英詩入門50首

蘇煜

Introduction

Poetryisaspecialwayofusingwordsinordertocreateaspecialeffectupon

thereaderandtolightuptheworldforhim.Poetrytellsusabouttheworldthrough

ourfeelings.Itsharpensoursenses,makesusmorekeenlyandfullyawareoflife,

exercisesourimaginationandstoresuptreasureinourmemory.

Poetryisperpetuallyre-creatinglanguage.Itdoesthisinseveralways.Itmay

coinnewwords:itmayhelptobringintocommonusewordswhich,before,hadonly

beenusedbyexpertstechnical,scientificwords,forinstance,itmayputcommon

wordsintonewcontexts,introducethemtootherordinarywordstheyhadnotmet

before;itmayenrichthevalueofwordsbygivingthemnewassociations.Poetry,on

theotherhand,isanartwhichhastotreatwordswithcare,respectandaccuracy.

Wordsaretherawmaterialofpoetry.Themethodsthatpoetsusetohammer

andshapewordsintostrong,beautifulpatternsarecalled“poetictechnique^^.Poetryis

alwaysmakingusawareoflinksorconnectionsbetweenthings,whichwehadnot

noticedorhadnotfoundinterestingbefore.Poetryisalwayscomparingthings:

ShallIcomparetheetoasummer'sday?

Thouartmorelovelyandmoretemperate.(Shakespeare)

or,

Myloveislikeared,redrose

That'snewlysprunginJune.(Burns)

Comparisonslikethis,wheretwothingsarerelatedbytheword"like"or"as”,are

called“similes”.Similescanbesimpleandcanbefar-fetched.Ortheycanbesubtle

anddelicate.Theycanalsobecomplicatedandatfirstratherdifficulttotakein.

Whetherasimileissimpleorcomplex,itsmainobjectistocomparetwothings,toset

themsidebysideinsuchawaythattheylighteachotherupandthereforemakeus

seeandunderstandthemmoreclearly.Anotherwayofdoingthisismetaphor.The

word“metaphor“means“transference".Whenaseventeenth-centurypoetWotton,

calledthestars“Youcommonpeopleoftheskies,“hewastransferringtheordinary

meaningof“commonpeople“todescribethemultitudeofthestars.Thisshowsyou

whataveryconcentratedthingpoetryis:bytheuseofmetaphor,orsimile,andby

manyotherdevices,itcancompressanenormousamountofmeaningintoasmall

space.

Itisagreatmistaketothinkofpoetryassomethingvagueandwoolly.Poetsdo

sometimesusevague,abstractlanguage;butonlyinordertomakeaparticularkindof

impressiononthereader,ortocreateinthepoemavague,day-dreamingmood.For

themostpart,poetryuseslanguageinavivid,precise,concreteway.Toachievethese

purposes,poetrymakesfrequentuseofimages.Imagesareword-pictures,paintedby

thepoet'simaginationinsuchawayastoappealtothereader'simagination.Now

let'stakesomelinesfromapoemcalled“InTimeofPestilence^^byThomasNashe.

Brightnessfallsfromtheair,

Queenshavediedyoungandfair

?

DusthathclosedHelenseye-一

Iamsick,Imustdie.

Eachofthefirstthreelinesisanimage.Firstisanapparentlyvagueone,whichgives

usthesadfeelingweoftengetfromasunset.Thenextimageismoreparticularand

precise;thepoettalksoflovelyqueenswhohavediedyoung;thethirdnarrowsdown

thethemestillfurther■■-toHelen,QueenofTroy,themostbeautifulwomanwhoever

lived;shetooisdead.Runningthroughthethreeimagesistheemotionwhichmade

thepoetwritethepoem:itcomesoutinthelastline■一hisfearofdyingbeforehistime

andhissadnessthatalllovelythingshavetoperish.

