Preface |
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xv | |
TRAGEDY/DRAMA |
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GREEK/ROMAN |
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Prometheus cries out against his sufferings willed by Zeus |
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(468+ BC) Aeschylus, Prometheus Bound, tr. D. Grene |
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2 | (3) |
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The Chorus remembers the dead brought home from Troy |
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(458 BC) Aeschylus, Agamemnon, tr. L. Katz |
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5 | (3) |
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The Chorus condemns Helen for the ruin of Troy |
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(458 BC) Aeschylus, Agamemnon, tr. L. Katz |
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8 | (3) |
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Aegisthus rejoices in the death of Agamemnon |
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(458 BC) Aeschylus, Agamemnon, tr. L. Katz |
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11 | (3) |
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Ajax pretends to be reconciled to his shame |
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(450-440 BC) Sophocles, Ajax, tr. J. Moore |
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14 | (3) |
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Ajax bids farewell to the gods and Athens and falls on his sword |
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(450-440 BC) Sophocles, Ajax, tr. J. Moore |
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17 | (3) |
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Creon argues the case to his son against disloyalty and anarchy |
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(441 BC) Sophocles, Antigone, tr. Nicholas Rudall |
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20 | (3) |
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Tiresias violently condemns Creon's stubbornness and folly |
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(441 BC) Sophocles, Antigone, tr. Nicholas Rudall |
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23 | (2) |
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The Messenger recounts the death of Haemon to his mother |
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(441 BC) Sophocles, Antigone, tr. P. Arnott |
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25 | (3) |
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The Chorus hymns the wonders and limits of man |
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(441 BC) Sophocles, Antigone, tr. Elizabeth Wycoff |
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28 | (1) |
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Tiresias, provoked by Oedipus, reveals almost the whole of the oracle's pronouncement |
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(430-425 BC) Sophocles, Oedipus the King, tr. W. B. Yeats |
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29 | (3) |
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Oedipus confesses his haunting doubts to Jocasta |
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(430-425 BC) Sophocles, Oedipus the King, tr. W. B. Yeats |
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32 | (2) |
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Oedipus bids farewell to his daughters |
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(430-425 BC) Sophocles, Oedipus the King, tr. P. Arnott |
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34 | (2) |
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Oedipus condemns himself to exile and death |
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(430-425 BC) Sophocles, Oedipus the King, tr. D. Grene |
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36 | (2) |
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Theseus castigates his son Hippolytus for adultery |
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(428 BC) Euripides, Hippolytus, tr. D. Grene |
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38 | (3) |
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Peleus reviles Menelaus and his wife Helen |
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(417-415 BC) Euripides, Andromache, tr. M. Hadas and J. H. McLean |
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41 | (3) |
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Peleus, outraged at his army's treatment of Andromache, helps her to safety |
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(417-415 BC) Euripides, Andromache, tr. M. Hadas and J.H. McLean |
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44 | (2) |
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Heracles, dying in agony, curses the wife who sent him the poisoned shirt |
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(413 BC) Sophocles, The Women of Trachis, tr. M. Jameson |
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46 | (4) |
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Oedipus, unwilling to leave Thebes, bemoans his destiny |
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(409 BC) Euripides, The Phoenician Women, tr. L. Katz |
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50 | (3) |
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Tiresias heatedly defends the god Dionysus against Pentheus' condemnation |
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(c408 BC) Euripides, The Bacchae, tr. M. Hadas and J. H. McLean |
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53 | (4) |
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The Herdsman reports to Pentheus the magical feats of the Bacchants on their awakening |
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(c408 BC) Euripides, The Bacchae, tr. M. Hadas and J. H. McLean |
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57 | (3) |
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Oedipus denounces his son Polyneices and prophesies his doom |
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(406 BC) Sophocles, Oedipus at Colonus, tr. R. Fitzgerald |
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60 | (2) |
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Oedipus gives his blessing to Athens and goes to his death |
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(406 BC) Sophocles, Oedipus at Colonus, tr. R. Fitzgerald |
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62 | (3) |
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Oedipus defends himself against the charge of incest and patricide |
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(c50-65 AD) Seneca, Oedipus, tr. E. I. Harris, ad. L. Katz, Act 3, Sc. 1 |
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65 | (3) |
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Oedipus, blinded and self-exiled, feels relieved by his fate |
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(c50-65 AD) Seneca, Oedipus, tr. E. I. Harris, ad. L. Katz, Act 5, Sc. 2 and 3 |
