【正文】 their adroit plot construction. He seldom invents his own plots。 instead, he borrows them from some old plays or storybooks, or from ancient Greek amp。 Roman sources. There are usually several threads running through the play, thus providing the story with suspense amp。 apprehension.　　3) Language　　In Shakespeare39。s time, English grammar amp。 spelling were not yet formalized, so Shakespeare could freely inter charge the various parts of speech, using nouns as adjectives or verbs, adjectives as adverbs, amp。 pronouns as nouns. Such freedom gave his language an extraordinary flexibility, which enabled him to express his thoughts as easily in poetry as in prose. 　　Most of Shakespeare39。s dramatic poetry is in blank verse, or unrhymed iambic pentameter. His bland verse is especially beautiful amp。 mighty. He has an amazing wealth of vocabulary amp。 idiom. His coinage of new words amp。 distortion of the meaning of the old ones also create striking effects on the reader.　　7. 應用Selected Readings 　　　1) Sonnet 18　　Theme: a profound meditation on the destructive power of time amp。 the eternal beauty brought forth by poetry to the one he loves. 　　Imagery: a summer39。s dayyouth 　　　　　　 the eye of heaventhe sun　　　2) The Merchant of Venice 　　Theme: To praise the friendship between Antonio amp。 Bassanio, to idealize Portia as a heroine of great beauty, wit amp。 loyalty, amp。 to expose the insatiable greed and brutality of the Jew.　　　3) Hamlet 　　This is one part of Hamlet39。s most famous monologue. Hamlet, facing the dilemma of action amp。 mind, is hesitating whether he should revenge for his father, which may bring him death, or he should suffer amp。 hide his hatred for his uncle in his deep heart, which may secure his life. IV. Francis Bacon1. 一般識記Brief Introduction　　English Renaissance philosopher, essayist, statesman, born in London, England, Jan 22,1561 and died in London, April 9 1626. One of the outstanding figures of the Renaissance, Bacon made important contributions to several fields. His chief interest were science philosophy, but he was also a distinguished man of letters amp。 held several high governmental positions during the reign of king JamesⅠ. He was one of the earliest amp。 most eloquent spokesmen for experimental science. He lays the foundation for modern science with his insistence on scientific way of thinking amp。 fresh observation rather than authority as a basis for obtaining knowledge.　　2. 識記His works　　As an author, Bacon is most famous for his Essays, which deal with such subjects as honor, friendship, love, amp。 riches. Written in a terse, polished style, with many learned allusions amp。 metaphors, the essays rank with the finest in English literature. 　　Bacon39。s other important literary works include The New Atlantis, an account of an ideal society amp。 an imaginary voyage, amp。 The History of the Reign of King Henry Ⅶ, a perceptive psychological study of Henry39。s mind amp。 characters.　　His works can be divided into three groups：　　First group: The Advancement of Learning (1605)　　　　　　　　 Novum Organum (1620) (Latin version)　　Second group: Essays 　　　　　　　　 Apophthagmes New amp。 Old (1605)　　　　　　　　 The History of the Reign of Henry Ⅶ (1622)　　　　　　　　 The New Atlantis (unfinished)　　Third group: Maxims of Law　　　　　　　　 The Learned Reading upon the　　　　　　　　 Stature of Uses (1642) 　　3. 領會 His Major Works　　Essays 　　The term essay was borrowed from Montaigne39。s Essais, which appeared from 1580 to 1588. Bacon learned from Montaigne, the first great modern essayist, the economic amp。 flexible way of writing. However, as a practical amp。 prudential man, he intends to write for the ambitious Elizabethan amp。 Jacobean youth of his class amp。 tell them how to be efficient amp。 make their way in public life.Bacon39。s essays are famous for their brevity, pactness amp。 powerfulness. The essays are well arranged amp。 enriched by Biblical allusions, Metaphors amp。 cadence.　　4. 領會His achievementsAs a literary man, Bacon is the first English essayist, whose Essays won him a high place in the history of English literature.As a philosopher, he is the founder of English materialistic philosophy. He advocates the inductive method of reasoning. In his famous plea for progress, Bacon demands three things: 1) the free investigation of nature, 2) the discovery of facts instead of the blind belief in theories 3) the verification of results by experiment rather than by argument. In our day, these are the ABC of science, but in Bacon39。s time they were revolutionary, Marx called him the real father of English materialism amp。 experimental science of modern times in general.5. 應用 Of Studies　　Of Studies is the most popular of Bacon39。s 58 essays. It analyzes what studies chiefly serve for, the different ways adopted by different people to pursue studies, amp。 how studies exert influence over human character. Forceful amp。 persuasive, pact amp。 precise, Of Studies reveals to us Bacon39。s mature attitude towards learning. Bacon39。s language is neat, priest, amp。 weighty. It is some what affected, like the water in the reservoir, restricted amp。 confined.V. John Donne Donne amp。 the Metaphysical Poetry　　John Donne: English poet amp。 Clergyman, born in London, England, 1572, and died in London, Mar. 31 1631. Donne is the leading figure of the 17thcentury metaphysical school. His poems give a more inherently theatrical impression by exhibiting a seemingly unfocused diversity of experiences amp。 attitudes, amp。 a free range of feelings amp。 attitudes, amp。 a free range of feelings amp。 moods. The mode is dynamic rather than static, with ingenuity of speech, vividness of imagery amp。 vitality of rhythms, which show a notable contrast to the other Elizabethan lyric poems, which are pure, serene, tuneful, amp。 smooth running. The most striking feature of Donne39。s poetry is precisely its tang of reality, in the sense that it seems to reflect life in a real rather than a poetical world. Metaphysical Poetry is monly used to name the work of the 17thcentury wri