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Beatrice (Much Ado About Nothing)
Beatrice is a fictional character in William Shakespeare's play ''Much Ado About Nothing''. In the play, she is the niece of Leonato and the cousin of Hero. Atypically for romantic heroines of the sixteenth century, she is feisty and sharp-witted; these characteristics have led some scholars to label Beatrice a protofeminist character. During the play, she is tricked into falling in love with Benedick, a soldier with whom she has a "merry war", after rumours are spread that they are in love with each other. Beatrice has been portrayed by many actors including Frances Abington, Ellen Terry, Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Tamsin Greig, Emma Thompson, Catherine Tate, Danielle Brooks, and Amy Acker. Origins Shakespeare likely would have first encountered the name Beatrice in Dante's ''Divine Comedy'' in which the character of Beatrice represents divine knowledge. Mary Augusta Scott first suggested in 1901 that Beatrice is modelled on Baldassare Castiglione's Emilia Pia from ''The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Much Ado About Nothing
''Much Ado About Nothing'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare thought to have been written in 1598 and 1599.See textual notes to ''Much Ado About Nothing'' in ''The Norton Shakespeare'' ( W. W. Norton & Company, 1997 ) p. 1387 The play was included in the '' First Folio'', published in 1623. The play is set in Messina and revolves around two romantic pairings that emerge when a group of soldiers arrive in the town. The first, between Claudio and Hero, is nearly altered by the accusations of the villain, Don John. The second romance, between Claudio's friend Benedick and Hero's cousin Beatrice, takes centre stage as the play goes on, with both characters' wit and banter providing much of the humour. Through "noting" (sounding like "nothing", and meaning gossip, rumour, overhearing), Benedick and Beatrice are tricked into confessing their love for each other, and Claudio is tricked into believing that Hero is not a maiden (virgin). The title's play on words references ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Baldassare Castiglione
Baldassare Castiglione, Count of Casatico (; 6 December 1478 – 2 February 1529),Dates of birth and death, and cause of the latter, fro, ''Italica'', Rai International online. was an Italian courtier, diplomat, soldier and a prominent Renaissance author. Castiglione wrote ''Il Cortegiano'' or ''The Book of the Courtier'', a courtesy book dealing with questions of the etiquette and morality of the courtier. It was very influential in 16th-century European court circles. Biography Castiglione was born in Casatico, near Mantua (Lombardy) into a family of the minor nobility, connected through his mother, Luigia Gonzaga, to the ruling Gonzagas of Mantua. In 1494, at the age of sixteen, Castiglione was sent to Milan, then under the rule of Duke Ludovico Sforza, to begin his humanistic studies at the school of the renowned teacher of Greek and editor of Homer Demetrios Chalkokondyles (Latinized as Demetrius Calcondila), and Georgius Merula. In 1499, Castiglione's father died unexp ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rosalind (As You Like It)
Rosalind is the heroine and protagonist of the play '' As You Like It'' (1600) by William Shakespeare. In the play, she disguises herself as a male shepherd named Ganymede. Many actors have portrayed Rosalind, including Sarah Wayne Callies, Maggie Smith, Elizabeth Bergner, Vanessa Redgrave, Helena Bonham Carter, Helen Mirren, Patti LuPone, Helen McCrory, Bryce Dallas Howard, Adrian Lester and Arabella Dulcie. Origins Rosalynde is the heroine of Lodge's Euphues' Golden Legacy. In George Fletcher's quoted writings: “'Faire Rosalind' had, however, at this time, acquired a fresh poetic fame as the object of Spenser's attachment, celebrated in his Shephearde's Calendar, 1579, and Colin Clouts Come Home Againe, 1595. Of all the sweet feminine names compounded from Rosa, that of Rosa-linda seems to be the most elegant, and therefore most befitting that particular character of ideal beauty which the dramatist here assigns to his imaginary princess.” Ganymede, the name she a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mariage De Convenance