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68 | (2) |
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Atreus plans his gruesome revenge on his brother Thyestes |
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(c50-65 AD) Seneca, Thyestes, tr. E. I. Harris, ad. L. Katz, Act 2, Sc. 1 |
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70 | (3) |
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Atreus, gloating, observes Thyestes waking after feasting on his sons |
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(c50-65 AD) Seneca, Thyestes, tr. E. I. Harris, ad. L. Katz, Act 5, Sc. and 3 |
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73 | (3) |
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Hercules, having in his madness destroyed his wife and sons, now longs to destroy himself |
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(c50-65 AD) Seneca, Mad Hercules, tr. E. I. Harris, Act 5, Sc. 1 and 3 |
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76 | (6) |
ELIZABETHAN/JACOBEAN |
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The Spanish General narrates a tale of battle victory |
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(c1587; 1602) Thomas Kyd, The Spanish Tragedy, Act 1, Sc. 2 |
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82 | (3) |
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Hieronymo discovers the body of his murdered son |
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(c1587; 1602) Thomas Kyd, The Spanish Tragedy, Act 2, Sc. 5 |
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85 | (3) |
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Mad Hieronymo considers: ``What is a son?'' |
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(c1587; 1602) Thomas Kyd, The Spanish Tragedy, Act 3, Sc. 11 |
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88 | (3) |
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Mad Hieronymo directs a painter to paint a murder |
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(c1587; 1602) Thomas Kyd, The Spanish Tragedy, Act 3, Sc. 12a |
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91 | (3) |
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Mad Hieronymo mistakes a suppliant for his dead son |
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(c1587; 1602) Thomas Kyd, The Spanish Tragedy, Act 3, Sc. 13 |
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94 | (3) |
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Hieronymo brings the play-within-the-play to its gruesome end |
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(c1587; 1602) Thomas Kyd, The Spanish Tragedy, Act 4, Sc. 4 |
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97 | (4) |
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Sejanus commits himself to a sanguine and limitless revenge |
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(1603) Ben Jonson, Sejanus, Act 2, Sc. 2 |
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101 | (2) |
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Sejanus plans the secret assumption of Caesar's authority |
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(1603) Ben Jonson, Sejanus, Act 3, Sc. 2 |
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103 | (2) |
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De Flores, suffering the contempt of his beloved Beatrice, bides his time |
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(1622) Thomas Middleton and William Rowley, The Changeling, Act 2, Sc. 1 |
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105 | (3) |
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De Flores wins his whole recompense from Beatrice |
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(1622) Thomas Middleton and William Rowley, The Changeling, Act 3, Sc. 4 |
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108 | (4) |
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Friar Bonaventura condemns Giovanni and urges penitence for his thought of incest |
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(1629-33) John Ford, `Tis a Pity She's a Whore, Act 1, Scene 1 |
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112 | (4) |
XVII CENTURY FRENCH |
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The father of Rodrigue determines to be revenged |
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(1638) Pierre Corneille, Le Cid, tr. Paul Landis, Act 1, Sc. 4 |
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116 | (1) |
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The emporer Augustus ruminates on the futility of power |
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(1640) Pierre Corneille, Cinna, tr. Paul Landis, Act 2, Sc. 1 |
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117 | (4) |
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The emperor Augustus undergoes his dark night of the soul |
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(1640) Pierre Corneille, Cinna, tr. Paul Landis, Act 4, Sc. 2 |
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121 | (3) |
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The emperor Augustus reasons with his would-be assassin |
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(1640) Pierre Corneille, Cinna, tr. Paul Landis, Act 5, Sc. 1 |
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124 | (3) |
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Theseus accuses his son of adultery |
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(1677) Jean Racine, Phaedra, tr. R. Henderson, Act 4 |
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127 | (5) |
RESTORATION |
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Samson, in torment, yearns for his death |
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(1668-70) John Milton, Samson Agonistes, Lines 606-651 |
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132 | (4) |
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Milton's tragic conclusion: ``Calm of mind, all passion spent'' |
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(1668-70) John Milton, Samson Agonistes, Lines 1708-1758 |
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136 | (3) |
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Antony mourns his fallen state |
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(1671) John Dryden, All for Love, Act 1, Sc. 1 |
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139 | (2) |
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Antony accuses Cleopatra of being the instrument of his downfall |
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(1671) John Dryden, All for Love, Act 2, Sc. 1 |
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141 | (3) |
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The Great Constable explains the folly of virtue to his son, his prisoner |
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(1679) John Crowne, The Ambitious Statesman, Act 5, Sc. 1 |
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144 | (2) |
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Aboan, Oroonoko's loyal follower, rouses him to rebellion against the English |
