File - English Tales

1ères L2 – LELE
CORRIGE CONTROLE DE CONNAISSANCES
QUESTIONS
1. When was William Shakespeare born? When did he die?
He was born in 1564 and died in 1616.
2. Give two events in Shakespeare’s life that are important to remember.
For example: He married at 18 years old with Anne Hathaway. He had 3 children. His first plays were mostly comedies
and historical plays. He belonged (= appartenir) and partly-owned the company Lord Chamberlain’s Men.
3. What sort of literary works did he write?
He wrote plays and poems.
4. What sort of play is Macbeth? Justify your answer.
Macbeth is a tragedy: indeed, many characters die during the play, and the murderer, Lady Macbeth, cannot escape
her fate and remorse and finally commits suicide.
5. Why can we consider Romeo and Juliet as an everlasting classic?
First, Romeo and Juliet is a play about a tragic love story which ends on the lovers’ deaths. The story as well as its
themes are appealing and universal. This explains why the play has been adapted so many times, and why it is still
well-known and studied today.
6. Explain what happens in Hamlet. What are two of the story’s themes?
The King is poisoned by his brother Claudius in order to access the throne. The latter (= ce dernier) also marries
his wife. Later on, the king’s ghost appears to his son Hamlet and tells him the truth about his death.
Hamlet then decide to avenge his father’s death, and tries different stratagems but then kills his lover’s father
by mistake, believing it was Claudius. Hamlet is banished from the kingdom but later returns. He discovers that
Ophelia, his lover, has committed suicide.
Ophelia’s brother wants revenge and the plays ends on a duel between Hamlet and Ophelia’s brother, during
which all the characters die.
Two possible themes for this story are death and revenge, since (= puisque) these are the main drives/motives
for action in the play.
7. What do you know about Othello (the character)?
He is a Moor, a general from the Venetian army. He is married to Desdemona, whom he loves very much. However,
he is also extremely jealous, which will lead him to believe Iago when the latter insinuates that Desdemona is cheating
on him with Cassio. The noble general will turn into a murderer, because he will kill his wife and later commit suicide
when he realises that Iago lied to him.
REDACTION
1. After all these presentations, which of Shakespeare’s plays would you most like to read? Why?
(Julie) I would most like to read Romeo and Juliet, but in fact I really discovered Hamlet and his gloomy story. Indeed,
this story conveys a lot of emotions and I absolutely adore the plot. In my opinion, this play is rich in characters and
events and seems quite enthralling (= captivant). There is a lot of suspense, and I generally like it. So I think I will read
this play more especially.
(Francesca) The play I’d like to read most is Hamlet, because its immensely dark atmosphere and themes of depression
are so intense that I personally would like to see how Shakespeare transfers these emotions from the characters on a
page (or on stage). I also would like to hear or read Ophelia’s words before she jumps into the river and drowns herself.
I’d like to see how much beauty Shakespeare can create out of death, especially the incredulous, gory deaths of the
end of Hamlet.
1ères L2 – LELE
2. If you had to create a fanfiction with one of Shakespeare’s plays, which one would you choose? What would you
change?
(Ilana) I would choose Romeo and Juliet. I wasn’t satisfied with the ending, that’s why I would change it. I think that I
wouldn’t change the main story. At the end of the play, I wouldn’t say that they die but I would do as if they did. Then
I would write the sequel. In the sequel, everything would be ok: they would not be dead. But the two families would
not accept the two characters’ choice so they would have to run away. After several adventures, the families would
accept to celebrate their marriage and it would be fine.
(Léa) I will take Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet. Hamlet’s and Romeo’s families are enemies, and Juliet is Romeo’s sister.
When a fight between the two families takes place, the boys fall in love. So after that, they start a secret relationship
because they are afraid of their families’ reaction. But Juliet also falls in love with Hamlet, she discovers his secret and
becomes so jealous that she poisons her brother. She decides to tell her family that Hamlet killed Romeo. Hamlet is
so sad and angry with Juliet that he kills Juliet and then explains the situation to the two families. After that, Hamlet
kills himself because he doesn’t want to live without his love Romeo.
VOCABULARY
 drama /  theatre: le théâtre (en général)
a play / a drama : une pièce de théâtre
a theatre (GB) / a theater (US) : un théâtre
the stage : la scène / les planches
(to) stage : mettre en scène
a stage director : un metteur en scène
stage directions : les didascalies
a scene : une scène (dans une pièce)
an act : un acte
a cue / a line: une réplique
The World of Theatre
a plot : une intrigue
an actor / an actress
a playwright : un dramaturge
a prop : un accessoire
(to) perform a play : jouer une pièce
(to) act a part: jouer un rôle
a comedy / comic
a tragedy / tragic
faux-ami: dramatic = théâtral
Dates
Donner une date en anglais  2 possibilités :
- British version: on 23rd April 1564 (à l’oral, on
le dit: “on the 23rd of April 1564”)
- American version: on April 23rd, 1564
on + date précise: on 23rd April 1564
in + mois + année: in April 1564
in + année: in 1564
Frequent confusions!
(to) kill / (to) murder: tuer
(to) die: mourir
 death: la mort
dead: mort (adj.)
(to) commit suicide: se suicider
love at first sight: le coup de foudre
(to) marry  someone: épouser quelqu’un, se marier
avec quelqu’un
a thing: une chose
(to) think: penser
(to) be satisfied with: être satisfait de
(to) be interested in: être intéressé par
(to) be considered as: être considéré comme
(to) be in love with someone: être amoureux de
quelqu’un
(to) fall in love with someone: tomber amoureux de
quelqu’un
(to) avenge / (to) take revenge for: venger
a lot of = lots of: beaucoup de
most of: la majorité de
must: devoir
1ères L2 – LELE
interesting : intéressant
(to) want someone to do something : vouloir que qn
fasse qch
a writer : un écrivain
(to) write, wrote, written : écrire
the main character: le personnage principal
politics: la politique (en général)
political: politique (adj.)
a policy: une politique (précise ; ex : une politique
financière)
a politician: un homme politique
a poison: un poison
(to) poison someone: empoisonner quelqu’un
(to) want to: vouloir
betrayal / treason / disloyalty: la trahison
(to) betray: trahir
a traitor: un traître
treacherous: traître (adj.)
a sword : une épée
a sequel : une suite
basis: la base
a staple: un élément de base
in a fit of: dans un accès de/une crise de (colère, rire…)
Grammar
 Using “too”, “as well” and “also”:
TOO is used at the end of a sentence.
He likes her too.
He kills him too.
AS WELL means “aussi bien” et “également”. You use it at the end of the sentence.
Claudius dies, but Hamlet as well.
ALSO means “également”, and is more formal. You use it just after the verb.
He was also very angry with her.
 who / which / that
Ce sont tous les trois des pronoms relatifs. Seulement, ils ne réfèrent pas à la même chose :
WHO s’utilise pour parler d’une personne.
Romeo is the character who falls in love with Juliet.
WHICH s’utilise pour parler d’une chose.
This is the sword which was used to kill him.
THAT peut servir dans les deux cas, mais est beaucoup moins formel, voire familier pour parler de quelqu’un.
The movie that we saw in class was Shakespeare in Love.