Act II
Scene i
15- And faster bound to Aaron’s charming eyes- Not beauty of eyes, but their power of fascination. There were many amulets and remedies to charm away the eye’s hypnotic power.
17- Prometheus- He is a demigod who stole fire from Olympus in order to give it to civilization. As a punishment, Zeus chained him to a rock in the Caucasus.
22- Semiranis- A legendary Assyrian queen who was famous for: her beauty, military conquests and lust.
37- Clubs, clubs- The cry used for calling the watch to stop a street fight by interposing clubs.
39- dancing-rapier- an ornamental sword
41- lath- A wooden sword. Laths were often carried by the Vice in a morality play.
62- brabble- quarrel
70- This discord’s ground, the music would not please- Shakespeare makes a pun with the word “ground”-- here it means both “reason” and “bass”
83-4- She… won- Proverbial: all women may be won.
90- worn… badge- been cuckholded, as Vulcan was by Venus.
105- policy- scheming, specifically Machiavellian scheming.
109- Lucrece- Roman wife who was raped by Tarquin and then committed suicide. (Shakespeare’s The Rape of Lucrece was published the same year as Titus.)
124- file our engines- sharpen our stratagems
127- The house of fame- the subject of a well-known Chaucer poem about the “house of rumor”
134- Sit fas aut nefas- be it right or wrong
136- Per Stygia, per manes vehor- I am borne through the Stygian regions among shades.
Scene ii
3- bay- deep, prolonged barking
5- hunter’s peal- horn-blowing to set the dogs barking
Scene iii
22- wand’ring prince- Aeneas
Aeneas and Dido is a tragic story about two young lovers torn apart by gods.
26-29- While hounds and horns, and sweet melodious birds,
Be unto us, as in a nurse’s song
Of lullaby, to bring her babe asleep.-- “By” could mean house, so this means “to go to house or cradle.” “lull” probably means sleep or “to sing gently” also could be “lully baby” which is to make a baby go to sleep
31- Saturn- Elizabethan astrology dictated that men ruled by Saturn were melancholy and will never forgive until they get revenge.
32- deadly-standing eye- murderous eye
43- Philomel- Shakespeare is referencing Metamorphosis
57- Dian- Diana- Goddess of the hunt and chastity
72- Cimmerian- The Cimmerians lived in total darkness.
95- O’ercome with moss and baleful misletoe- Everyone believed that misletoe’s berries were poisonous. Druids used this plant during human sacrifice. :)
101- urchins- hedgehogs. As far as I can tell, Shakespeare only picked hedgehogs here because it would uncomfortable to fall on them. Hedgehogs were generally regarded as kindly hoarders who were sometimes good to eat.
107- dismal yew- yew trees were associated with graveyards, their berries thought to be poisonous. There was also a myth that the shadow of a yew tree would kill anyone sleeping under it.
120- ponaird- a light-weight dagger usually used for stabbing someone close-quarters and often used in conjunction with a rapier
124- minion- hussy
184- Confusion- destruction
187- make her sure- make her harmless 191- spleenful- lustful; the spleen is also associated with the Four Humors, believed to be over-active in one who is Choleric-- violent, vengeful, short-tempered and ambitious
194- panther fast asleep- Shakespeare might have read that a way to hunt panthers was by luring them into a pit, but the other hunting techniques describes are all about hunting deer.
227- a precious ring that lightens all this hole- Elizabethans believed that certain gems produced light.
231- Pyramus- of Pyramus and Thisbe, he ends up killing himself when he believes that his lover is dead.
236- Cocytus- River in Hades, here used to mean Hell.
277- elder tree- The folklore surrounding the elder tree varies. In some legends, the elder tree is believed to ward off evil influence and gain protection from witches. In others, witches congregate under the tree.
Scene iv
5- scrawl- gesticulate
51- Cerberus- the three-headed watch dog to the entrance of Hades
15- And faster bound to Aaron’s charming eyes- Not beauty of eyes, but their power of fascination. There were many amulets and remedies to charm away the eye’s hypnotic power.
17- Prometheus- He is a demigod who stole fire from Olympus in order to give it to civilization. As a punishment, Zeus chained him to a rock in the Caucasus.
22- Semiranis- A legendary Assyrian queen who was famous for: her beauty, military conquests and lust.
37- Clubs, clubs- The cry used for calling the watch to stop a street fight by interposing clubs.
39- dancing-rapier- an ornamental sword
41- lath- A wooden sword. Laths were often carried by the Vice in a morality play.
62- brabble- quarrel
70- This discord’s ground, the music would not please- Shakespeare makes a pun with the word “ground”-- here it means both “reason” and “bass”
83-4- She… won- Proverbial: all women may be won.
90- worn… badge- been cuckholded, as Vulcan was by Venus.
105- policy- scheming, specifically Machiavellian scheming.
109- Lucrece- Roman wife who was raped by Tarquin and then committed suicide. (Shakespeare’s The Rape of Lucrece was published the same year as Titus.)
124- file our engines- sharpen our stratagems
127- The house of fame- the subject of a well-known Chaucer poem about the “house of rumor”
134- Sit fas aut nefas- be it right or wrong
136- Per Stygia, per manes vehor- I am borne through the Stygian regions among shades.
Scene ii
3- bay- deep, prolonged barking
5- hunter’s peal- horn-blowing to set the dogs barking
Scene iii
22- wand’ring prince- Aeneas
Aeneas and Dido is a tragic story about two young lovers torn apart by gods.
26-29- While hounds and horns, and sweet melodious birds,
Be unto us, as in a nurse’s song
Of lullaby, to bring her babe asleep.-- “By” could mean house, so this means “to go to house or cradle.” “lull” probably means sleep or “to sing gently” also could be “lully baby” which is to make a baby go to sleep
31- Saturn- Elizabethan astrology dictated that men ruled by Saturn were melancholy and will never forgive until they get revenge.
32- deadly-standing eye- murderous eye
43- Philomel- Shakespeare is referencing Metamorphosis
57- Dian- Diana- Goddess of the hunt and chastity
72- Cimmerian- The Cimmerians lived in total darkness.
95- O’ercome with moss and baleful misletoe- Everyone believed that misletoe’s berries were poisonous. Druids used this plant during human sacrifice. :)
101- urchins- hedgehogs. As far as I can tell, Shakespeare only picked hedgehogs here because it would uncomfortable to fall on them. Hedgehogs were generally regarded as kindly hoarders who were sometimes good to eat.
107- dismal yew- yew trees were associated with graveyards, their berries thought to be poisonous. There was also a myth that the shadow of a yew tree would kill anyone sleeping under it.
120- ponaird- a light-weight dagger usually used for stabbing someone close-quarters and often used in conjunction with a rapier
124- minion- hussy
184- Confusion- destruction
187- make her sure- make her harmless 191- spleenful- lustful; the spleen is also associated with the Four Humors, believed to be over-active in one who is Choleric-- violent, vengeful, short-tempered and ambitious
194- panther fast asleep- Shakespeare might have read that a way to hunt panthers was by luring them into a pit, but the other hunting techniques describes are all about hunting deer.
227- a precious ring that lightens all this hole- Elizabethans believed that certain gems produced light.
231- Pyramus- of Pyramus and Thisbe, he ends up killing himself when he believes that his lover is dead.
236- Cocytus- River in Hades, here used to mean Hell.
277- elder tree- The folklore surrounding the elder tree varies. In some legends, the elder tree is believed to ward off evil influence and gain protection from witches. In others, witches congregate under the tree.
Scene iv
5- scrawl- gesticulate
51- Cerberus- the three-headed watch dog to the entrance of Hades