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(1695) Thomas Southerne, Oroonoko, Act 3, Sc. 2 |
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146 | (6) |
XVIII CENTURY ENGLISH/GERMAN |
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Cato contemplates the allurement of immortality |
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(1713) Joseph Addison, Cato, Act 5, Sc. 1 |
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152 | (3) |
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Thorowgood catechizes the blessings of commerce |
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(1731) George Lillo, The London Merchant, Act 3, Sc. 1 |
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155 | (2) |
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Wallenstein inveighs against chance, not his own will, governing his acts |
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(1799) Friedrich Schiller, Wallenstein's Death, tr. Jeanne Wilson, Act 1, Sc. 4 |
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157 | (4) |
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Wallenstein interprets a dream as a predestined savior of his life |
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(1799) Friedrich Schiller, Wallenstein's Death, tr. Jeanne Wilson, Act 2, Sc. 3 |
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161 | (5) |
XIX CENTURY FRENCH/GERMAN |
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An Old Man brings news of death to a family, and wonders how to approach them |
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(1896) Maurice Maeterlinck, Home, tr. Richard Hovey, 1-act |
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166 | (3) |
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Cyrano defends his nose against insult, and runs the insulting culprit through |
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(1897) Edmond Rostand, Cyrano de Bergerac, tr. Brian Hooker, Act 1 |
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169 | (5) |
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Cyrano brags of his credo: To bend the knee to no one |
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(1897) Edmond Rostand, Cyrano de Bergerac, tr. Brian Hooker, Act 2 |
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174 | (3) |
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Cyrano, tottering but upright, sword drawn, meets death |
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(1897) Edmond Rostand, Cyrano de Bergerac, tr. Brian Hooker, Act 5 |
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177 | (4) |
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Robespierre concludes: In himself ``the Son of Man is crucifed'' |
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(1835) Georg Buchner, Danton's Death, tr. C. R. Mueller, Act I, Sc. 6 |
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181 | (3) |
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Danton, bored and disenchanted, delays from arrest |
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(1835) Georg Buchner, Danton's Death, tr. C. R. Mueller, Act 2, Sc. 1 |
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184 | (3) |
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Danton reconciles himself to despair and to imminent death |
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(1835) Georg Buchner, Danton's Death, tr. C. R. Mueller, Act 4, Sc. 1 |
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187 | (3) |
XIX/XX CENTURY ENGLISH |
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Cenci cries curses on Beatrice and prays for her destruction |
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(1819) Percy Shelley, The Cenci, Act 4, Sc. 1 |
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190 | (3) |
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Virginius, having killed his daughter to prevent her enslavement and ruin, runs mad and searches for her |
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(1820) Amos Sheridan Knowles, Virginius, Act 5, Sc. 3 |
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193 | (4) |
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Luke explains the justification for his revenge: his wife's death by starvation |
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(1826) John Baldwin Buckston, Luke the Laborer, Act 1, Sc. 2 |
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197 | (2) |
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The Duke of Ferrara explains to a visitor the smile on his late duchess's face |
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(1842) Robert Browning, My Last Duchess |
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199 | (3) |
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Mathias, having successfully concealed his theft and murder for years, is troubled only by the sound of bells |
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(1871) Leopold Lewis, The Bells, Act 2 |
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202 | (3) |
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Mathias, in nightmare, dreams he is under hypnosis, and overcome by his own confession of murderous guilt, dies |
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(1871) Leopold Lewis, The Bells, Act 3 |
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205 | (4) |
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Jokanaan cries abomination on Herod, Herodias, and their daughter Salome |
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(1893) Oscar Wilde, Salome |
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209 | (3) |
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Herod offers Salome any treasure to relieve him of his oath to grant her the head of Jokanaan |
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(1893) Oscar Wilde, Salome |
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212 | (2) |
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Sherlock Holmes, while enjoying his seven-percent solution, anticipates the arrest and demise of Moriarty |
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(1899) William H. Gillette, Sherlock Holmes, Act 2, Sc. 2 |
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214 | (4) |
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Mr. O'Connell, a Catholic of conscience, is asked for political reasons not to denounce his wife's adulterer |
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(1907) Harley Granville Barker, Waste, Act 3 |
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218 | (6) |
COMEDY |
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GREEK |
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Dicaeopolis speaks his mind about the stupid reasons for the current war |
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(425 BC) Aristophanes, The Acharnians, tr. Jack Flavin |
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224 | (3) |
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Aristophanes argues the case for his comedy's winning first prize |
