参考答案:
1)The passage comes from “The Sun Rising”, written by ’John Donne’. (P66) 2) The speaker questions the sun’s authority and speaks condescendingly, placing the sun in the status of a subordinate. In the lover’s kingdom, the sun has no right to dictate the time of day or the passing of seasons. His presence in their bedchamber is an intrusion on their privacy.
III. Questions and answers:
1.How do you know about Renaissance? Give a summery about English literature in the period? 参考答案:
1.The Renaissance refers to the period between 14th----mid-17th century. It first started in Italy.
2.The Renaissance means rebirth or revival----the discovery of ancient Roman and Greek culture.
3.In essence, The Renaissance is a historical period in which the European humanist thinkers and scholars tried to get rid of the old feudalist ideas in medieval Europe, to introduce new ideas that expressed the interests of the rising bourgeoisie/middle class, and to recover the purity of the early church from the corruption of Roman Catholic church.
4.Humanism is the essence of Renaissance -----Man is the measure of all things. The
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humanism exalted/praised human nature and emphasized the dignity of human beings and the present life. They thought man had the right to enjoy the beauty of life and had the ability to perfect himself and made wonders, which got ready for the appearance of the great Elizabethan writers in Britain. Poetry and drama were the most outstanding literary forms.
5.Shakespeare, Marlowe and Francis Bacon etc. were the remarkable representatives of the English Renaissance. (可参考课本P7---12)
2. Please give a brief analysis of Hamlet’s “To be or not to be” soliloquy (独白). 参考答案:
“To be or not to be” is ’a philosophical exploration of life and death’. The soliloquy condemned the hypocrisy and treachery and general corruption of the world, and revealed the character of Hamlet---so ’speculative, questioning, contemplative and melancholy./gloomy’. It was not because he was not able to take action to revenge, but because of his ’hesitative/hesitant character’, when the chance for action came, it seemed defeat.
It can be interpreted as: Hamlet bears the heavy burden of the duty to revenge his father’s death, he is forced to live in the suspense of facts and fiction, language and action. He considers that it would be better to ’commit suicide’, but being scared of
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what might happen to him in the afterlife. So he put off the thing because of the sin. He considers the plan carefully only to find reason for not carrying it out. The soliloquy conveys ’the sense of world-weariness (厌世)’ . (P33-34)
3. What common features do the characters share in Marlow’s works? (No more than 150 words) 参考答案:
The creation of The Renaissance hero is one of Marlow’s contributions.
1)Such a hero is always individualistic and full of ambition, facing bravely the challenge from god and men. They had human dignity and capacity, trying to get heaven/highest ideas on the earth by their own efforts.
2)For example: Tamburlaine is a character written by Marlowe. By depicting a great hero with high ambition and sheer brutal forc4e in conquering, Marlowe voiced the supreme desire of man for infinite/ limitless power and authority. In Dr.Faustus, Marlowe celebrated the human passion for knowledge, power and happiness.
3) Tamburlaine and Dr.Faustus are typical in owning such Renaissance spirit, Tamburlaine, being a cruel conquer, found happiness in conquering other kingdom. Only death could defeat him. While Dr.Faustus, a more introspective and philosophical figure, had high spirit for knowledge but he had sin for having despair in God and trust in Devil. (P20—22)
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4. What are the main themes of Shakespeare’s plays? 参考答案：
Shakespeare’s plays are divided into 3 types: comedies, tragedies and historical plays. 1) His historical plays are with the theme-----national unity under a might and just sovereign/ruler is necessary.
2)In his romantic comedies, he takes an optimistic attitude toward love friendship and youth.
3)In his tragedies, Shakespeare always portrays some noble heroes, who faces the injustice of life and is caught in a difficult situation and whose fate is closely connected with the fate of his nation. Each hero has his weakness of nature. We also see the conflict between the individual and the evil force in the society. And his major characters are always individuals representing certain types.
5. Please comment on the character of Satan in “Paradise Lost.” 参考答案：
Satan is a rebellious (叛逆的) figure against God in literature, defeated, he and his rebel angels were cast into hell. However, Satan refused to accept his failure, swearing that “all was not lost” and that he would revenge for his downfall. The freedom of the will is the keystone of Satan’s character, which was the important spirit of the rising middle class. While he tempted Adam and Eve, which proved his evilness.
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6. What are the characteristics of the Humanism? 参考答案：1)’Humanism’ is the essence of Renaissance.
2)Humanists see that human beings were glorious creatures capable of individual development in the direction of perfection, and that the world they inhabited was theirs not to despise (轻视) but to ’question, explore, and enjoy’.
3)They also believe that man did not only have the right to enjoy the beauty of this life, but had the ability to perfect himself and to perform wonders (创造奇迹). (P8)
Chapter 2 The Neoclassical Period
II. Read the quoted part and answer the questions: 1. \and where they most abound,
Much fruit of sense beneath is rarely found. False eloquence, like the prismatic glass, Its gaudy colors spreads on every place; The face of Nature we no more survey, All glares alike, without distinction gay.\
Questions:
1) Identify the author and the passage;
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