Multiple choice

Exercise 11. Read the passage below and fill in the blanks with most suitable word.

Why is the Globe Theatre so Well Known?

The Globe is known because of William Shakespeare’s 1 in it. In the 1590s, an outbreak of the plague prompted authorities 2 London theatres. At the time Shakespeare was a member of the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, an acting company. With other members of the 3 , he helped finance the building of the Globe (on the 4 of the Thames River), which opened in 1599 as a summer playhouse. Plays at the Globe, then outside of London proper, drew good 5 and the Lord Chamberlain’s Men also gave numerous command performances at court for King James. By the turn of the century, Shakespeare was considered London’s most popular 6 , and by 1604 the acting group, whose summer home was the Globe Theatre, were known as the King’s Men.

1. a. involving b. involve c. involvement d. involved

2. a. to close b. to open c. to re-build d. to paint

3. a. troupe b. class c. organization d. theatre

4. a. banks b. shores c. coast d. side

5. a. people b. crowds c. persons d. groups

6. a. performer b. actor c. playwright d. poet

Read the text one more time and answer the following questions.

1. Where is the Globe Theatre situated?

2. Why is The Globe Theatre known?

3. What was Shakespeare’s occupation in 1590s?

4. The Globe Theatre opened many years after Shakespeare’s death, didn’t it?

5. At first the Globe Theatre was not extremely popular with people, was it?

6. Did King James attend any of the performances?

Exercise 12. Do you really know theatre well? Do you know Russian and foreign classical plays written by the greatest playwrights of different countries and of different times? The following are the descriptions of the plays. Try to guess what play is mentioned in each passage.

1. This play is a well-known comedy written by a great Russian playwright. It is a kind of sharp satire on our society in the first half of the 19^th century, as the action in the comedy takes place in a Russian provincial town. The comedy portrays a gallery of persons of all ranks of the Russian society of that time and through these people the playwright depicts a true picture of life in the 19^th century. The main character of the comedy is a young man who comes to the town by chance and is mistaken by its people for an inspector.

2. This is a famous tragedy, written by the greatest English playwright. The plot is based on history. The protagonist, an old king, one day decides to divide his kingdom among the daughters. The only question he asks them is how much they love him. Though he is old and clever, he misunderstands his younger daughter’s words that she loves him not more than a daughter could love her father. He gets angry with the daughter and gives her none of his kingdom. Only at the end of the play, when he sees his dead daughter at his feet can the king realize how great her love towards him is. His heart breaks and he dies.

3. The main character of this drama by a famous Russian playwright is a young woman. The play describes the life, customs and morals of a provincial Russian town in the second half of the 19^th century. The protagonist of the drama protests against the generally accepted middle-class morals by her unusual, extraordinary behaviour. She wants freedom for herself; she wants to have the right to express her ideas, thoughts, to be happy, to love and to be loved. But she dies as people around don’t understand her.