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(421 BC) Aristophanes, Peace, tr. Fred Beake |
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227 | (3) |
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Mnesilochus, in drag at the women's festival, defends his nephew Euripides' attacks on women |
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(411 BC) Aristophanes, Thesmaphoriazusae, tr. Anonymous |
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230 | (3) |
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Blepyrus, needing to take a crap in the dead of night, has no choice but to wear his wife's clothing |
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(392 BC) Aristophanes, Ecclesiazusae, tr. Anonymous |
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233 | (3) |
ITALIAN RENAISSANCE |
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Fra Timoteo persuades Lucrezia that it is pious to commit adultery |
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(c1515-20) Machiavelli, Mandragola, tr. Kenneth and Laura Richards, Act 3, Sc. 11 |
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236 | (4) |
ELIZABETHAN/JACOBEAN |
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Simon Eyre prepares a feast for his king |
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(1599) Thomas Dekker, The Shoemaker's Holiday, Act 5, Sc. 4 |
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240 | (2) |
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Captain Seagull peddles the glories of Virginia to dupes |
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(1604) Marston, Chapman, and Jonson, Eastward Ho!, Act 3, Sc. 3 |
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242 | (2) |
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Touchstone reveals the sins of the shipwrecked to the constable |
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(1604) Marston, Chapman, and Jonson, Eastward Ho!, Act 4, Sc. 2 |
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244 | (2) |
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Volpone welcomes the morning sun and his gold |
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(1606) Ben Jonson, Volpone, Act 1, Sc.1 |
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246 | (2) |
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Volpone, disguised as a mountebank, hawks quack remedies |
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(1606) Ben Jonson, Volpone, Act 2, Sc. 1 |
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248 | (3) |
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Morose, who can bear no noise, instructs his servant mute |
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(1609) Ben Johnson, Epicoene, or The Silent Woman, Act 2, Sc. 1 |
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251 | (4) |
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Morose interviews a potentially silent wife |
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(1609) Ben Johnson, Epicoene, or The Silent Woman, Act 2, Sc. 5 |
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255 | (3) |
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Sir Epicure Mammon prepares for projection's success |
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(1610) Ben Johnson, The Alchemist, Act 2, Sc.2 |
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258 | (3) |
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Allwit congratulates himself on the ease and profit of his cuckold's life |
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(1612) Thomas Middleton, A Chaste Maid of Cheapside, Act 1, Sc. 2 |
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261 | (3) |
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Overreach tutors his daughter in marital entrapment |
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(1621-22) Philip Massinger, A New Way to Pay Old Debts, Act 3, Sc. 2 |
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264 | (4) |
XVII CENTURY FRENCH |
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Arnolphe explains his procedure for raising a perfect wife in perfect ignorance |
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(1662) Jean-Baptiste Moliere, The School for Wives, tr. Morris Bishop, Act 1, Sc. 1 |
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268 | (2) |
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Don Juan's father condemns his son for shaming his heritage |
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(1665) Jean-Baptiste Moliere, Don Juan, tr. G. Graveley and I. Maclean, Act 4, Sc. 6 |
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270 | (2) |
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Harpagon, fearing his treasure stolen, runs mad |
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(1668) Jean-Baptiste Moliere, The Miser, tr. G. Graveley and I. Maclean, Act 4, Sc. 7 |
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272 | (4) |
RESTORATION |
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Pinchwife apprehends his wife authoring a letter of her own invention |
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(1675) William Wycherley, The Country Wife, Act 4 |
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276 | (2) |
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Sir Feeble, with the help of his man Francis (his rival in disguise), readies for bedtime with his new bride |
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(1686) Aphra Behn, The Lucky Chance, Act 3. Sc. 1 |
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278 | (3) |
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Jupiter, bidding farewell to Alcmene after their night of love, claims a higher place in her esteem than ``husband'' |
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(1690) John Dryden, Amphitryon, Act 2, Sc. 1 |
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281 | (3) |
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Jupiter, out of the machine, makes all things clear |
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(1690) John Dryden, Amphitryon, Act 5, Sc. 1 |
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284 | (2) |
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Fondlewife, while warning his wife of adultery, is melted by her tears |
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(1693) William Congreve, The Old Bachelor, Act 4, Passage excerpted from Scs. 2, 3, 4 |
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286 | (2) |
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Coupler the Matchmaker dreams up a scheme to get one brother wealthily wived at the expense of the other |
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(1696) John Vanbrugh, The Relapse, Act 1, Sc. 3 |
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288 | (4) |
XVIII CENTURY ENGLISH |
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Sable the Undertaker rehearses his regular mourners for the coming funeral |
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(1701) Richard Steele, The Funeral, Act 1, Sc. 1 |
