Aristotle—Ancient Greek philosopher who wrote The Poetics, which details his ideas on drama, including tragedy.
catharsis—the violent purging of the emotions experienced when encountering great drama.
De Casibus tragedy—A medieval form of tragedy, named for Boccaccio's De Casibus Virorum Illustrium. These "tragical tales" often taught a moral lesson.
Elizabethan Age—The time in England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558-1603) in which there was immense creativity in the arts.
Globe Theater—The "O"-shaped, open-air theater in London where many of Shakespeare's plays were originally performed.
groundlings — Spectators at the Globe Theater who stood on the ground in front of the stage while watching a Shakespearean play.
iamb—A unit of speech that contains one unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable.
iambic pentameter— A poetic form that consists of five iambs. Shakespeare often used this form in his plays to mimic the natural rhythms of the English language.
Lord Chamberlain's Men—Shakespeare's acting company, who, starting in 1603, were known as the King's Men.
Oedipus Rex—Play written by the ancient Greek dramatist Sophocles. Because of its excellence, it can be studied as a prototype for great tragedy.
oracle—A priestess through whom a deity or god speaks.
poetry—A concentrated and heightened form of language, produced through rhythm and sound. Also known as "verse."
prose—The language of everyday, ordinary speech.
sonnet—A fourteen-line poem that employs a particular rhyme scheme.
Stratford-on-Avon —Village in England where Shakespeare was born in 1564. Often shortened to "Stratford."
tragedy—A form of dramatic art which follows the fall, pain, and suffering of the tragic figure.
tragic figure—The main character of a tragedy; experiences a reversal of fortune and endures uncommon suffering with uncommon dignity.
verse—Another name for poetry.
