Useful Definitions Flashcards
Prelapsarian
Characteristic of the time before the Fall of Man; innocent and unspoilt
Epithet
An adjective or phrase expressing a quality or attribute regarded as characteristic of the person or thing mentioned
old men are often unfairly awarded the epithet ‘dirty’
Uxorious
Having or showing a great or excessive fondness for one’s wife
Salvation
Preservation or deliverance from harm, ruin, or loss
Redemption
The action of saving or being saved from sin, error, or evil
Piety
The quality of being religious or reverent
Prohibition
The action of forbidding something, especially by law
Idolatrous
Relating to or practising idolatry
Sophistry
The use of clever but false arguments, especially with the intention of deceiving
Vacuous
Having or showing a lack of thought or intelligence; mindless
Omniscient
All knowing
Omnipotent
Having unlimited power
Postlapsarian
After the Fall
Protagonist
Leading character
Primogeniture
First born male to inherit family estate
Aristocracy
Hereditary power and position
Meritocracy
Power and position achieved through talent rather than birth
Filial
Relating to or due from a son or daughter
Unscrupulous
Having or showing no moral principles; not honest or fair
Subordinate
Lower in rank or position
Superlative
Expressing the highest degree of a quality (e.g. bravest, most fiercely). An exaggerated or hyperbolical expression of praise.
Adjective
Describing word
Pernicious
Having a harmful effect in a gradual way
Antithetical syntax
Language directly opposed or contrasted
‘The more I see / Pleasures about me, so much more I feel torment within me
Platonic love
Love that is chaste and non-sexual. The term is named after Plato, who philosophized about the nature of love.
Catharsis
The process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from, strong or repressed emotions.
Machiavellianism
Any means (however unscrupulous) can be used by a ruler in order to create and maintain his autocratic government (The Cardinal in 'Tis Pity')
Pathos
A quality that evokes pity or sadness.
“the actor injects his customary humour and pathos into the role”
Caesura
A pause near the middle of a line
Venial sin
“forgivable” sin
Mortal sin
Wrongful acts that condemn a person to Hell after death if unforgiven
Concupiscence
Strong sexual desire; lust
Stichomythia
Dialogue in which two characters speak alternate lines of verse, used as a stylistic device in ancient Greek drama.
(Shows sexual tension between Annabella and Soranzo, also shows Annabella and Giovanni belong together)
Preordain
Decided/ determined beforehand