A marriage of convenience is a marriage contracted for reasons other than that of love and commitment. Instead, such a marriage is entered into for personal gain, or some other sort of strategic purpose, such as a political marriage. There are some cases in which those married do not intend to live together as a couple, and typically got married only for one of them to gain the right to reside in a country, meaning a marriage of benefit. In many cultures, it is usual for parents to decide their adult children's marriages; this is called an arranged marriage. A marriage of convenience that is neither a sham marriage entered into for fraudulent purposes nor a forced marriage, is not against the law. Legal loophole Marriages of convenience are often contracted to exploit legal loopholes of various sorts. A couple may wed for one of them to gain citizenship or right of abode, for example, as many countries around the world will grant such rights to anyone married to a resident ci ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sprezzatura
''Sprezzatura'' () is an Italian word that first appears in Baldassare Castiglione's 1528 '' The Book of the Courtier'', where it is defined by the author as "a certain nonchalance, so as to conceal all art and make whatever one does or says appear to be without effort and almost without any thought about it". It is the ability of the courtier to display "an easy facility in accomplishing difficult actions which hides the conscious effort that went into them". ''Sprezzatura'' has also been described "as a form of defensive irony: the ability to disguise what one really desires, feels, thinks, and means or intends behind a mask of apparent reticence and nonchalance". The word has entered the English language; the Oxford English Dictionary defines it as "studied carelessness", especially as a characteristic quality or style of art or literature, although it is also used in the aesthetic context. History During his stay in Spain as Ambassador of the Holy See (1524-1529), and inspi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Phallus
A phallus is a penis (especially when Erection, erect), an object that resembles a penis, or a mimesis, mimetic image of an erect penis. In art history a figure with an erect penis is described as ithyphallic. Any object that symbolically—or, more precisely, iconically—resembles a penis may also be referred to as a phallus; however, such objects are more often referred to as being phallic (as in "phallic symbol"). Such symbols often represent fertility and cultural implications that are associated with the male sexual organ, as well as the male orgasm. Etymology The term is a loanword from Latin ''phallus'', itself borrowed from Ancient Greek, Greek (''phallos''), which is ultimately a derivation from the Proto-Indo-European language, Proto-Indo-European Root (linguistics), root *''bʰel''- "to inflate, swell". Compare with Old Norse (and Icelandic language, modern Icelandic) ''boli'' "bull", Old English ''bulluc'' "Cattle, bullock", Greek "whale". Archaeology The Ho ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Barbara Everett
Barbara Everett (born 1932) is a Canadian-born British academic and literary critic, whose work has appeared frequently in the ''London Review of Books'' and ''The Independent''. In addition to her own publications, she is recognised as a leading Shakespeare scholar. Everett was born in Montreal, Canada. A graduate of St Hilda's College, Oxford, she is a retired Fellow of Somerville College. She was married to the late Oxford scholar of English literature, Emrys Jones, with whom she appeared in the 1996 documentary '' Looking for Richard''. Frank Kermode Sir John Frank Kermode, FBA (29 November 1919 – 17 August 2010) was a British literary critic best known for his 1967 work '' The Sense of an Ending: Studies in the Theory of Fiction'' and for his extensive book-reviewing and editing. He was ... described her as "a connoisseur of styles" with "a distinctive style of her own", and her 1986 book, ''Poets in their time'' as "one of the finest collections of criticism for ye ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Don Pedro (Much Ado About Nothing)
Don Pedro, Prince of Aragon, is a fictional character from William Shakespeare's play ''Much Ado About Nothing''. In the play, Don Pedro is a nobleman who visits his friend Leonato in Messina, Italy after a successful military conquest. Don Pedro helps Claudio to woo Hero and helps set up Benedick and Beatrice who together form the two key couples in the play. Don Pedro is considered a stable middleman in the story, providing counsel for Claudio and Benedick as well as conversing with Leonato. However, Don Pedro also experiences some dramatic irony: For example, he is deceived by his brother Don John's plot to frame Hero as unchaste. Don Pedro has been portrayed by Denzel Washington in the Samuel Goldwyn Company 1993 film ''Much Ado About Nothing''. He was played by Reed Diamond in Joss Whedon's interpretation of the play, which was released in 2012. Origins A potential source of the character of Don Pedro is King Piero d'Aragona from Bandello's twenty-second ''novella''. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Messina, Italy
