World Lit Final Review
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Created by:
saddleup4Jesus on November 30, 2011
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64 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 Hamlet | "Hamlet", William Shakespeare. Thinker, rather than actor. Obsessed with trying to prove uncle's guilt before he acts to get revenge. When he does act, it is without premeditation. Steps easily into role of crazy person, but does at some points contemplate suicide. Though he is prince, he only thinks about the problems in Denmark (Claudius and Fortinbras) in terms of how they affect him, not the state. |
| Shahrazad | "The Thousand and One Nights", author unknown. The daughter of the adviser to Shahrayar, offers to marry him to prevent other girls from being killed. Storytelling becomes a way of surviving. Her stories talk about refusing to kill in punishment, hoping Shahrayar will realize there are alternative methods of punishment. Often, women in the stories help solve the problem. She seems to know everything, is beautiful--the perfect woman. |
| "The Prince" | By Niccolo Machiavelli. Tells how rulers should live and rule. Main points: Have many loyal troops, lay a solid foundation for the rest of your rule. Don't concern yourself with living virtuously--rather, live for the most practical benefit. First duty is to safeguard the state, and sometimes that takes possessing "bad" characteristics. Be thrifty so you won't have to burden your people with taxes because you were too liberal with your money. Do not be too compassionate because you must punish your disloyal subjects. Being feared better than being loved. People usually act out of self-interest. Must rely both on laws and force. Beat fortune into submission. |
| Polonius | "Hamlet", by William Shakespeare. Ophelia and Laertes's father. Lord Chamberlain in Claudius's court. Conniving and pompous. His murder by Hamlet (in conjunction with her rejection by Hamlet) causes Ophelia to go insane and drown herself. |
| soliloquy | "Hamlet", by William Shakespeare. The act of speaking one's thoughts aloud when by oneself or regardless of any hearers, especially in a play. Hamlet has lots of these! |
| Humanism | Classical Humanism: God vs. lover (Francis Petrarch's poems). A Renaissance movement that turned away from the medieval school of thought and revived interest in Greek and Roman thought. Shift from scholar-clerics to secular scholars. Shift from life of penance to creativity. Christian Humanism focused on your personal relationship with God rather than just learning about Him and religion ("The Praise of Folly", Erasmus). |
| Laura | Francis Petrarch. The girl he is obsessed with but has never loved--represents "obsession with ideas". "Laurel" represents the crown of poets. |
| Judecca | "Inferno" by Dante. The fourth ring of the ninth circle--the VERY lowest level of Hell. Betrayers of lords, masters, and benefactors. Lucifer as a negative reflection of Christ, souls covered in ice, spectacle of Lucifer/Satan/Dis with Judas Iscariot, Brutus, and Cassius. |
| Horatio | "Hamlet", William Shakespeare. Hamlet's close friend from university. Always loyal to and helpful to Hamlet. After Hamlet's death, Horatio remains alive to tell his story. |
| Dante | Wrote "The Divine Comedy". Of Florence or Tuscany. Wrote the epic poem while in exile because the opposing political party had seized control of Florence. |
| tercets | "Inferno" by Dante. Three-lined stanzas. |
| frame narrative | "The Thousand and One Nights", author unknown. An introductory main story is composed, at least in part, for the purpose of setting the stage for other stories. "Story within a story within a story..." |
| Miguel de Cervantes | Wrote "Don Quixote". Served in the military, a slave for five years in Algiers, ransomed by his parents. |
| Machiavelli | Wrote "The Prince". Held power in the internal and war affairs of Italy beginning in 1494. One of the founders of modern political science. |
| penance | "The Divine Comedy", Dante. How souls in Purgatorio worked off their sins so they could eventually get into Paradiso. |
| simony | "Inferno", Dante. The buying or selling of ecclesiastical privileges. 8th circle, 3rd pouch. Headfirst (pursed) in holes, feet on fire, stuffed in farther as more sinners come. |
| "The Divine Comedy" | Written by Dante Alighieri. Three guides: Inferno (Virgil), Purgatorio (Statius), Paradiso (Beatrice). Each part has 33 cantos, except Inferno has one extra at the beginning. Each level divided into nine parts. Written in tercets with terza rima. |
| tanka | Japanese poem, five lines with break or turning point at slash: 575/77. Some have image/lesson structure, others have question/answer, still others statement/question. |
