Ⅲ。 William Shakespeare

　　1. 一般識記

　　Brief Introduction

　　William Shakespeare was the greatest writer of plays who ever lived. His friend & fellow playwright Ben Jonson said that Shakespeare was "not of an age but for all time." The 18th-century English essayist Samuel Johnson described his work as "the mirror of life." The 19th-century English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge spoke of "myriad-minded Shakespeare." The 20th-century English dramatist George Bernard Shaw stressed his "enormous power over language."

　　2. 識記

　　His Life & Career

　　The exact date of Shakespeare''s birth is not known， but his baptism was recorded on April 26， 1564， in the parish register of Holy Trinity Church at Stratford-on-Avon. Since it was customary to baptize infants within two or three days of birth， April 23 is regarded as a reasonable birth date. It is also the date on which he died in 1616. Generally， his dramatic career is spanided into 4 periods.

　　The First Period （1590-1594）-five historical plays & four comedies：

　　Henry Ⅵ， part Ⅰ （1590）

　　Henry Ⅵ， part Ⅱ （1590）

　　Henry Ⅵ， part Ⅲ （1591）

　　Richard Ⅲ （1592）

　　Titus Andronicus （1593）

　　The Comedy of Errors （1592）

　　The Two Gentlemen of Verona （1594）

　　The Taming of the Shrew （1593）

　　Love''s Labor''s Lost （1594）

　　The Second Period （1595-1600）-five historical plays， six comedies & two tragedies：Richard Ⅱ （1595）

　　King John （1596）

　　Henry Ⅳ， Part Ⅰ & Part Ⅱ（1597）

　　Henry V （1598）

　　A Midsummer Night''s Dream （1595）

　　The Merchant of Venice （1596）

　　Much Ado About Nothing （1598）

　　As You Like It （1599）

　　Twelfth Night （1600）

　　The Merry Wives of Winsor （1598）