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Asp (reptile)
Asp is the modern anglicisation of the word "''aspis''", which in Ancient history, antiquity referred to any one of several venomous snake species found in the Nile delta, Nile region. The specific name (zoology), specific epithet, ''aspis'', is a Greek (language), Greek word that means "viper".Gotch AF. 1986. ''Reptiles – Their Latin Names Explained''. Poole, UK: Blandford Press. 176 pp. . It is believed that ''aspis'' referred to what is now known as the Egyptian cobra. __TOC__ Historic representation Throughout History of ancient Egypt#Early dynastic period, dynastic and Egypt (Roman province), Roman Egypt, the asp was a symbol of royalty. Moreover, in both Ancient Egypt, Egypt and Ancient Greece, Greece, its potent venom made it useful as a means of execution for criminals who were thought deserving of a more dignified death than that of typical executions. In some stories of Perseus, after killing Medusa, the hero used Talaria, winged sandals to transport her head to K ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Polydectes
In Greek mythology, King Polydectes () was the ruler of the island of Seriphos. Family Polydectes was the son of either Magnes and an unnamed naiad, or of Peristhenes and Androthoe, or of Poseidon and Cerebia. Tzetzes on Lycophron, ''Alexandra'' 838 His story is largely a part of the myth of Perseus, and runs as follows according to the '' Bibliotheca'' and John Tzetzes. He was the brother of the fisherman Dictys, who succeeded him on the throne. Mythology Polydectes fell in love with Danaë when she and her son Perseus were saved by his brother Dictys (see: Acrisius). Perseus, old enough by the time, was very protective of his mother and would not allow Polydectes near her. Therefore, Polydectes hatched a plot to get him out of the way. Under the pretense that he was going to marry Hippodamia, he ordered every man in Seriphos to supply him with suitable gifts. His friends were to provide horses but Perseus failed to bring any, so Polydectes announced that he wanted ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Desdemona
Desdemona () is a character in William Shakespeare's play ''Othello'' (c. 1601–1604). Shakespeare's Desdemona is a Venice, Italy, Venetian beauty who enrages and disappoints her father, a Venetian senator, when she elopes with Othello (character), Othello, a Moors, Moorish Venetian military prodigy. When her husband is deployed to Cyprus in the service of the Republic of Venice, Desdemona accompanies him. There, her husband is manipulated by his Ensign (rank), ensign Iago into believing she is an adultery, adulteress, and, in the last act, she is murdered by her estranged spouse. Role in ''Othello'' In the play's first act, Desdemona has eloped with Othello, a Moor in the service of the Venetian Republic. Before the Duke of Venice, his councilmen, and her father, she proclaims her love for Othello and defends her choice. Her father reluctantly accepts the union but warns Othello that she will someday deceive him. When Othello is sent to Cyprus in the line of duty, Desde ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Othello (character)
Othello (, ) is the titular protagonist in Shakespeare's '' Othello'' (c. 1601–1604). The character's origin is traced to the tale "Un Capitano Moro" in ''Gli Hecatommithi'' by Giovanni Battista Giraldi Cinthio. There, he is simply referred to as the Moor. ''Othello'' was first mentioned in a Revels account of 1604 when the play was performed on 1 November at Whitehall Palace with Richard Burbage almost certainly Othello's first interpreter. Modern notable performers of the role include Paul Robeson, Orson Welles, Richard Burton, James Earl Jones, Laurence Fishburne, Laurence Olivier, Patrick Stewart, and Avery Brooks. Role Othello is a Venetian general. After their time in Venice, Othello is appointed general in the Venetian Army. His officer Iago tricks him into believing that his wife Desdemona is having an affair with his Lieutenant, Michael Cassio. Othello kills his wife out of jealousy by strangling her, only to realize that his wife was faithful after Emili ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Antony And Cleopatra
''Antony and Cleopatra'' is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The play was first performed around 1607, by the King's Men at either the Blackfriars Theatre or the Globe Theatre. Its first appearance in print was in the First Folio published in 1623, under the title ''The Tragedie of Anthonie, and Cleopatra''. The plot is based on Thomas North's 1579 English translation of Plutarch's '' Lives'' (in Ancient Greek) and follows the relationship between Cleopatra and Mark Antony from the time of the Sicilian revolt to Cleopatra's suicide during the War of Actium. The main antagonist is Octavius Caesar, one of Antony's fellow triumvirs of the Second Triumvirate and the first emperor of the Roman Empire. The tragedy is mainly set in the Roman Republic and Ptolemaic Egypt and is characterized by swift shifts in geographical location and linguistic register as it alternates between sensual, imaginative Alexandria and a more pragmatic, austere Rome. Many consider Shakespeare's ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of River Avon, Warwickshire, Avon" or simply "the Bard". His extant works, including William Shakespeare's collaborations, collaborations, consist of some Shakespeare's plays, 39 plays, Shakespeare's sonnets, 154 sonnets, three long narrative poems and a few other verses, some of uncertain authorship. His plays List of translations of works by William Shakespeare, have been translated into every major modern language, living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright. Shakespeare remains arguably the most influential writer in the English language, and his works continue to be studied and reinterpreted. Shakespeare was born and raised in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. At the age of 18 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Opium
