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7768438416Skenea building behind the playing area that was originally a hut for the changing of masks and costumes but eventually became the background before which the drama was enacted.0
7768439864OrchestraWalking space in front of the skene for the musicians.1
7768444778ChorusGroup of actors that spoke together that served as a narrator or different characters (tended to be all knowing)2
7768446550StropheMovement of the Chorus during a certain speech from the right to the left3
7768446551Antistrophemoving from the Left to the right (Backwards)4
7768450670Two of the famous lines by the delphic oracle1. Know thyself 2. Nothing in excess5
7768452569Greek Dramatic Conventions1. Masks 2. Chorus 3. Deus ex machina 4. Eccyclema 5. Men played all roles6
7768456340What is Tragedy derived fromSon of Tragodia7
7768457633Who is MeropeQueen of Corinth. Adoptive mother of Oedipus and Wife of Polybus,8
7768461553Who was the first actorThespis9
7768461554What are classical unitiesThe classical unities, Aristotelian unities, or three unities are rules for drama derived from a passage in Aristotle's Poetics. In their neoclassical form they are as follows: unity of action: a play should have one action that it follows, with minimal subplots. unity of time: the action in a play should occur over a period of no more than 24 hours. unity of place: a play should exist in a single physical space and should not attempt to compress geography, nor should the stage represent more than one place.10
7768463060What are Platonic dialoguesThe discussion of moral or philosophical issues by two or more characters in a literary work in the style of socratic seminar usually between Socrates and someone else. Written by Plato and Xenophon11
7768463061What is a scopAn Old English Poet12
7768463062What is "in media res"In the midst of action (All epic poems begin this way)13
7768464610Who is WiglafWiglaf is the cousin of beowulf and helps destroy the dragon. Not fearful (overcomes)14
7768464611What is caesuraBreak or pause in the middle of a line for a speaker (bard)15
7768466136Who/What is Shild?????????Debt or fault16
7768466137what is wergeldBlood-Price (Pay for someone's death or revenge)17
7768466138What is catharsisis an emotional discharge through which one can achieve a state of moral or spiritual renewal or achieve a state of liberation from anxiety and stress. In literature it is used for the cleansing of emotions of the characters.18
7768469800What is aesthetic distanceAesthetic distance refers to the gap between a viewer's conscious reality and the fictional reality presented in a work of art. When a reader becomes fully engrossed in the illusory narrative world of a book, the author has achieved a close aesthetic distance. If the author then jars the reader from the reality of the story, essentially reminding the reader they are reading a book, the author is said to have "violated the aesthetic distance."19
7768469801What were the eccyclemaBoxes on wheels that displayed aspects of the play that could not be performed by the actors such as violence. (may also be called periaktos which has to do with showing the time of the day?)20
7768602079When did the great migration and what was it400s21
7768746899Time frame for anglo-saxon poetry449-106622
7768748213ElegyA short lyrical poem that mourns the loss of someone or something23
7768750371Rules for Anglo saxon poetryDoes not rhyme Lots of alliteration 4 beats per line (because it was accompanied by a bard) Used Kennings Used litotes24
7768753416What is a litotesDouble Negative25
7768755597What is a KenningTwo nouns placed next to each other to create a metaphor26
7768757150What is a staveA stave is a section of a line of poetry divided by the Caesura (break)27
7768761272What does Heorot (Herot) mean?Heart/Hart28
7768762037WealthowAppears in Grendel and Beowulf. Peace maker Server. Wife of Hrothgar29
7768763614ThanesDefend land of Hrothgar and conquer warring clans (bring riches to the king)30
7768767371What does Wyrd mean?Fate31
7768767372GnaefGnaef is a character in Beowulf who is an example of a bad king. He is Greedy and keeps all of the loot from his clans pillages for himself and it causes a lack of morale among his people and his clan is destroyed.32
7768773173Epic ConventionsRules for an epic poem: 1. In media res 2. Invocation to the muses 3. Epic Hero that represents the culture (Beowulf FairPlay and survival of the fittest) 4. Epic Villain (Represents the culture's fear Dragon: greed) 5. Epic theme: Good v Evil 6. Lofty, elevated language 7. Supernatural Elements 8. Digressions (Sigmund and Gnaef) 9. Epic Similes 10. Inventories33
7768792174OedipusKing of Thebes, adopted son of The king and queen of Corinth Husband and son of Jocasta and Laius34
7768796443JocastaMother and wife of Oedipus35
7768797968CreonBrother in law of Oedipus, Brother of jocasta (Takes over as king of thebes)36
7768800667TireseasBlind soothsayer of thebes37
7768807951Messenger from corinth (Messenger)Tells Oedipus of Polybus' death and it's joyful news!38
7768813305BeowulfThe protagonist of the epic, Beowulf is a Geatish hero who fights the monster Grendel, Grendel's mother, and a fire-breathing dragon. Beowulf's boasts and encounters reveal him to be the strongest, ablest warrior around. In his youth, he personifies all of the best values of the heroic culture. In his old age, he proves a wise and effective ruler.39