Butimages,metaphorsandsimilesarenottheonlythingswhichmaygoto

makethepatternofapoem.Therearemeterandrhyme.Althoughpoetrycanbemade

withoutmeterorrhyme,itcannotbemadewithouttheinnerexcitementwhichso

oftencomesoutintheformofmetaphororimage.Someofthefinestpoetryinthe

worldisknownbyusintheformofprose.Meterdividesalineofpoetryintostressed

andunstressedsyllables;thestressescorrespondtothebeatsinmusicorthebeatof

one'sfeetindancing.Thus,whetherthelinesinapoemareallofthesamelengthor

ofdifferentlengths,theywillallcomewithinametricalframeworkorpattern.Often

youfindpoemsdividedupintostanzas--thatistosay,groupsoftwo,three,four,or

morelineswithspaceinbetweenthem.Eachstanzainapoemwillgenerallyhavethe

samemetricalframeworkaseveryotherstanzainit,thesamenumberofbeatsin

everycorrespondingline,andthesamepatternofrhymestoo.

Therearemanydifferentmeters,andvariationsonmeters,whichapoetmay

use.But,whatevermeterheisusing,theimportantthingaboutitisthatitsstresses

createabasicpattern.Thispatternisstrengthenedbytheuseofrhyme.Thereare

quiteafewkindsofrhyme:simplerhymeslike“cat"and“mat"；two-syllableones

(theyarecalled“feminine“rhymes),like“l(fā)eaving”and"grieving”;half-rhymeslike

“over"and"fever,"or"lightly”and“frightful,"whereonlyhalfofatwo-syllabled

wordrhymes.Thenyoucanhaveassonances—wordsthat,withoutactuallyrhyming,

havethesamesortofsound"green"and"grain,“forinstance,or“death”and

“earth”.Inanassonance,itistheconsonant-soundsonlywhicharealike;inarhyme,

itisthevowelsoundsalso.

Rhymesgenerallycomeattheendoflines.Theyareputtherebecauseithelps

tocreateandmakeclearthemusicalpatternofthestanza.Butyoumaygetarhymein

themiddleofaline,too.Somepoetsareextremelyskilfulinmakingassonancesand

othersound-echoesalloverapoem.Thisisoftendonebytheuseofalliteration.For

example,

Ihearlakewaterlappingwithlowsoundsbytheshore;(Yeats)

Thosethree/1/soundsmakeapleasant,liquidsound:thesoundhere,infact,

correspondswiththesense.Soitdoesin

Dryclashedhisarmourintheicycaves,(Tennyson)

Wherethehard"c"of"clashed"and"cave"seemstodryone'smouthupwhenone

speaksthelinealoud.

Rhyme,assonance,alliteration,themetricalbeat-theyallhaveonecommon

factor.Itisrepetition,therepeatingofsoundsatregularorirregularintervals.Some

poemsactuallyrepeatwholelinesorphrases;whentheydothisconsistentlyinevery

stanza,therepetitioniscalleda“refrain”.

Repetition,inthissense,hasaspecialpleasureattachedtoitthepleasureof

recognition.Thisrepeatingofsounds,orsometimesofphrasesandwholelines,

togetherwiththesteadybeatofmeter,iswhatmakesthemusicalpatternofapoem.

Thepurposeofthisrhythmicrepetitionisbothtoexciteyouandtolullyou.Thatmay

soundcontradictory.Butit'strue.Poetrymustputpartofyoutosleepinorderto

wakeupandexciteanotherpartofyou.Itputstosleepthepartofyouthatreasons

andargues;itawakensthepartthatremembers,feelsandimagines.Forboththe

putting-to-sleepandthewaking-upprocess,rhythmicrepetitionofsoundisa

powerfulinstrument.

Allstudyofpoetrystartswithreading.Poetryshouldbereadaloud.Whenyou

studyapoemforthefirsttime,youshouldreadorlistentoit,inpartorwhole

dependingonitslength,fourorfivetimes.Ifapoemisintroducedinclass,itshould

bereadonceortwiceeitherbytheteacherorastudent,andtheneveryone,including

theteacher,shouldreaditthroughtwoorthreetimestothemselves.Ifyouare

studyingathome,youcan,ofcourse,readorlistentoitaloudanynumberoftimes.

