plants: eucalyptus tree
• 120 national parks and reservations
• largest monolith in the world, 600 meters high Ayers Rock
• most rivers get dry; two big rivers – Murray, Darling
• 2/3 of surface made of deserts – Great Sand Desert, Great Victorian Desert, Gibson Desert
• mountains: Great Dividing Range, Australian Alps (Mt. Kosciusko)
4) New Zealand
• 2000 km south-east from Australia, population of 3.7 million
• two large islands – North Island, South Island
• largest town: Auckland (0.8 million inhabitants)
• capital: Wellington
• discovered by Abel Tasman in 1642
• rich agricultural country: livestock breeding, cattle, sheep
• production of meat (world’s biggest, lamb, beef, mutton), dairy products (butter, cheese, milk powder), wool
• belongs to the British Commonwealth of Nations; Governor General, the House of Representatives (92)
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