Glossary: Act I
Act I
Scene I
The location is the Capitoline Hill in Rome, near the senate house.
1- patricians- The Roman aristocracy.
4- successive title- right of succession
8- indignity- i.e. To have a younger brother succeed to the throne.
12- Capitol- on this hill stood the temple of Jupiter Capitolinus, which the Elizabethans associated with the Roman senate house.
23- surnamed- given as an honorary epithet.
27- accited- summoned
30- yoked- subdued
42- pretend- claim
47- affy- trust
68- circumscribed- brought within bounds
77- defender- i.e. Jupiter Caitolinus
80- Priam- King of Troy during the Trojan War
85- Here… sword- Ironical reference to Titus’ victory over the Goths.
86-8- Titus… Styx- Titus is obligated to wait until the sacrifice of Alarbus is over until he can give proper burial to his sons.
117-18- draw… merciful- proverbial: “It is in their Mergy that kings come closest to gods”
129- clean- entirely
131- Scythia- region north of the Black Sea known for its savage inhabitants
136- Queen of Troy- Hecuba, who avenged her son’s death by blinding his murderer. This story is told in Ovid’s Metamorphoses, xiii 533-75
154- drugs- poisonous plants
166- cordial- comfort
185- cadidatus- literally, clad in white.
216- meed- reward
218- voices- votes
221- gratulate- salute
226- Titan- the sun
240- empress- trisyllabic in this case
252- ensigns- tokens
271- sith- since
280- Summ cuique- compare to the proverb: “and the country proverb known, that every man should take his own”
306- that proud brag- This is a figment of ’ imagination
309- changing piece- fickle wench
316- Phoebe- Diana, who overshines her attendant nymphs
325- Hymenaus- the god of marriage
379- Ajax- The Greek warrior who killed himself after an insane fit in which slaughters sheep, believing them to be Greek generals. Ajax’s countrymen at first refused to bury him, but Odysseus persuades them to do so.
399- you have played your price- a term often used in fencing matches to mean that you had played and won your match.
430- indifferently- impartially
476- Tend’ring- having regard for
492- to hunt the panther- Shakespeare is trying to add an exotic touch. It is likely he knew that Roman generals hunted panthers in Africa, but of course they did not hunt panthers as deer in Rome.
494- gramercy- thanks
Scene I
The location is the Capitoline Hill in Rome, near the senate house.
1- patricians- The Roman aristocracy.
4- successive title- right of succession
8- indignity- i.e. To have a younger brother succeed to the throne.
12- Capitol- on this hill stood the temple of Jupiter Capitolinus, which the Elizabethans associated with the Roman senate house.
23- surnamed- given as an honorary epithet.
27- accited- summoned
30- yoked- subdued
42- pretend- claim
47- affy- trust
68- circumscribed- brought within bounds
77- defender- i.e. Jupiter Caitolinus
80- Priam- King of Troy during the Trojan War
85- Here… sword- Ironical reference to Titus’ victory over the Goths.
86-8- Titus… Styx- Titus is obligated to wait until the sacrifice of Alarbus is over until he can give proper burial to his sons.
117-18- draw… merciful- proverbial: “It is in their Mergy that kings come closest to gods”
129- clean- entirely
131- Scythia- region north of the Black Sea known for its savage inhabitants
136- Queen of Troy- Hecuba, who avenged her son’s death by blinding his murderer. This story is told in Ovid’s Metamorphoses, xiii 533-75
154- drugs- poisonous plants
166- cordial- comfort
185- cadidatus- literally, clad in white.
216- meed- reward
218- voices- votes
221- gratulate- salute
226- Titan- the sun
240- empress- trisyllabic in this case
252- ensigns- tokens
271- sith- since
280- Summ cuique- compare to the proverb: “and the country proverb known, that every man should take his own”
306- that proud brag- This is a figment of ’ imagination
309- changing piece- fickle wench
316- Phoebe- Diana, who overshines her attendant nymphs
325- Hymenaus- the god of marriage
379- Ajax- The Greek warrior who killed himself after an insane fit in which slaughters sheep, believing them to be Greek generals. Ajax’s countrymen at first refused to bury him, but Odysseus persuades them to do so.
399- you have played your price- a term often used in fencing matches to mean that you had played and won your match.
430- indifferently- impartially
476- Tend’ring- having regard for
492- to hunt the panther- Shakespeare is trying to add an exotic touch. It is likely he knew that Roman generals hunted panthers in Africa, but of course they did not hunt panthers as deer in Rome.
494- gramercy- thanks