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292 | (3) |
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Puzzle the Attorneys explains the profit for lawyers of professional ofuscation and tautology |
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(1701) Richard Steele, The Funeral, Act 1, Sc. 2 |
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295 | (2) |
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Sir Jealous Traffic, devoted to Spanish custom, confines his daughter to Spanish honor's constraints |
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(1709) Susannah Centlivre, The Busybody, Act 2, Sc. 2 |
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297 | (2) |
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The merchant Sealand boldly counters Sir John's claims of aristocracy's privileged morality |
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(1722) Richard Steele, The Conscious Lovers, Act 4, Sc. 2 |
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299 | (3) |
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Peachum considers which of his henchmen he will betray today for execution |
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(1728) John Gay, The Beggar's Opera, Act 1, Sc. 3 |
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302 | (2) |
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Peachum warns against the evil of marriage |
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(1728) John Gay, The Beggar's Opera, Act 1, Sc. 4 |
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304 | (2) |
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Macheath welcomes his ladies to the tavern with song |
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(1728) John Gay, The Beggar's Opera, Act 2, Sc. 4 |
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306 | (2) |
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Sir Simon, after overhearing his wife's seducer's pleading, considers the fate of husbands |
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(1735) Henry Fielding, The Universal Gallant, Act 5 |
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308 | (2) |
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Trapwit directs his actors and explains the play |
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(1736) Henry Fielding, Pasquin, Act 2, Sc. 1 |
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310 | (2) |
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Fustian recites his play's dedication for the edification of his friends |
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(1736) Henry Fielding, Pasquin, Act 3, Sc. 1 |
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312 | (2) |
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Fustian catalogues the miseries of the playwright |
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(1736) Henry Fielding, Pasquin, Act 4, Sc. 1 |
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314 | (1) |
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Knowell notes how the greatest corrupters of children are their parents |
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(1751) Ben Jonson, Everyman in His Humour, ad. David Garrick, Act 2, Sc. 2 |
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315 | (3) |
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Captain Bobadill explains how, with twenty men trained by himself, he could eradicate an army of forty thousand |
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(1751) Ben Jonson, Everyman in His Humour, ad. David Garrick, Act 4, Sc. 2 |
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318 | (2) |
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Don John, mortified, finds himself saddled with a crying baby |
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(1754) Beaumont and Fletcher, The Chances, ad. David Garrick, Act 1, Sc. 5 |
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320 | (3) |
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Sir Anthony Absolute, in a violent passion, demands his son marry as he commands, or else |
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(1775) Richard Brinsley Sheridan, The Rivals, Act 2, Sc. 1 |
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323 | (2) |
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Sir Peter tries to fathom why his wife, always in the wrong, quarrels with him |
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(1777) Richard Brinsley Sheridan, The School for Scandal, Act 1, Sc. 2 |
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325 | (2) |
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Censor is censorious against Mrs. Voluble's discourse |
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(1779) Francis Burney, The Witlings, Act 1, Sc. 1 |
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327 | (2) |
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Dabbler the Poet is lost in the throes of composition |
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(1779) Francis Burney, The Witlings, Act 3, Sc.1 |
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329 | (5) |
XIX CENTURY GERMAN/SCANDINAVIAN |
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Stramand, the village pastor, defends his ``barnyard fowl's'' life against the poet Falk's ``soaring eagle'' |
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(1862) Henrik Ibsen, Love's Comedy, tr. M. Zelenak and L. Katz, Act 3 |
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334 | (2) |
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Gulstad, who offers ordinary marriage, contends with Falk's passionate offer of the extraordinary |
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(1862) Henrik Ibsen, Love's Comedy, tr. M. Zelenak and L. Katz, Act 3 |
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336 | (4) |
|
Peer Gynt peels an onion which sums up his life |
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(1867) Henrik Ibsen, Peer Gynt, tr. Wm. Archer, Act 5, Sc. 5 |
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340 | (6) |
XIX/XX CENTURY ENGLISH |
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Sir Robert Chiltern confesses to the youthful crime that has given him his wealth and position |
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(1895) Oscar Wilde, An Ideal Husband, Act 2 |
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346 | (2) |
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Julius Caesar reads the riddle of the sphinx |
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(1899) Bernard Shaw, Caesar and Cleopatra, Act 1 |
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348 | (2) |
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Shaw, through the mouth of young Aubrey, mourns the unhinging of Western Civilization's values following the First World War |
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(1932) Bernard Shaw, Too True To Be Good, Act 3 |
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350 | (5) |
Glossary of Greek and Roman Names |
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355 | |