Opium (also known as poppy tears, or Lachryma papaveris) is the dried latex obtained from the seed Capsule (fruit), capsules of the opium poppy ''Papaver somniferum''. Approximately 12 percent of opium is made up of the analgesic alkaloid morphine, which is processed chemically to produce heroin and other synthetic opioids for medicinal use and for the illegal drug trade. Opium's main psychoactive alkaloids, primarily morphine, act on μ-opioid receptors, causing analgesia and addiction with long-term use leading to tolerance, dependence, and increased cancer risk. The latex also contains the closely related opiates codeine and thebaine, and non-analgesic alkaloids such as papaverine and noscapine. The traditional, labor-intensive method of obtaining the latex is to scratch ("score") the immature seed pods (fruits) by hand; the latex leaks out and dries to a sticky yellowish residue that is later scraped off and dehydrated. The English word for opium is loan word, borrowed fro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aconitum
''Aconitum'' (), also known as aconite, monkshood, wolfsbane, leopard's bane, devil's helmet, or blue rocket, is a genus of over 250 species of flowering plants belonging to the family (biology), family Ranunculaceae. These herbaceous perennial plants are chiefly native plant, native to the mountainous parts of the Northern Hemisphere in North America, Europe, and Asia, growing in the moisture-retentive but well-draining soils of mountain meadows. Most ''Aconitum'' species are extremely poisonous and must be handled very carefully. Several ''Aconitum'' Hybrid (biology), hybrids, such as the Arendsii form of ''Aconitum carmichaelii'', have won gardening awards—such as the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. Some are used by florists. Etymology The name ''aconitum'' comes from the Greek word , which may derive from the Greek ''akon'' for dart (missile), dart or javelin, the tips of which were poisoned with the substance, or from ''akonae'', because of the ro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Conium Maculatum
''Conium maculatum'', commonly known as hemlock (British English) or poison hemlock (American English), is a highly poisonous flowering plant in the carrot family Apiaceae, native to Europe and North Africa. It is Herbaceous plant, herbaceous, with no woody parts, and has a Biennial plant, biennial lifecycle. Hemlock is a hardy plant capable of living in a variety of environments and is now widely naturalised in locations outside its native range, including parts of Australia, West Asia, and North and South America, to which it has been introduced. It is capable of spreading and thereby becoming an Invasive plant, invasive weed. All parts of the hemlock plant are Toxic plant, toxic, particularly the seeds and roots, and especially when ingested. Under the right conditions, the plant grows quite rapidly during the growing season, and can reach heights of , with a long Taproot, penetrating root. The plant has a distinctive odour that is usually considered unpleasant and carries with ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Toxicology
Toxicology is a scientific discipline, overlapping with biology, chemistry, pharmacology, and medicine, that involves the study of the adverse effects of chemical substances on living organisms and the practice of diagnosing and treating exposures to toxins and toxicants. The relationship between dose and its effects on the exposed organism is of high significance in toxicology. Factors that influence chemical toxicity include the dosage, duration of exposure (whether it is acute or chronic), route of exposure, species, age, sex, and environment. Toxicologists are experts on poisons and poisoning. There is a movement for evidence-based toxicology as part of the larger movement towards evidence-based practices. Toxicology is currently contributing to the field of cancer research, since some toxins can be used as drugs for killing tumor cells. One prime example of this is ribosome-inactivating proteins, tested in the treatment of leukemia. The word ''toxicology'' () ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cerastes Cerastes
''Cerastes cerastes'', commonly known as the Saharan horned viperMallow D, Ludwig D, Nilson G. (2003). ''True Vipers: Natural History and Toxinology of Old World Vipers''. Malabar, Florida: Krieger Publishing Company. . or the desert horned viper,Mehrtens JM. (1987). ''Living Snakes of the World in Color''. New York: Sterling Publishers. . is a species of viper native to the deserts of Northern Africa and parts of the Arabian Peninsula and Levant. It is often easily recognized by the presence of a pair of supraocular "horns", although hornless individuals do occur. Three subspecies have been described. Description The average total length (body and tail) is , with a maximum total length of . Females are larger than males. One of the most distinctive characteristics of this species is the presence of supraorbital "horns", one over each eye. However, these may be reduced in size or absent (see genus '' Cerastes''). The eyes are prominent and set on the sides of the head. There is ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
European Asp
''Vipera aspis'' is a viper species found in southwestern Europe. Its common names include asp, asp viper,Mallow D, Ludwig D, Nilson G. 2003. ''True Vipers: Natural History and Toxinology of Old World Vipers''. Krieger Publishing Company, Malabar, Florida. 359 pp. . European asp, and aspic viper,Street D. 1979. ''The Reptiles of Northern and Central Europe''. London: B.T. Batsford Ltd. 268 pp. . among others. Like all other vipers, it is venomous. Bites from this species can be more severe than from the European adder, '' V. berus''; not only can they be very painful, but approximately 4% of all untreated bites are fatal. The specific epithet, ''aspis'', is a Greek word that means "viper."Gotch AF. 1986. ''Reptiles – Their Latin Names Explained''. Poole, UK: Blandford Press. 176 pp. . Five subspecies are currently recognized, including the nominate subspecies described here. Description The species grows to an average total length of . Males reach a maximum total length of , fe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