Messina (, also , ) is a harbour city and the capital of the Italian Metropolitan City of Messina. It is the third largest city on the island of Sicily, and the 13th largest city in Italy, with a population of more than 219,000 inhabitants in the city proper and about 650,000 in the Metropolitan City. It is located near the northeast corner of Sicily, at the Strait of Messina and it is an important access terminal to Calabria region, Villa San Giovanni, Reggio Calabria on the mainland. According to Eurostat the FUA of the metropolitan area of Messina has, in 2014, 277,584 inhabitants. The city's main resources are its seaports (commercial and military shipyards), cruise tourism, commerce, and agriculture (wine production and cultivating lemons, oranges, mandarin oranges, and olives). The city has been a Roman Catholic Archdiocese and Archimandrite seat since 1548 and is home to a locally important international fair. The city has the University of Messina, founded in 1548 by ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Beatrice (given Name)
Beatrice (; ) is a female given name. The English variant is derived from the French '' Béatrice'', which came from the Latin ''Beatrix'', which means "blessed one". ''Beatrice'' is also the Italian language version of Beatrix. The Spanish and Portuguese form is ''Beatriz''. The popularity of Beatrice spread because of Dante Alighieri's poetry about the Florentine woman Beatrice Portinari. Dante presents Beatrice as being worthy of speaking for God, making her a holy individual. The name is rising in popularity in the United Kingdom. It is also gaining popularity in the United States, where it ranked as the 691st most popular name for baby girls born in 2012. In 2009, it was the 45th most common baby name for girls born in Romania. Name variants Alternate versions of the name include * Beata (Polish, Swedish) * Beate (German, Norwegian) * Betha (Irish) * Beatrica ( Croatian, Slovakian) * Beatriçe ( Albanian) * Béatrice ( French) * Beatrice (Italian) * Beatričė ( Lit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Love's Labour's Lost
''Love's Labour's Lost'' is one of William Shakespeare's early comedies, believed to have been written in the mid-1590s for a performance at the Inns of Court before Queen Elizabeth I. It follows the King of Navarre and his three companions as they attempt to swear off the company of women for three years in order to focus on study and fasting. Their subsequent infatuation with the Princess of France and her ladies makes them forsworn (break their oath). In an untraditional ending for a comedy, the play closes with the death of the Princess's father, and all weddings are delayed for a year. The play draws on themes of masculine love and desire, reckoning and rationalisation, and reality versus fantasy. Though first published in quarto in 1598, the play's title page suggests a revision of an earlier version of the play. There are no obvious sources for the play's plot. The use of apostrophes in the play's title varies in early editions, though it is most commonly given as ''Lov ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Orlando Furioso
''Orlando furioso'' (; ''The Frenzy of Orlando'', more loosely ''Raging Roland'') is an Italian epic poem by Ludovico Ariosto which has exerted a wide influence on later culture. The earliest version appeared in 1516, although the poem was not published in its complete form until 1532. ''Orlando furioso'' is a continuation of Matteo Maria Boiardo's unfinished romance ''Orlando innamorato'' (''Orlando in Love'', published posthumously in 1495). In its historical setting and characters, it shares some features with the Old French '' Chanson de Roland'' of the eleventh century, which tells of the death of Roland. The story is also a chivalric romance which stemmed from a tradition beginning in the late Middle Ages and continuing in popularity in the 16th century and well into the 17th. Orlando is the Christian knight known in French (and subsequently English) as Roland. The story takes place against the background of the war between Charlemagne's Christian paladins and the Sa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
