Shakespeare: Known and Unknown

Transcript

Voice 1

Welcome to Spotlight. I’m Christy VanArragon.

Voice 2

And I’m Colin Lowther. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is
easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.

Voice 1

A guard stands alone on the outer walls of a castle. It is very dark. A bright torch burns
above him. But it does not give enough light. He cannot see through the darkness. He
shivers with the cold. He holds a long spear. It has a sharp metal point at the end. But he
cannot keep this weapon still, as a guard should. He is supposed to be a brave soldier.
But the cold and dark of this night make him afraid. Suddenly, there is a noise to his
right. He turns and waves his weapon wildly about.

Voice 2

The guard shouts, “Who is there?” But it is only his friend, Francisco. Both are soldiers
of Claudius, King of Denmark. And both are frightened. Perhaps they saw something
frightening. Perhaps they saw a ghost!

Voice 1

Of course, there never was a King Claudius of Denmark. Francisco, and the soldier are
not real people. This is the first part of a very famous play, called Hamlet. Today’s
Spotlight is on its writer, William Shakespeare.

Voice 2

William Shakespeare is possibly the most famous writer of the English language. Many
people who speak English have heard or read his plays. Some learn the words to his
sonnets, special poems with 14 lines. There are celebrations of his work all around the
world. Some actors only act in his plays. To many people Shakespeare is no longer a
man. William Shakespeare has become a legend. He is like the heroes in his plays.

Voice 1

Shakespeare wrote his plays and poems 400 years ago, in the early 1600s. He was
popular during his life. But few writers are still popular after so many years! However,
after more than 400 years, we do not know very much about Shakespeare. Bill Bryson is
a writer. He wrote a book about Shakespeare’s life. In his book, he said,
Voice 3

“There remains much we do not know about William Shakespeare. We do not know, for
example, exactly how many plays he wrote. We cannot even tell in what order he wrote
them.”

Voice 2

No one has much information about Shakespeare, but we do know some facts. He was
born in 1564 at a place called Stratford-upon-Avon, England. He married a woman
named Anne Hathaway when he was 18 years old. Some years after that, he left
Stratford. He moved to London. There he joined a theatre group called the Lord
Chamberlain’s Men. He began as an actor. But he also wrote plays. Soon, he and his
friends became very popular. They performed especially for Queen Elizabeth, who
ruled England. Shakespeare even wrote a play especially for the next ruler, James the
First. This play was called Macbeth.

Voice 1

Shakespeare’s first plays were about English history. For example, Henry the 5th is
about a war between the French and the English. But Shakespeare also wrote very funny
plays, called comedies. His most famous plays are tragedies, like Hamlet. These plays
deal with difficult situations, with love, desire, and revenge. Often they do not end
happily. In Hamlet, the hero kills his father’s murderer. But he, and many people he
cares about, die in the process.

Voice 2

Shakespeare died in 1616 at Stratford-upon-Avon. In 52 years, he wrote about 38 plays,

and hundreds of poems. Shakespeare was popular when he was alive. But after he died,
something unexpected happened. People continued to perform Shakespeare’s plays. At
that time, most people did not read, but they remembered his beautiful language. Instead
of forgetting about him, people decided they had not seen enough of Shakespeare!
Shakespeare never disappeared. Today, people enjoy Shakespeare’s plays all around the
world. Shakespeare lovers visit his hometown. They even go to visit where he was
buried.

Voice 1

People who want to read one of Shakespeare’s plays have to understand a very special
kind of English. Shakespeare’s English was not like the English people speak today. He
used words that people do not use today. For example, the words ‘orgulous’ and
‘impeticos’! Even many native English speakers do not understand him. This may also
be because he invented many words.

Voice 2

The English language is very different now, but this is partly because of William
Shakespeare. His writing influenced the English language. People still use his words
and sayings. Hephzibah Anderson of BBC Culture says,
Voice 4

“During Shakespeare’s 52 years on earth he expanded the English language in ways that
are difficult to estimate. Without him, our words would be just so different. He gave us
special ways of expressing hope and depression, sadness and anger. Even if you have
never read his work, you may have used his words. It is very difficult to avoid.”

Voice 1

Shakespeare is not just important to English speakers. Today, people perform his plays
in nearly every language. And he is just as important in other cultures. Germany has a
long history of performing Shakespeare’s plays. Heinrich Heine was a German writer.
He lived in the early 1800s. He said,

Voice 5

“The Germans have understood Shakespeare better than the English.”

Voice 2

Some cultures use Shakespeare’s stories, but do not use his words. They write them
again, but in different times or places. Akira Kurosawa was a famous Japanese film
maker. He filmed his own versions, or adaptations, of Shakespeare’s plays. But instead
of the history of England, he made them about the history of Japan. He also added
elements of an ancient Japanese theatre to his film, called Noh. The result is a mixture.
People can recognize Shakespeare. But they can also see that the films are from
Kurosawa.

Voice 1

There is probably not just one reason why Shakespeare remains so popular through the
world. Some say it is because of the beautiful language that he uses. Others say it is
because he is an important part of English history. By now his work is part of English
tradition. But perhaps it is because Shakespeare understood human life. He wrote about
situations that affect all people at any time and place. He wrote about families, about
conflict, and about love. It has been over 400 years since he was born. But when people
watch his plays, it is as if the world has not changed. There are parts of his writing that
readers will always understand. And in this, he needs no translation.

Voice 2

The writer of this program was Dan Christmann. The producer was Bruce Gulland. The
producer was Luke Haley. The voices you heard were from the United States and the
United Kingdom. All quotes were adapted and voiced by Spotlight. You can find our
programs on the internet at www.radioenglish.net. This program is called ‘Shakespeare:
Known and Unknown.’

Voice 1

We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye.
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Question:
Have you heard of Shakespeare? Have you seen any of his plays? If you could see one
of his plays, which one would it be?