My favourite british writers
William Shakespeare:
William Shakespeare was born in April 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon. It is one of the worl’s fanous and
important dramatics. During a period of 20 years he wrote 37 plays and beautiful sonnets. His most famous plays are tragedies Romeo and Juliet,
Hamlet, Othello, Macbeth, comedies The Midsummer Night’s Dream etc.
- Hamlet - is based on the Danish
legend. Claudius, Hamlet’s uncle, murdered Hamlet’s father, the king of Denmark. By marrying Hamlet’s mother, Queen Gertrude, he succeeds the
throne. The ghost of death king appears to Hamlet and asks for revenge. Hamlet, typical Renaissance hero, is not able to kill without having a clear
proof of guilt. In order to find some proof of guilt against Claudius, he pretends madness. He tests the story of the murder with a theatrical
performance and carefully watches Claudius. Thinking that Claudius is hidden behind the curtain in Getrude’s room, he kills Polonius, Ophelia’s
father. Laertes, Ophelia’s brother and Polonius’s son comes to revenge Ophelia and Polonius. Claudius provokes Laertes to challenge Hamlet to a
fencing match. The last scene of the play is most dramatic. In case Hamlet wins the match, Claudius prepares a glass of poisoned wine for him. He also
poisons Laertes’s sword. During the dual, both Laertes and Hamlet are wounded by the poisoned wine, Hamlet does not hesitate any more and also stabs
Claudius with the poisoned sword. After death of Hamlet, Gertrude, Laertes and Claudius, King Fortinbras comes to lead the country in justice and
wisdom.
- Romeo and Juliet - Romeo fell in love with Juliet. They got married in secret because their
families hated one another and did not want to allow them to become husband and wife. In a quarrel, Romeo killed one of Juliet’s cousins and as
ordered to leave Verona. Juliet’s parents, not knowing that she was already married wished her to marry a rich nobleman. To escape this, she took a
drug which made her fall into such a deep sleep that people thought her to be dead. Meanwhile Romeo was told to come secretly to Verona and take
Juliet away with him. Unlucky chance prevented him from learning the full truth. He found Juliet in her sleeps and believing and saw dead he poisoned
himself. When Juliet awoke and saw Romeo’s dead body, she killed herself too.
Daniel Defoe –
He was English writer and the founder of the novel of the 18th century. He wrote and issued a journal The Review. He wrote fictive stories
and autobiographies. His most famous work is the adventure novel Robinson Crusoe.
Another famous is a novel Moll Flanders.
-
Robinson Crusoe – the novel is based on the memories of the shipwrecked seamn Selkir; the main character of this novel
Robinson Crusoe shipwrecked on a lonely island and lived there for 30 years with his faithful servant Friday. After 30 years fortunately came there an
English ship and he go back to London.
Charlotte Bronte – She was an English writer. She had a sister Emily Bronte
also famous English writer. She was a teacher and governess. She studied foreign languages in Brussels and her and her experiences especially her
falling inlove with a professor was an inspiration of her novel Vilette. Her most famous novel is Jane Eyre.
- Jane
Eyre - Orphan Jane Eyre becomes a governess and falls in love with her employer, the dark and disturbing Mr. Rochester. Her life
becomes more complicated when she almost became a wife of Mr. Rochester but she discovered in church he had been already married with a mad woman = a
terrifying secret in Rochester's house and is faced with another option for her life. She came to another village, became a teacher of local basic
school. After a year come to this village a message of a great fire of Mr. Rochester’s House. She wanted to visit him to know he is all right. He
explained her that situation of the year ago and he finally married her.
- Vilette - The story of an
English girl (Lucy Snow) who teaches at a girls' bording school.
Georg Bernard Shaw: is the most famous personality
in drama of 20th century. He attacked the whole society. In his plays he criticises the false morals of the society. Beside his famous Candida, You
Can Never Tell, The Man of Destiny etc. is most famous Pygmalion. On this Shaw’s masterpiece is also based a musical My Fair
Lady.
- Pygmalion – The main character of this play is a poor girl Eliza Doolitle (who sold flowers and
she is from the lowest society of London) with Mr. Pickering a specialist of English language who made a bet with his colleague, he would learn Eliza
to speak clear English that the Queen and the best specialst of English couldn’t notice it. And the best opportunity to that would be at the ball.
Zones.sk – Zóny pre každého študenta