时间:2018-11-30 作者:英语课 分类:英语专业晨读美文


英语课

[00:01.83]Aeschylus:The Father of Greek Tragedy

[00:04.78]Aeschylus was the first known dramatist to use

[00:09.09]more than one character in his plays,

[00:11.82]and he therefore invented the concept of dialogue between characters.

[00:16.20]Before Aeschylus, plays consisted of one protagonist 1

[00:20.02]and were narrated 2 by the chorus.

[00:21.99] Some plays had a chorus of only one actor,

[00:25.05]while others used a large group.

[00:27.46]Aeschylus' plays also feature a chorus,

[00:30.74]but the majority of the stories are told through dialogue.

[00:33.80]Many typical dramatic concepts, such as props 3, scenery, and costumes,

[00:39.05] also originated in Aeschylus' works.

[00:41.57] He also invented the dramatic trilogy.

[00:44.41] His tragedies were performed in sequences of three plays

[00:47.91] stretched out over time. After each trilogy was concluded,

[00:51.85] he staged a comedy called a "satyr drama".

[00:54.80] In a typical satyr drama,

[00:57.10]the characters are mythological 4 creatures and the chorus is a satyr,

[01:01.36]a mischievous 5 creature that is half-man, half-goat.

[01:04.97]The language and meter used by Aeschylus in his plays

[01:08.58]was the forerunner 6 of blank verse, or unrhymed iambic pentameter.

[01:13.39] Blank verse became the dominant 7 poetic 8 and dramatic style

[01:17.44]of the English literary renaissance 9,

[01:19.63]which occurred nearly 2 100 years after Aeschylus.

[01:23.46]Writers such as William Shakespeare,

[01:25.97]John Milton and Christopher Marlowe almost exclusively

[01:29.80] used blank verse in their famous works.

[01:32.09] Alexandrine, another writing style, is also derived 10 from Aeschylus' verse.

[01:38.00]Dramatic themes such as revenge, deceit, jealousy 11, suffering, guilt 12,

[01:44.89]and forgiveness are central to Aeschylus' work.

[01:48.28] Many of his plays include instances

[01:50.90] in which the gods punish mankind for attempting to be godlike.

[01:54.63] These themes were popularized in Aeschylus' tragedies,

[01:58.12]and have been common ever since.

[02:00.31]His seven known plays are divided into one complete trilogy and four additional works.

[02:06.54] "The Suppliant 13 Women" is the only surviving part of the lost Danaüs trilogy.

[02:12.24] "The Persians" (472 B.C.) is his next known work,

[02:17.54]and concerns the wars between Greece and Persia.

[02:20.50] "The Seven Against Thebes" (467 B.C.)

[02:25.24]is the last part of his lost trilogy dealing 14 with the life of Oedipus.

[02:29.29]Aeschylus traveled to Sicily several times during his life,

[02:33.11]and on his last voyage he did not return.

[02:35.96]He died at Gela, Sicily, in 456 B.C.

[02:40.66] A monument commemorating 15 the "father of Greek tragedy"

[02:44.16]was erected 16 at the site of his death.



1 protagonist
n.(思想观念的)倡导者;主角,主人公
  • The protagonist reforms in the end and avoids his proper punishment.戏剧主角最后改过自新并避免了他应受的惩罚。
  • He is the model for the protagonist in the play.剧本中的主人公就是以他为模特儿创作的!
2 narrated
v.故事( narrate的过去式和过去分词 )
  • Some of the story was narrated in the film. 该电影叙述了这个故事的部分情节。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Defoe skilfully narrated the adventures of Robinson Crusoe on his desert island. 笛福生动地叙述了鲁滨逊·克鲁索在荒岛上的冒险故事。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
3 props
小道具; 支柱( prop的名词复数 ); 支持者; 道具; (橄榄球中的)支柱前锋
  • Rescuers used props to stop the roof of the tunnel collapsing. 救援人员用支柱防止隧道顶塌陷。
  • The government props up the prices of farm products to support farmers' incomes. 政府保持农产品价格不变以保障农民们的收入。
4 mythological
adj.神话的
  • He is remembered for his historical and mythological works. 他以其带有历史感和神话色彩的作品而著称。
  • But even so, the cumulative process had for most Americans a deep, almost mythological significance. 不过即使如此,移民渐增的过程,对于大部分美国人,还是意味深长的,几乎有不可思议的影响。
5 mischievous
adj.调皮的,恶作剧的,有害的,伤人的
  • He is a mischievous but lovable boy.他是一个淘气但可爱的小孩。
  • A mischievous cur must be tied short.恶狗必须拴得短。
6 forerunner
n.前身,先驱(者),预兆,祖先
  • She is a forerunner of the modern women's movement.她是现代妇女运动的先驱。
  • Penicillin was the forerunner of modern antibiotics.青霉素是现代抗生素的先导。
7 dominant
adj.支配的,统治的;占优势的;显性的;n.主因,要素,主要的人(或物);显性基因
  • The British were formerly dominant in India.英国人从前统治印度。
  • She was a dominant figure in the French film industry.她在法国电影界是个举足轻重的人物。
8 poetic
adj.富有诗意的,有诗人气质的,善于抒情的
  • His poetic idiom is stamped with expressions describing group feeling and thought.他的诗中的措辞往往带有描写群体感情和思想的印记。
  • His poetic novels have gone through three different historical stages.他的诗情小说创作经历了三个不同的历史阶段。
9 renaissance
n.复活,复兴,文艺复兴
  • The Renaissance was an epoch of unparalleled cultural achievement.文艺复兴是一个文化上取得空前成就的时代。
  • The theme of the conference is renaissance Europe.大会的主题是文艺复兴时期的欧洲。
10 derived
vi.起源;由来;衍生;导出v.得到( derive的过去式和过去分词 );(从…中)得到获得;源于;(从…中)提取
  • Many English words are derived from Latin and Greek. 英语很多词源出于拉丁文和希腊文。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • He derived his enthusiasm for literature from his father. 他对文学的爱好是受他父亲的影响。 来自《简明英汉词典》
11 jealousy
n.妒忌,嫉妒,猜忌
  • Some women have a disposition to jealousy.有些女人生性爱妒忌。
  • I can't support your jealousy any longer.我再也无法忍受你的嫉妒了。
12 guilt
n.犯罪;内疚;过失,罪责
  • She tried to cover up her guilt by lying.她企图用谎言掩饰自己的罪行。
  • Don't lay a guilt trip on your child about schoolwork.别因为功课责备孩子而使他觉得很内疚。
13 suppliant
adj.哀恳的;n.恳求者,哀求者
  • He asked for help in a suppliant attitude.他以恳求的态度要我帮忙。
  • He knelt as a suppliant at the altar.他跪在祭坛前祈祷。
14 dealing
n.经商方法,待人态度
  • This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
  • His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。
15 commemorating
v.纪念,庆祝( commemorate的现在分词 )
  • He was presented with a scroll commemorating his achievements. 他被授予一幅卷轴,以表彰其所做出的成就。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The post office issued a series commemorating famous American entertainers. 邮局发行了一个纪念美国著名演艺人员的系列邮票。 来自互联网
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