7768814591King HrothgarThe king of the Danes. Hrothgar enjoys military success and prosperity until Grendel terrorizes his realm. A wise and aged ruler, Hrothgar represents a different kind of leadership from that exhibited by the youthful warrior Beowulf. He is a father figure to Beowulf and a model for the kind of king that Beowulf becomes.40
7768817080GrendelA demon descended from Cain, Grendel preys on Hrothgar's warriors in the king's mead-hall, Heorot. Because his ruthless and miserable existence is part of the retribution exacted by God for Cain's murder of Abel, Grendel fits solidly within the ethos of vengeance that governs the world of the poem. Read an in-depth analysis of Grendel.41
7768818056Grendel's motherAn unnamed swamp-hag, Grendel's mother seems to possess fewer human qualities than Grendel, although her terrorization of Heorot is explained by her desire for vengeance—a human motivation.42
7768818871The dragonAn ancient, powerful serpent, the dragon guards a horde of treasure in a hidden mound. Beowulf's fight with the dragon constitutes the third and final part of the epic.43
7768820051Shield SheafsonThe legendary Danish king from whom Hrothgar is descended, Shield Sheafson is the mythical founder who inaugurates a long line of Danish rulers and embodies the Danish tribe's highest values of heroism and leadership. The poem opens with a brief account of his rise from orphan to warrior-king, concluding, "That was one good king" (11).44
7768820600BeowThe second king listed in the genealogy of Danish rulers with which the poem begins. Beow is the son of Shield Sheafson and father of Halfdane. The narrator presents Beow as a gift from God to a people in need of a leader. He exemplifies the maxim, "Behavior that's admired / is the path to power among people everywhere" (24-25).45
7768822285HalfdaneThe father of Hrothgar, Heorogar, Halga, and an unnamed daughter who married a king of the Swedes, Halfdane succeeded Beow as ruler of the Danes.46
7768823432WealhtheowHrothgar's wife, the gracious queen of the Danes.47
7768824820UnferthA Danish warrior who is jealous of Beowulf, Unferth is unable or unwilling to fight Grendel, thus proving himself inferior to Beowulf.48
7768827219HrethricHrothgar's elder son, Hrethric stands to inherit the Danish throne, but Hrethric's older cousin Hrothulf will prevent him from doing so. Beowulf offers to support the youngster's prospect of becoming king by hosting him in Geatland and giving him guidance.49
7768830294HrothulfHrothgar's nephew, Hrothulf betrays and usurps his cousin, Hrethic, the rightful heir to the Danish throne. Hrothulf's treachery contrasts with Beowulf's loyalty to Hygelac in helping his son to the throne.50
7768831248AeschereHrothgar's trusted adviser.51
7768833010HygelacBeowulf's uncle, king of the Geats, and husband of Hygd. Hygelac heartily welcomes Beowulf back from Denmark.52
7768835085HygdHygelac's wife, the young, beautiful, and intelligent queen of the Geats. Hygd is contrasted with Queen Modthryth.53
7768836603WiglafA young kinsman and retainer of Beowulf who helps him in the fight against the dragon while all of the other warriors run away. Wiglaf adheres to the heroic code better than Beowulf's other retainers, thereby proving himself a suitable successor to Beowulf.54
7768837181EcgtheowBeowulf's father, Hygelac's brother-in-law, and Hrothgar's friend. Ecgtheow is dead by the time the story begins, but he lives on through the noble reputation that he made for himself during his life and in his dutiful son's remembrances.55
7768838124King HrethelThe Geatish king who took Beowulf in as a ward after the death of Ecgtheow, Beowulf's father.56
7768839093BrecaBeowulf's childhood friend, whom he defeated in a swimming match. Unferth alludes to the story of their contest, and Beowulf then relates it in detail.57
7768840769SigemundA figure from Norse mythology, famous for slaying a dragon. Sigemund's story is told in praise of Beowulf and foreshadows Beowulf's encounter with the dragon.58
7768841652King HeremodAn evil king of legend. The scop, or bard, at Heorot discusses King Heremod as a figure who contrasts greatly with Beowulf.59
7768842471Queen ModthrythA wicked queen of legend who punishes anyone who looks at her the wrong way. Modthryth's story is told in order to contrast her cruelty with Hygd's gentle and reasonable behavior.60
7773258226The Shaper61
7773276663StaveA sections that are divided by Caesuras62
7773391078HrothulfHrothgar's orphaned nephew. In Beowulf, Hrothulf usurps Hrothgar's son as ruler of the Scyldings. In Grendel, Hrothulf is a young man who forms ideas of revolution after seeing the aristocratic thanes subjugate the Danish peasants.63
7773416532OrkAn old, blind, Scylding priest. is a theologian—one who studies the theories behind religion. Mistaking Grendel for the Destroyer, the supreme Scylding deity, describes ultimate wisdom as a vision of a universe in which nothing is lost or wasted. is one of only a few priests in the novel for whom religion is more than an empty show.64

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