Time Period/Key Philosophies/Allusions

Sigmund Freud
Austrian psychoanalyst known for his theories of the unconscious mind
Introduced the idea of the relationship between the id, ego, and super ego, as well as the Oedipal complex

Unconscious Mind
Collection of mental phenomena that a person's mind is not aware of
Include unconscious feelings, hidden desires, unconscious perceptions, complexes

Id/Ego/Super-Ego
Three parts of Sigmund Freud's structure of the psyche
Id is uncontrolled and instinctive; ego is organized and realistic; super-ego is critical and moralizing

Repression
Memories that have been filtered away by the mind
Include traumatic experiences, or experiences one would want to forget

Phallic Symbols
Objects in artistic works that resemble a penis in shape or context
Represent male power and authority

Oedipal Complex
Subconscious feelings and motivations for a boy to sexually possess his mother and kill his father
Introduced by Sigmund Freud, named after Oedipus in Sophocles' Oedipus the King
Analogous to the Electra complex

Electra Complex
A girl's psychosexual competition with her mother for possession of her father
Introduced by Carl Jung
Analogous to the Oedipal complex

Psychoanalysis
Psychological theory that attempts to analyze the thoughts, feelings, and motivations of the unconscious mind
Devised by Sigmund Freud

Great Chain of Being
Christian hierarchical stricture of all matter and life
God > Angels > Humanity > Animals > Earth

Tudor Monarchs
English royal house that ruled from 1485 until 1603
Rose to power in the wake of the War of the Roses
Monarchs include Henry VIII and Elizabeth I


Divine Right of Kings
Political and religious doctrine of royal legitimacy that states the power of a king comes directly and absolutely from God
Thus, the king is not subject to anyone but God
Largely associated with the House of Tudor

Primogeniture
Custom that the firstborn is to inherit the entire estate
Over history, has come to mean the first male born

Henry VIII
King of England known for separating the Church of England from the Roman Catholic Church, starting the English Reformation, and his obsession with producing a male heir
Father of Elizabeth I

Elizabeth I “Virgin Queen”
Queen of England and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty
Set to rule by good counsel, and her reign led to a flourishing in creativity, most notably in English drama, with the rise of playwrights such as William Shakespeare
Daughter of Henry VIII

Hecuba
Wife of King Priam of Troy
Featured in Homer's Illiad

Julius Caesar
Roman dictator who was critical in the formulation of the Roman Empire
Led extensive reforms in Roman society and government
Assassinated by rival politician Brutus

Sir Edmund Hales
Inventor of the piano key tie
Died from spontaneous human combustion

Vanitas
Symbolic work of art
Associated with Northern European painting of the 16th and 17th centuries

Denmark
Scandinavian country in Northern Europe
Setting of Shakespeare's Hamlet

Purgatory
Condition or process of purification or temporary punishment for those who die in a state of grace are made ready for Heaven.
“Heaven's Waiting Room”

Nero
Despotic emperor of Rome
Known for his tyranny, extravagance, and executions

Japhthah
Character in Old Testament, judge over Israel
Described as having led the Israelites into battle against Ammon

Hymen (myth)
God of marriage ceremonies, inspiring feasts, and song
Namesake of hymenaios, a genre of Greek lyric poetry sung during the procession of the bride to the groom's house

Sparrow (Bible)
Just a bird
Yep, I'm pretty sure it's just a bird

University Wits
Group of late 16th century English university-educated playwrights who set the stage for the theatrical Renaissance of Elizabethan England.
Included Christopher Marlowe, Robert Greene, Thomas Nashe

Renaissance Man
Person whose expertise spans a significant number of different subject areas.
Includes Leonardo da Vinci, Galileo Galilei, Goethe, Francis Bacon

Hamnet
Shakespeare's son

Social Mores/Roles of:

Incest (Elizabethan view)
Marriage of one's relatives
Common, seen as preserving purity of the bloodline

Suicide (Elizabethan view)
Seen as an act of immense shame
In Christianity, would be condemned to hell for committing suicide

Responsible Parenting (Elizabethan view)
Beat your kids when they deserve it
(Which is most of the time)