Theruleis:themorethebetter.

Butwhatisitthatyouarereading?Thesimplebutimportantansweris

words.Apoemismadeofwords,andwhateverissaidinapoemissaidinwords.The

wordsareorganizedinlinesandstanzas.Anypoemcanbesaidtobe:"these

particularwordsorganizedintheseparticularlines."Itisthesewords,andtheway

theyareorganized,thatyoumustattendtoasyouread.Youshouldattendtothem

individuallyandasawholegroup.Youmusttrytoseewhattheyaresayingandalso

beawareoftheverywayinwhichthewordscombinetosayit.Youshouldattendto

theideas,picturesandemotionsandrhymes.Theaimofreadingshouldalwaysbeto

cometogripwiththepoeminthefullestpossibleway.Thinkingandwritingabouta

poememergesfromreading.Itisreadingthatalertsyoutothepoem'sideas,its

interestingwords,itsrhythmsandshapeanditshumanimportance.Whenyouare

readingapoem,youshouldbeawareofwhatisgoingon.Thewordsaresaying

somethingbeawareofwhatitis,andhowtheyaresayingit.Thewordsarein

lines-beawareofthem.Thewordsmayberhythmic,theremayberhymes,andthere

willcertainlybesounds-beawareofthem.Theindividualstanzasandthepoemasa

wholehaveshapes--beawareofthem.Youwillalsobeawareofsomething

else-yourreactiontothepoem.Youshouldnoticehowyouarereactingtothepoem.

Youcanaskyourself:howamIreacting?WhatdoIfeelasIreadthesewords?What

thoughtsandfeelingsdothesewordsstirupinme?AmIenjoyingthispoem,andif

sowhatkindofpleasureisitgivingme?AmIbeingledtoseethingsinneweror

deeperwaybythispoem?

Itisnotnecessarythatyouunderstandeverylineoreveneverystanza,though

itisworthwhileseeingifyoucanteaseoutthemoredifficultparts.Ifthepoemis

narrative,youshouldbesatisfiedthatyouunderstandthemainevents.Ifthepoemis

ameditationorreflectionuponlife,youshouldmakesurethatyouhaveageneral

ideaaboutwhatisbeingsaid.Ifthepoemisanargumentaboutsomething,you

shouldensurethatyoucanfollowitsmainstages.Whatyoushouldaimforisastate

inwhichyoucouldgiveageneralsummaryofwhatthepoemisaboutandbeableto

showthestagesthroughwhichitgoes.Onceyouhaveanideaofwhatthepoemis

about,youcanquestionthewordsandyourreactiontothem.Therefore,ifyounotice

somethingwhenyouarereadingapoem,youshouldtrytoframeitinthefonnofa

question.Thisisnotalwayseasy,soyoushouldpracticeputtingyourreactionsinthe

questionform.Forinstance,ifyounoticeaparticularwordyoucanask:whatwasit

interestingaboutthatword?Or,ifyouparticularlyenjoyaline,youcanask:whatwas

itaboutthatlinethatIparticularlyenjoyed?Ifyoufindthatdifficult,therearetwo

questionsthatcanalwaysbeput:whatdoIfeelaboutthispoem?Whatisitaboutthe

poemthatmakesmefeelthis?Youshouldrememberthatboththesequestions,and

anyothersthatyoumayask,are,inonewayoranother,aboutthewordsofthepoem.

Itishelpfultorealizewherequestionscomefrom.Mostcomefromthree

statespuzzlement,interest,andpleasure.

Puzzlementariseswhenyousay:"howstrange!,9or"that'sodd!”Ifyouput

yourpuzzlementintheformofquestions,youcanask:Whydoesthepoetsaythat?

