The plague covered Shakespeare's life. According to Harvard's Stephen Greenblatt in "The Secular Will-New Shakespeare" and Peter Acroyd's "Shakespeare": As early as 1564 when Shakespeare was born, the town of Stratford broke out in July In the wake of the Black Death, one in six people died in the town before winter arrived, and 237 residents were killed. A family of four living on the same side as Shakespeare's on Harley Street died. Only a third of all babies born in that town lived to a year. It was said that his mother had taken him shortly after birth to his neighbourhood in the village of Wilmcott to stay for a few months, far from the street where the disease spread, and escaped. We can't help but sigh: Thanks to his mother's wisdom, otherwise humanity will lose a great dramatic genius.

When Shakespeare arrived in London, he started his career in theater. A plague occurred in 1592, and an unscrupulous poet died. In the Great London Plague of 1593, more than 14% of the population died of the plague, and twice as many were infected. At the most recent week, a thousand people were killed. During the plague, the theater was closed and closed until December 26. In the Candlelight Festival of 1594, the plague drew people's hearts, and the theaters closed again. They were not opened until April because people thought that the theater was the culprit for the spread of the disease. The main cause of the plague was poor sanitary conditions. Residents dumped their feces in the river, and the Thames was smelly. Anthony Burgess mentioned in Shakespeare: The city's narrow streets, cobbled roads are littered with rubbish, and it is difficult to slip. There are countless dark alleys between the crowded houses. People dumped the potty out the window. There are no toilets in the theater, and audiences must either excrete by the Thames outside the theater, or urinate anywhere in the theater. In addition, the peel of the melons and litter were all mixed together, breeding a hotbed of plague. These were the main reasons for several major plagues in London. Secondly, in the Elizabethan era, England's public health regulations were very strict, and people had no idea about the actual cause of the plague, or at least no right idea. When there is no way, the official measure is to kill dogs and cats. As a result, the enemies of mice are wiped out. Rats scramble everywhere, and mice carry terrible germs, causing plague. The bubonic plague may be caused by sick rats mixed with cargo ships in London. The rat lice sucked the blood of the sick rats and attacked humans, transmitting the plague bacilli into the human body. From rat to lice, from lice to humans, this is the standard way of spreading plague. Managers used quarantine to delay the spread of the plague. When the plague killed more than 30 people a week, they closed the theater. Again, it is believed that the brothels near the theater are also the source, and the Henslow brothel is also closed.

Greenblatt said: During the plague, Shakespeare's Pobeck troupe could not perform in London and had to conduct a national tour. How much can be earned in the countryside to survive. In this unforgettable year of 1593, it was thought that Shakespeare might have lived in Holborn or Tissfield's Sao Sampton House and became a count, a docile poet, and a friend. During this time he wrote a lot of sonnets dedicated to Sao Sampton in return for providing a refuge from the plague. Shakespeare resumed his theater career in May 1594 when the Rose Theatre resumed performances.

In Shakespeare's later years, a great plague broke out again in 1603. The Shakespeare's King's Theatre Company had not had time to stay in London to enjoy their privileges. John Stowe later estimated that 38,000 of the 200,000 people died. This plague. Since then, the plagues written in Shakespeare have become darker than before. Akroyd said: Shakespeare's play has mentioned the symbol of death and the scars left by the plague in many places. The plague is not a local incident but an urgent and ominous reality. According to conservative estimates, Shakespeare was influenced by the so-called "death of death" for about seven years in his creative career. During the outbreak, the king eventually gave his new actors about £ 30 of "living allowance", which was obviously not enough. These actors had to go on tour again. There were no outbreaks in Coventry, Bath, Oxford, etc. The tour continued until the plague stopped spreading in October, and all theater companies returned to the city. According to information, the troupe performed private performances in private theaters during the plagues of 1607, 1608, and 1609. Throughout the year 1609, the plague raged in London, and the King's Theatre Company embarked on a tour again. Shakespeare at this time is likely to have completely discharged his role of performing and consider permanently moving back to Stratford Town.

Although Shakespeare suffered several plagues from the plague, the shadow of the plague lingered in his mind all the time, and he was frequently mentioned in the drama. The word "plague" appears 98 times in Shakespeare's works, meaning plague, disaster, or torture. These works include Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, King Lear, Macbeth, Othello, Timon of Athens, Coriolanus, Henry IV (I), Henry V "Henry VI (upper-middle-lower)" "Henry VIII" "Richard II" "Richard III" "Juris Caesar" "King John" "Frustration in Love" "Merchant of Venice" "Nothing is wrong" "Twelfth Night", "Finished Family", "Prince Tyler", "Simple Forest", "Storm", "Troelles and Cresida" and the long poem "Venus and Anthony" "Luke" "Lice's Insult" and 29 sonnets.

In Shakespeare's writings, the plague is either a plot element, or an image, or a curse. The best-known example of a plot element is "Romeo and Juliet". Juliet was forced to marry by his parents. Father Lawrence came up with a plan to suspend his life. But the plague obstructed Fr. John, who delivered the letter, and he returned dimly with the undelivered letter. Romeo was shocked to hear that the attendant Paul Sasser said that Juliet was dead, and all thoughts were gray, and she rushed back to love, and Juliet was also sold for it. In other words, if there was no plague and Father John delivered the letter on time, perhaps this tragedy could be avoided and a pair of lovers would not be killed. The plague played a vital role in the play, determining the nature of the play and the fate of the hero. As an image, it generally refers to the meaning of disaster. This usage is reflected in Hamlet and King Lear. As a curse, it curses others for plague and disaster. In Storm, King Lear, and Henry IV ( (Above), "Coriolanus", "Prince Tyre Perry Chris", such as "The Storm" said Carrie Ban: "You teach me the language, the benefit I get is that I know how to curse "The red plague virus kills you." Another example of King Lear in "Lear of the Lonely" said: "Give me all the plague! Murderers, traitors, you are all!" Another example is "Henry IV ( In the above, "Falstaff scolded Bardolf and Pito:" It's damn good, the thief and the thief don't talk about credit anymore. Huh! You gang of damn guys! Give me my horse, your bastard, put Give my horse to me and then die. "Throughout Shakespeare, the most common usage of" plague "is as a curse.

From historical materials and Shakespeare, we can see at least four points: First, the English government has not paid attention to urban public health, which has led to repeated outbreaks of the plague. Second, the public lacks awareness of civilization and health. Third, for Shakespeare, the plague has entered his subconscious and became a symbol of disaster and fear. Fourth, the plague has become an image in literature.

Zhang Wei