Four Great Tragedies：Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth

WilliamShakespearewasborninStratford-upon-AvoninApril1564,andhisbirthistraditionallycelebratedonApril23.Thefactsofhislife,knownfromsurvivingdocuments,aresparse.HewasoneofeightchildrenborntoJohnShakespeare,amerchantofsomestandinginhiscommunity.WilliamprobablywenttotheKing’sNewSchoolinStratford,buthehadnouniversityeducation.InNovember1582,attheageofeighteen,hemarriedAnneHathaway,eightyearshissenior,whowaspregnantwiththeirfirstchild,Susanna.ShewasbornonMay26,1583.Twins,aboy,Hamnet(whowoulddieatageeleven),andagirl,Judith,werebornin1585.By1592ShakespearehadgonetoLondonworkingasanactorandalreadyknownasaplaywright.Arivaldramatist,RobertGreene,referredtohimas“anupstartcrow,beautifiedwithourfeathers.”Shakespearebecameaprincipalshareholderandplaywrightofthesuccessfulactingtroupe,theLordChamberlain’sMen(laterunderJamesI,calledtheKing’sMen).In1599theLordChamberlain’sMenbuiltandoccupiedtheGlobeTheaterinSouthwarkneartheThamesRiver.HeremanyofShakespeare’splayswereperformedbythemostfamousactorsofhistime,includingRichardBurbage,WillKempe,andRobertArmin.Inadditiontohis37plays,Shakespearehadahandinothers,includingSirThomasMoreandTheTwoNobleKinsmen,andhewrotepoems,includingVenusandAdonisandTheRapeofLucrece.His154sonnetswerepublished,probablywithouthisauthorization,in1609.In1611or1612hegaveuphislodgingsinLondonanddevotedmoreandmoretimetoretirementinStratford,thoughhecontinuedwritingsuchplaysasTheTempestandHenryVIIuntilabout1613.HediedonApril231616,andwasburiedinHolyTrinityChurch,Stratford.Nocollectededitionofhisplayswaspublishedduringhislife-time,butin1623twomembersofhisactingcompany,JohnHemingesandHenryCondell,puttogetherthegreatcollectionnowcalledtheFirstFolio.莎士比亚（W.WilliamShakespeare；1564～1616）英国文艺复兴时期伟大的剧作家、诗人，欧洲文艺复兴时期人文主义文学的集大成者。莎士比亚的代表作有四大悲剧：《哈姆雷特》(英：Hamlet)、《奥赛罗》（英：Othello)、《李尔王》（英：KingLear）、《麦克白》（英：MacBeth）。著名喜剧：《仲夏夜之梦》《威尼斯商人》《第十二夜》《皆大欢喜》（《Asyoulikeit》）。历史剧：《亨利四世》《亨利五世》《查理二世》。正剧、悲喜剧：《罗密欧与朱丽叶》。还写过154首十四行诗，二首长诗。本·琼森称他为“时代的灵魂”，马克思称他和古希腊的埃斯库罗斯为“人类最伟大的戏剧天才”。虽然莎士比亚只用英文写作，但他却是世界著名作家。他的大部分作品都已被译成多种文字，其剧作也在许多国家上演。儒略历1616年4月23日（公历1616年5月3日）病逝，出生日期与逝世日期恰好相同。莎士比亚和意大利著名数学家、物理学家、天文学家和哲学家、近代实验科学的先驱者伽利略同一年出生。被人们尊称为“莎翁”。初中选文《威尼斯商人》.高中选文《哈姆莱特》《罗密欧与朱丽叶（节选）》。