Whyisthatwordused?Whydoesthepoetmovefromthatsubjecttothis?Whywrite

inthiswayaboutthatsubject?Interestarisesinanumberofways.Youmightsay:

“That'sintriguing^^or“howinteresting”.Thereareanumberofquestionsthatcanbe

framedoutofexpressionsofinterest.Youcanask:amIinterestedbecauseitreflects

thewayIfeel?AmIinterestedbecauseFvedimlyfeltlikethatbutcouldneverquite

findthewords?AmIinterestedbecauseoftheunusualwaythepoetthinks?Interest

liesinthecontrast,andthewayinwhichitisdifferentfromwhatyoumighthave

expected.Pleasureoccurswhenyousay:"howbeautiful"or"Howwonderfulfor

someonetosaythat!^^Whenyouframesuchreactionsasquestions,youcanask:what

isitaboutthesewordsthatIfindbeautiful?Isittheireaseandnaturalness?Isitthat

theyareexcitinganddramatic?Isitthattheideaisverycleverlyput?

Thereactionsofpuzzlement,interestandpleasurehaveallbeengiveninwords.

Morethoughtnowneedstobegiventothewordsinwhichthesereactionshavebeen

expressed.Asyouthinkaboutyourpuzzlement,interestandpleasure,youwillsee

thatyouneedtowriteabouthowthewordshavestirredthesereactionsinyou.You

mightwanttowriteabouthowthewordscreatemeanings,abouthowtheyformlines,

rhythmsandstanzas,andabouthowtheyrhymeandmakepatternsofsounds.

Toneisatechnicalwordstandingforthepoise,mood,voice,manner,attitude

andoutlookofapoet.Thetoneofapoemmaybecold,cynical,bitter,troubled,

uncertain,eager,bragging,gleeful,resignedorprotesting.Thereare,ofcourse,many

others.Toneisthemostgeneralofallthetechnicalwordsbecauseitcanbeappliedto

manyaspectsofpoetry.Forinstance,youcanaskaboutthetoneofasimile,thetone

ofaparticularrhythm,andthetoneofawholepoem.Thatlastpointisvery

important-virtuallyeverypoemhasatone.Thetonemightbedifficultto

characterize,oryoumaybeuncertainastowhetherapoemisseriousoramusing,but

ifitisapoemitalmostcertainlymusttakeupanattitudeoroutlook,orhaveamood,

voiceormanner.Therefore,itiswisetodiscusstonebeforealltheotherterms.

Becauseeverypoemhasatone,youmustthinkaboutitatsomepointwhenyoustudy

apoem.Youcandothisassoonasyouarefairlyclearwhatthepoemisabout.

Sometimes,youwillfeelyouwantto,becausewhathasmostinterestedyouisthe

tone.Onotheroccasions,otheraspectsofapoemwillimmediatelypuzzle,interestor

giveyoupleasure,soyouwillwanttothinkaboutthemfirst.Youmustnotignore

tone,soitiswisetoask,atsometimeduringyourstudyofapoem.

Howfarhavewegotwithourideaofageneralapproachtoapoem?Before

youstartdetailedstudyofapoem,youshouldmakesureyouhaveaclearideaof

whatthepoemisabout.Onceyouhavegotthatidea,youcanthenproceedwith

questioningyourselfaboutwhatpuzzlesandintereststhatgiveyoupleasure.

Whateveryousayaboutthesethings,youmust,atsomepoint,thinkaboutthetoneof

thepoem,andexpecttofindthewordsenactingtheirmeanings.

Anonymous

WesternWind1

Westernwind,whenwillthou-blow,

Thesmallraindowncanrain?3

Christ,ifmylovewereinmyarms

AndIinmybedagain!4

Notes:

1.Westernwind:WesternwindinEnglandisequaltotheeastorspringwindinthe

eastcountries.

2.wiltthou:willyou

3.Thesmallrain???：(Sothat)thesmallraincanfalldown?

4.“If?clause“hereexpressesawishofthespeaker,thatis,“Iwishthatmylovewere

inmyarms,andthatIwereinmybedagain!'

SirPatrickSpens1

ThekingsitsinDumferlingtoune2,

Drinkingtheblude-reid3wine:

“Owhar4willIgetguidsailor,

Tosailthisschip5ofmine?^^

Upandspakaneldemknicht,

Satattheking飛richtkne6:

“SirPatrickSpensisthebestsailor,

Thatsailsuponthese

Thekinghaswrittenabraidletter8,

Andsigneditwi'hishand;

AndsentittoSirPatrickSpens,

Waswalkingonthesand.

