A Read the article about Tang Xianzu and complete it with if and unless.
Tang Xianzu (1550–1616) was a great Chinese playwright. His plays combine beautiful language with powerful ideas about love, dreams and reality.
(1)
you want to see his works, you should watch The Peony Pavilion.
In the story, a young woman falls in love with a man she only meets in a dream. She dies of sadness because she cannot be happy (2)
she marries him. Later, the man finds her portrait and wants to marry her, but she is not alive, so he decides to bring her back to life.
When we read this story, we naturally think of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Though Tang is often called “the Shakespeare of the East”, (3)
you read both Tang and Shakespeare, you will see that they are different. Shakespeare wrote for the stage in tight, dramatic acts, while Tang wrote for Kunqu opera in a slower, more poetic style. His plays can run for over 20 hours, so (4)
you have a lot of free time, watching one from start to finish is quite a challenge.
(5)
you like beautiful language, you will love Tang’s plays. He is still remembered today because his plays speak a simple but powerful truth: the heart knows things the mind cannot.
B Read the article about how to read plays. Complete it with the clauses from the box and write the correct letters in the blanks below.
a Unless you can picture what is happening on the stage
b If you pay attention to the stage directions
c Unless you understand this conflict
d If you do not read the play aloud
e if you know how to read them
f If you want to know what the characters and places in the play look like
Many people think that if you really want to enjoy a play, you have to watch it in a theatre. That is simply untrue. Many plays make for great reading (1)
. First, use your imagination. (2)
, you need to picture them in your mind. (3)
, you will not really enjoy the play fully. (4)
, they will help you understand what is going on. Then, pay attention to the acts and scenes. An act usually contains one or more scenes. In each scene, the setting and characters often remain unchanged. Many plays have a three-act form. In the first act, the characters are introduced. Often, at the end of the first act there is a conflict. A conflict is a struggle, either between people or within a character. In the second act, this conflict is developed. (5)
, you may not really enjoy the play. In the third act, the conflict is resolved in some way. Finally, read the play aloud and act it out as you read. (6)
, you may not understand the play as well and it will not seem as alive.