| Petrarch | "The Father of Humanism". Wrote love sonnets and lyric poems to Laura, who he never met but was obsessed with. |
| "Fuente Ovejuna" | Written by Lope de Vega. Stock characters, village bands together in revolt against cruel Guzman. Hierarchy: King Ferdinand, Maestre, Guzman. Made readers ask "when is it okay to revolt?". |
| Renaissance | Rebirth of Classical Culture. Transition from Medieval to Modern. Italian: 1300-1400s. English: 1400s-1642. Gradual shifts: corruption in Church, increasing availability of classical texts, development of vernacular, breakup of feudal structures, growth of commerce, increasing importance of city-states and national monarchies. Radical breaks: Black Death, fall of Constantinople, printing press, encounters with the New World. Focus on art (visible world, discovering, math) and science (scientific method). |
| "Don Quixote" | Written by Miguel de Cervantes. Protagonist is an idealist and lives in his own world. Gentleman/landowner in his fifties, decides he needs to be knighted. Convinced inn is a castle, gets innkeeper to "knight" him, attacks guests who approach his armor while guarding it. Thinks of himself as "righter of wrongs". |
| Laurencia | "Fuente Ovejuna" by Lope de Vega. Main female character. Very strong, challenges her father and the village elders when Guzman tries to rape her. Resists love at first but then falls for Frondoso. Educated and brave. Leads women while revolting. |
| Claudius | "Hamlet', William Shakespeare. Hamlet's uncle, murdered King Hamlet by pouring poison in his ear, which his speech is compared to. Corrupt politician, his main weapon is his ability to manipulate others through skillful language. Mounting fear of Hamlet's insanity leads to more self-preoccupation. |
| Farinata degli Uberti | "Inferno", Dante. A heretic, enemy to the political party of Dante's ancestors. In Circle 6, rises up partway from fiery tomb. |
| Ghost | "Hamlet", William Shakespeare. Ghost of King Hamlet, Hamlet's father. Tells Hamlet that he was murdered by Claudius and urges him to get revenge, but to leave his incestuous mother untouched. |
| sonnet | Francis Petrarch, William Shakespeare. Written in vernacular, individual/human focus, shift from religion to secular consistent with Renaissance, Heaven farther removed from Earth, increased attention to nature, futility of prayer, focus on self (contentment, success), addresses class in that hierarchy is not important. |
| loved or feared | "The Prince", Niccolo Machiavelli. When needing to choose between being loved and being feared, a leader should choose being feared. Love is under the control of the lover, but the prince can control the fear of the people. You get more results from a selfish motivation than an altruistic one. Also creates respect. |
| barbarian | "Of Cannibals", Michel de Montaigne. Men think that anyone who observes a culture different than their own are barbaric. |
| essay | "Essays", Michel de Montaigne. Explore the workings of an Renaissance mind. Self-based. |
| Erasmus | Wrote "The Praise of Folly". At first in league with Luther, then broke apart when Luther got too extreme--Erasmus wanted to stick with the Catholic church and reform from within. Religious humanist. |
| "Inferno" | Written by Dante Alighieri. First part of "The Divine Comedy". Written in tercets with terza rima. |
| Roland | "The Song of Roland", author unknown. Nephew of Charlemagne, died in Crusade battle because he was too proud to blow horn when he needed help. Many of his men/friends died because of his pride. |
| Michel de Montaigne | Author of "Essays". Of a noble French family, statesman. Writer of the French Renaissance. |
| Hamlet's flaw | "Hamlet", William Shakespeare. His obsession with proving Claudius's guilt and not acting on his need for revenge. INDECISIVENESS! |
| tragedy | "Hamlet", William Shakespeare. A dramatic composition, often in verse, dealing with a somber theme, typically with a person destined through some flaw of character or conflict with some overpowering force, as fate or society, to downfall or destruction. |
| comedy | "Fuente Ovejuna", Lope de Vega. Play of light and humorous character with happy/cheerful ending. OR Central motif is triumph over adverse circumstance, resulting in a successful or happy conclusion. |
| morality play | "Everyman", author unknown. An allegory in which the protagonist is met by personifications of various moral attributes who try to prompt him to choose a Godly life over one of evil. Grew out of the religious based mystery plays in the Middle Ages. Represented a shift toward a more secular base in European theater. |
| pity (in Dante) | "Inferno." Dante pities the sinners in Hell and therefore commits a sin because he is challenging the judgment of God. |
| quixotic | "Don Quixote", Miguel de Cervantes. Someone who is an idealist, lives in their own world. |