ThefirstlinethatSirPatrickred,

ALoudlauch9lauchedhe:

ThenextlinethatSirPatrickred,

Theteir10blindedhisee11.

“Owha12isthishasdon13thisdeid14,

Thisilldeiddontome;

Tosendmeoutthistimeo'theyeir15,

Tosailuponthese?”

“Makhaste,makhaste,mymirrymenall16,

Ourguidschipsailsthemorne17.^^

“Osaynasae18,mymasterdeir19,

ForIfeiradeadliestorme.^^

"Late,lateyestreenIsawthenewmoone

Wi'theauldmooneinhirarme;

AndIfeir22,1feir,mydeirmaster,

Thatwewillcumtoharme”.”

OourScotsnobleswerrichtlaith24

lbweet-theircork-keildshone;

Botlangowrea'theplaywerplayd,27

Theirhatstheyswamaboone28.

Olang29,lang,maytheirladiessit

Wi9theirfansintotheirhand,

Oreir30theyseSirPatrickSpens

Cum31Sailingtotheland.

Olang,lang,maytheladiesstand,

Wi'theirgoldkems32intheirhair,

Waitingfortheirain33deirlords,

Forthey911sethamenamair.34

Hafowre35,hafowretoAberdour,

It'sfiftiefadomdeip36,

Andthair37liesguidSirPatrickSpens,

Wi,theScotslordsathisfeit38.

Notes:

Balladisapoemofversetobesungorrecitedandcharacterizedbyitspresentation

ofadramaticorexcitingepisodeinsimplenarrativeform.Thoughtheballadisa

formstillmuchwritten,theso-calledpopularballadinmostliteraturesbelongsto

theearlyperiodsbeforewrittenliteraturewashighlydeveloped.Traditionalor

“popular“balladsstillappear,however,inisolatedsectionsandamongilliterateand

semiliteratepeoples.Veryoftentheoldballads,however,werenottheworkofone

poetalone.Laterpoetsorevenordinarymembersoftheaudiencelisteningtoa

ballad,wouldaddastanzahere,afewlinesthere.Andprettyoften,intheir

excitement,theyexaggeratedthedeedsoftheheroinwhosehonourthepoemwas

composed.Thustheregrewuproundtheseheroesamassoflegend.Theearly

story-poemswere,youmightsay,fictionfoundedonfact;butthecoreofthemwas

thatkindofhero-worshipwhichyouyourselvesfeelformenandwomenwhose

greatdeedsorfinequalitiesstiryourimagination.

Certaincommoncharacteristicsoftheearlyballadsshouldbenoted:the

supernaturalandsuperstitiousarelikelytoplayanimportantpartinevents,

physicalcourageandlovearefrequentthemes,theincidentsareusuallysuchas

happentocommonpeople(asopposedtothenobility)andoftenhavetodowith

domesticepisodes(localhistory),slightattentionispaidtocharacterizationor

description,transitionsareabrupt,actionislargelydevelopedthroughdialogue,

tragicsituationsarepresentedwiththeutmostsimplicity,incrementalrepetitionis

common,asingleepisodeofahighlydramaticnatureispresented,andoftenthe

balladisbroughttoaclosewithsomesortofsummarystanza.Thetraditional

balladstanzaisaquatrainwhichrhymesabcb.

1.SirPatrickSpens:Itisafolkballadcomposedprobablyaboutthe15thcentury.

Theballadwasnotwrittendownuntilthelatterhalfofthe18thcentury.Thereare

severalversionsofthisballad,thisoneistheshortestandusuallyconsideredthe

best.

