1、Unit 4When Hamlet Meets Peking OperajinghusanxianerhuyueqinshengFacts about Peking Opera:Jingju,or Peking Opera,is an ancient performance art with a history of 200 years,has _kinds of roles according to different identities and personalities.five Facts about western operaAn opera is like a play in w
2、hich everything is sung instead of being spoken.It combines a number of the performing arts,such as acting,scenery,costume,and sometimes dance or ballet.The singers who sing and act out the story are on the stage,and the orchestra is in front of the stage but lower down,in the orchestra pit(乐池),so t
3、hat the audience can see the stage.William Shakespeare（15641616）is regarded as the greatest playwright of all time.Hamlet is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare.Prince Hamlet takes revenge on his uncle,Claudius,who has murdered the king,Hamlets father,seized the throne（王位）and married Hamlets mo
4、ther.When HAMLET meets PEKING OPERA1 I thought I knew a lot about Hamlet.As a high school student with English literature as one of my main subjects,I have to!Shakespeares Hamlet is probably the most important play by the most important writer in English.Almost everybody knows“To be,or not to be”,ri
5、ght?Having seen quite a few productions of Hamlet and read the play many times,I was full of confidence-until the Peking Opera came to town!2 Dating back to the 18th century,Peking Opera has over two hundred years of history.Does this mean its easier than a Shakespeare play to understand?To find out
6、 the answer,I just had to go and see The Revenge of Prince Zidan-the Peking Opera version of Hamlet.3 Starting with an orchestra playing traditional Chinese instruments,the opera brought a completely new sound to my Western ears.At first,I thought what I heard was a violin,but later I learnt that it
7、 was an instrument with two strings called jinghu.Then,seeing the main characters come on stage,I was surprised!The costumes and masks were amazing.The performers of course sang in Chinese,but the music,exaggerated movements and mime helped get the meanings across to the audience.The voices themselv
8、es sounded really unique-some of the female voices were so high that I was sure they could break glass!And the stage was really simple:a decorated whip represented a horse,and a screen with Chinese characters,a study.Using such techniques,the opera had transformed a small stage into the whole univer
9、se.4 Easily my favourite part of the show was how the characters moved on stage.I had never seen Prince Hamlet do a backflip before!That was simply incredible.It was so dazzling and energetic that I wasnt sure if the characters were performers or athletes!Everyone was clapping.5 Before experiencing
10、The Revenge of Prince Zidan,I wasnt sure if I would enjoy it.But,in fact,I was on the edge of my seat!Feeling the strong emotions of love,anger,fear and grief in the performance,I could easily recognise the theme of Hamlet.So,if you want to see a show that combines music,singing,drama,poetry and cos
11、tume design with explosive effect,The Revenge of Prince Zidan ticks all the right boxes!After reading the passage,think about how many parts this article should be divided into.passage Part 1:Para.1-2 Before the performancePart 2:Para.3-4 During the performancePart 3:Para 5 After the performanceChoo
12、se the authors purpose in writing it.1.To prove that Peking Opera is a better way to perform Hamlet.2.To inform the readers how to perform Hamlet through Peking Opera.3.To share the unique experience of seeing a Peking Opera version of Hamlet.4.To make a comparison between Eastern and Western cultur
13、es.Careful readingRead Para 1 and Para 2 carefully and answer the questions below.1.Decide if the following statements are true(T)or false(F)(1)The author is a high school student with Chinese literature as one of his main subjects.()(2)Hamlet is a Western masterpiece by Shakespeare.()(3)Before the
14、show,the author felt he understood Hamlet very well.()(4)Peking Opera has more than 2,000 years of history.()FFTT2.In paragraph 1,the author say“I was full of confidence-until the Peking Opera came to town”.It means that _.A.He thought he knew very well about Hamlet until he saw the Peking Opera.B.H
15、e was confident that Hamlet is the most important play by the most important writer.C.He thought that Hamlet was good in English than in the Peking Opera.D.The author hadnt seen Peking Opera before.3.Why did the author go to see The Revenge of Prince Zidan?A.To make sure it has a long history.B.To e
16、njoy the Peking Opera version of Hamlet.C.To confirm that Peking Opera is easier to understand.D.To find out the differences between Hamlet and its Peking Opera version.Read Para 3 and Para 4 carefully and try to answer the questions after discussing with your partner.1.What instrument is mainly use
17、d in Peking Opera?_2.What helped to get meanings across to the audience?_3.To what extent is the stage simple?_ _An instrument with two strings called jinghu.The music,exaggerated movements and mime.A decorated whip represented a horse,and a screen with Chinese characters,a study.Read Para 5 careful
18、ly and try to answer the questions.1.The author could easily understand the topic of Hamlet by _.A.combining music,singing,drama,poetry and costume design with explosive effect B.experiencing the strong emotions of love,anger,fear and grief C.reading the play a lot of times before watching The Reven
19、ge of Prince Zidan D.watching a screen with Chinese characters 2.What does“I was on the edge of my seat”mean in Paragraph 5?A.He wanted to leave.B.He loved the performance.C.He was sick of the performance.D.He felt uncomfortable.Complete the chart with words and expressions from the passage.Post-rea
20、dingThe revenge of prince ZidanBefore the performance1._curiousHe thought 2._.He wondered if Peking Opera is easier than a Shakespeare play to understand.During the performance3._4._ were amazing.The voice 5._.The stage 6._.The movements of the characters were 7._.After the performanceimpressedHe fe
21、lt 8._.FeelingsReasonsconfidenthe knew a lot about Hamlet surprisedThe costumes and masksincrediblethe strong emotions of love,anger,fear and grief in the performancesounded uniquewas really simple课堂总结课堂总结Complete the table according to the passage.Two clues of the textThe order of 1._：before the performance during the performanceafter the performanceChanges of 2._:3._curious4._impressedtimeconfidentsurprisedfeelingssummary
