电子课文 Unit 2 King Lear Part 1

Unit 2 King LearPre-readingThe play that you are going to read in this unit is based on William Shakespeares King Lear, but it has been shortened and simplified. The language has been modernized and it is no longer written as poetry.Glance quickly through Part 1 of the play and answer the following questions.1 List the characters who appear in this part of the play.2 Which of the characters do you think are shown in the picture on the right?3 Use the pictures that illustrate Part 1 of the play to predict what is going to happen.4 Now look at the words below. Make sure you understand the meaning of each one. Use a dictionary if necessary.devotion honour loyalty bridegroom contradict oppose friction5 The words in the box above all appear in Part 1 of the play. Discuss with a partner what you think the play that contains these words will be about. Then check your prediction as you read.ReadingKING LEARPart 1The kings throne room. Enter King Lear; the kings daughters: Goneril, Regan and Cordelia; the Dukes of Albany and Cornwall, Gonerils and Regans husbands; and the Duke of Kent, a loyal friend of the king.LEAR: My dear daughters, I am growing old and tired. The burden of government sits heavily on my shoulders. I have decided to retire and hand over the heavy load of responsibility to you three. See, here is a map of my kingdom with all the boundaries drawn on it. I have divided the kingdom into three parts, and allocated one part to each of you. Now tell me, my dears, which of you loves me the most? For whichever of you has for me the most devotion I will give to her the best part of everything I own. Goneril, what do you say?GONERIL: Sir, I do not have the words to express the depth of my devotion. I love you more than all the riches in the world, more than my freedom, more even than my own eyesight. In fact, I love you more than life itself.LEAR: (showing his daughter the map) My darling girl. You and your husband Albany shall have this part of my kingdom with all its rivers and forests and mountains. And your children shall own it after you. Now Regan, it is your turn. What have you got to say to me?REGAN: In expressing her love for you, my sister has also expressed mine. Yet I love youeven more than words can say. I adore you more than anything else in the whole world. My greatest happiness is in loving you.LEAR: To you and your husband Cornwall and to your future children, I give this part of my kingdom (showing them on the map). This part is equal in value to what I give to Goneril. Now my darling, my favourite, my Cordelia. What have you to say to delight an old man and earn the best part of his kingdom?CORDELIA: Nothing, my father.LEAR: Nothing?CORDELIA: Nothing.LEAR: Youll get nothing for nothing. I pray you, speak.CORDELIA: Im sorry but Im not as clever as my sisters. I cannot describe my feelings with such fancy words. I love you as it is right and proper for a daughter to love her father, neither less nor more. LEAR: Try harder, Cordelia, or you may lose your share of the kingdom.CORDELIA: My dear father, you brought me into this world, you cared for me and loved me. In return I love, honour and obey you. I do not understand why my sisters spoke as they did. If they do indeed love you that much, then I dont understand why they ever got married. You see, when I marry, it will be my duty to give half my love to my husband.LEAR: You truly mean what you say?CORDELIA: Yes, Your Majesty.LEAR: So young and so hard-hearted.CORDELIA: So young and so truthful, my Lord.LEAR: Well, then. Let truth be your reward. You are no longer my daughter but a stranger to my heart.KENT: But sir.LEAR: Be quiet, Kent. Do not come between me and my anger. She was my favourite daughter. With her I hoped to spend my old age. But that is never going to happen now. You, servant! Go and find the King of France and the Duke of Burgundy. Well see if either wants to be a bridegroom when she has no riches to bring to the marriage. Goneril, Regan, I shall distribute my kingdom between the two of you. I shall take nothing for myself except a troop of one hundred of my most loyal soldiers to care for and protect me. And as I have no third-born daughter, I will spend my days with you two-a month with one and then a month with the other.KENT: But sir, I beg you.LEAR: Do not contradict me. It is done.KENT: But sir, please hear me out. I speak on behalf of Cordelia. I have served you for many years and you know that I have always honoured you as my king and loved you as a father, but I believe you are being influenced by false flattery. Cordelias devotion to Your Majesty is beyond question.LEAR: Kent, if you value your life, say no more.KENT: I have to speak out, my Lord. I would rather lose my life than see you make such a mistake. You do wrong to cause friction between yourself and your daughter. I forec