2.toune:town

3.blude-reid:blood-red

4.whar:where

5.schip:ship

6.richtkne:rightknee

7.se:see

8.abraidletter:abroadletter,anofficialletter

9.laugh:laugh

10.teir:tears

11.ee:eye

12.wha:who

13.don:done

14.deid:deed

15.o’theyeir:oftheyear

16.Makhaste,makhaste,mymirrymenall:makehaste,makehaste,mymerry

men,

17themorne:thenextmorning

18.saynasae:donotsayso

19.deir:dear

20.yestreen:yesterdayevening

21.Wi5theauldmooneinhirarme:withtheoldmooninherarm

22.feir:fear

23.cumtoharme:cometoharm

24.werrichtlaith:wereverymuchunwilling

25.weet:wet

26.cork-keildshone:cork-heeledshoes

27.Botlangowrea'theplaywerplayd:butlongere(before)thevoyagewas

finisheda':=all

28.Swamaboone:floatedabove,implyingthattheyweredrowned.

29.lang:long

30.eir:before

31.Cum:come

32.kems:combs

33.ain:own

34.Forthey'llsethamenamair:Forthey'llseethemnomore.

35.hafowre:half(way)over

36.It'sfiftiefadomdeip:Itisfiftyfathom(1.829m)deep.

37.thair:there

38.feit:feet

FurtherReadings:

“RobinHoodandAllin-A-Dale^InM.H.AbramsTheNortonAnthologyofEnglish

Literature.W.W.Norton&Company;"CuckooSong”InHelenGardnerTheNew

OxfordBookofEnglishVerseOxfordUniversityPress

ChristopherMarlowe(1564-1593)

ChristopherMarlowewasborntwomonthsbeforeWilliamShakespeare.He

wasthesonofaCanterburyshoemaker;andhewaseducatedattheKing'sSchool,

Canterbury,andCorpusChristiCollege.HebecameaBAin1584,andMA,after

somedifficulty,in1587.BeforeheleftCambridge,hehadwrittenhisplaysandhe

becamefamouswhenhewastwenty-three,afterheproducedTamburlaine.Thenhe

hadonlysixyearstolive.In1589hewasinvolvedinastreetfightinwhichthepoet

ThomasWatsonkilledaman.Bothpoetswerejailed.In1591Marlowewaslivingin

LondonwithplaywrightThomasKyd,wholatergaveinformationtothePrivy

Councilaccusinghimofatheismandtreason.OnMay30,1593,ataninn,Marlowe

waskilledbyadaggerthrustinanargumentoverthebill.Inthesesixviolentyears,

Marloweproducedallhisgreatwork,whileShakespearewasservinghis

apprenticeship.Heistheonlydramatistofthetimewhoisevercomparedwith

Shakespeare.Whenwerememberthathediedattwenty-nine,probablybefore

Shakespearehadproducedasinglegreatplay,wemustwonderwhathemighthave

doneifhehadoutlivedhiswretchedyouthandbecomeaman.

ThePassionateShepherdtoHisLove

Comelivewithmeandbemylove,

Andwewillallthepleasuresprove1

Thathillsandvalleys,daleandfield,

Andallthecraggy2mountainsyield.

Therewillwesitupontherocks

Andseetheshepherdsfeedtheirflocks,

Byshallowrivers,towhosefalls

Melodiousbirdssingmadrigals3.

TherewillImaketheebedsofroses

Andathousandfragrantposies4,

Acapofflowers5,andakirtle6

Embroider'd，allwithleavesofmyrtle8.

Agownmadeofthefinestwool,

Whichfromourprettylambswepull9,

Fairlinedslippers10forthecold,

Withbuckles11ofthepurestgold.

Abeltofstrawandivybuds12

Withcoralclaspsandamberstuds13:

Andifthesepleasuresmaytheemove,

Comelivewithmeandbemylove.

Thysilverdishesforthymeat14

Aspreciousasthegodsdoeat,

Shallonanivorytablebe

preparedeachdayfortheeandme.

Theshepherdswains15shalldanceandsing

ForthydelighteachMay-morning:

Ifthesedelightsthymindmaymove,

Thenlivewithmeandbemylove.