| Frondoso | "Fuente Ovejuna", Lope de Vega. Peasant who is in love with Laurencia. Wins her heart by standing up for her against the Comendador and allowing her to escape his advances. |
| "The Pillow Book" | By Sei Shonagon. Observations and musings recorded by the author during her time serving in court in Japan. Contains lists, personal thoughts, interesting events in court, poetry, and opinions on Shonagon's contemporaries. |
| Lope de Vega | Wrote "Fuente Ovejuna". Exiled for a time, had multiple wives and affairs. Said that he wrote plays for the money. |
| Virgil | Wrote "The Aeneid". Ancient Roman poet. Also Dante's guide through the Inferno. Why: Dante wanted to align himself with classical epic poets, and Virgil represents Dante's ideal--philosopher, scientist, religious figure, brilliant artist. |
| "The Testament" | By Francois Villon. Describes the life of a female helmet-maker Villon knew in real life. Speaks about old age, gives advice to young prostitute. Speaker fell in love with a man who only wanted her money and regrets it. Now her body parts are drying up and shriveling. She wants the power that comes from being with men, but she doesn't want a committed relationship. Themes: Scorned lover, nostalgia, pride, perceptions of beauty, aging. |
| Ophelia | "Hamlet", by William Shakespeare. Hamlet's love, sweet and innocent, obeys Polonius and Laertes. Dependent on men to tell her how to behave. Spies on Hamlet for Polonius. Goes insane after Polonius's death, drowns in river amongst flowers, symbolizing her innocence and chastity. |
| Dulcinea del Toboso | "Don Quixote" by Miguel de Cervantes. The peasant woman who Don Quixote decides is the fair maiden he is enamored with and he seeks to win her heart. Does not actually appear in the story, and Don Quixote has actually never met her and seen her only fleetingly. |
| haiku | Japanese poem, three lines, 5-7-5 syllables. |
| Rocinante | "Don Quixote" by Miguel de Cervantes. Don Quixote's horse, renamed to better suit his knightly conquests. |
| Fortinbras | "Hamlet", William Shakespeare. The young prince of Norway, whose father was killed in battle by Hamlet's father. Wants to attack Denmark to avenge his father's death. His action makes him a foil to the inactive Hamlet. |
| Dido | "The Aeneid", Virgil. Queen of Carthage, lover of Aeneas. When he leaves to found Rome, she is devastated and unable to rebuild her dignified image, and kills herself on Aeneas's sword on a funeral pyre she built to burn his belongings. |
| jester | "The Praise of Folly", Erasmus. Also known as a "fool". Employed by aristocratic British households for entertainment, given permission to make offensive political jokes and make fun of their master and their guests. Natural fools "couldn't help it", licensed fools were given permission. Both excused for their behavior. |
| Guelphs | "Inferno" by Dante. 12th century Italian political party. Supported the Pope. The enemy party of Dante's political party. Its members are punished in Hell for their crimes. |
| terza rima | "Inferno", Dante. Tercets (three-lined stanzas) with interlocking rhyme. ABA BCB CDC, etc. |
| Shahrayar | "The Thousand and One Nights", author unknown. The older brother king who is betrayed by his wife and kills her. He then marries one woman a day, and kills her the next morning. Finally realizes his wrongdoing after listening to Shahrazad's stories. |
| contrapasso | "Inferno", Dante. Counter-penalty. Punishment appropriate to crime. Here, the punishment of the sin is the sin itself, endlessly. |
| Humbaba | "Gilgamesh", author unknown. Demon god who guards cedar forest, off-limits to mortals. Personification of natural power and menace. Pleads for his life, but Enkidu convinces Gilgamesh to kill him anyway. |
| chivalry | "Don Quixote", Miguel de Cervantes. The sum of the ideal qualifications of a knight: courtesy, generosity, valor, and dexterity in arms. Don Quixote tries to embody these qualities when he "frees" the shepherd boy from his master's whip. |
| courtly love | Medieval lyric poems. The highly conventionalized tradition of love between a knight and a married noblewoman. It didn't matter if you were married--you loved who you loved. |
| juxtaposition of voices | "The Thousand and One Nights", author unknown. Stories told by characters of different classes. |
| zuihitsu | "The Pillow Book", Sei Shonagon. Writing as it comes to you. |
| Brunetto Latini | "Inferno", Dante. Found among the sodomites (violent against nature), endlessly crossing the burning sand. Dante's old teacher. |
| barbarism | "Of Cannibals", Michel de Montaigne. An uncivilized state or condition. |
| "essayer" | "Essays", Michel de Montaigne. French verb, "to attempt". |
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