Note:

Pastoralpoem:ThewordpastoralhasaLatinetymology,meaning"pertainingto

shepherds^^andcanbeappliedtoworksofanyliterarygenrethatdealwiththesimple

andunspoiledlifeoftheshepherdsorcountryside.Theexaltationoftherurallifeis

idealisticandexpressedsentimentisnostalgic.Indiscussingpoetry,pastoralpoems

arethoseprofessingtoportraytheinnocenceofshepherdlife,accordingtoaspecific

literaryconvention.Classicalpastoralpoetryweredescendantofthefolksongsand

ceremoniesthathonoredthepastoralgods.Pastoralpoetryasaliterarytypeis

believedtobesetupbytheGreekpoetTheocrituswithhis“Idylls“inthethird

centuryBC.Inthemoderntimes,thepastoralpoemsareusedtocontrastthepurity

andsimplicityofrurallifewiththecorruptionandartificialityofcourtandcitylife.

1.prove:experience

2.craggy:steep

3.madrigals:lovesongs

4,posy:flower,bouquet

5.capofflowers:capmadeofflowers

6.kirtle:woman'sdressorskirt

7.Embroider'd:woven

8.myrtle:akindofplantwithevergreenleavesandwhiteorpinkishflowers

9.pull:drawout,extract

10.Fairlinedslippers:slippersdecoratedwithfairlines

11.buckles:aclaspononeendofastraporbeltforfasteningtheotherend,here,

bucklesareclasp-likeornamentsforshoes

12.ivybuds:climbingplants

13.studs:button

14.meat:food

15.swains:countryyouth

FurtherReading

“LoveatFirstSight“InHelenGardnerTheNewOxfordBookofEnglishVerse

OxfordUniversityPress

WilliamShakespeare(1564-1616)

TwooutwardinfluenceswerepowerfulindevelopingthegeniusofShakespeare,

—thelittlevillageofStratford,centerofthemostbeautifulandromanticdistrictin

ruralEngland,andthegreatcityLondon,thecenteroftheworld'spoliticalactivity.In

onehelearnedtoknowthenaturalmaninhisnaturalenvironment;intheother,the

social,theartificialmaninthemostunnaturalofsurroundings.Shakespearewas

baptizedinthelittleparishchurchatStratford-on-Avononthe26thofApril,1564,

threedaysafterhisbirth.Hisfather,JohnShakespeare,wasafarmer'ssonfromthe

neighboringvillage,whocametoStratfordabout1511,andbegantoprosperasa

traderincorn,meat,leather,andotheragriculturalproducts.Shakespeareprobably

attendedforafewyearstheendowedgrammarschoolatStratford,wherehepicked

upthe“smallLatinandlessGreek”towhichhislearnedfriendBenJonsonrefers.

WhenShakespearewasaboutfourteenyearsoldhisfatherlosthislittlepropertyand

fellintodebt,andtheboyprobablyleftschooltohelpsupportthefamilyofyounger

children.In1582,ShakespearewasmarriedtoAnneHathaway,thedaughterofa

peasantfamily,whowaseightyearsolderthanherboyhusband.Fromnumerous

sarcasticreferencestomarriagemadebythecharactersinhisplays,andfromthefact

thathesoonlefthiswifeandfamilyandwenttoLondon,itisgenerallyallegedthat

themarriagewasahastyandunhappyone.

OfhislifeinLondonfrom1587tol611,theperiodofhisgreatestliterary

activity,manyofhisplayswerepopularandquiteanumberofthemwerepublished

inhislifetime.Afterhisdeathacollectionofhisplays,37inall,werepublishedin

folioformbytwoofhisfiendsin1623.AfterhisenormoussuccessinLondon,he

retiredtohisnativetowntolivequietlywithhiswifeanddaughters.Hediedonthe

probableanniversaryofhisbirth,April23,1616.

Itisgenerallyassertedthat,ifShakespearehadwrittennoplays,hispoems

alonewouldhavegivenhimacommandingplaceintheElizabethanAge.Hissonnets,

154innumber,aretheonlydirectexpressionofthepoet'sownfeelings,theywere

publishedtogetherin1609.