Renaissance and Drama Concepts

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Renaissance

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The cultural "rebirth" in Europe from the 1450s to 1650s, based on rediscovery of ancient classical texts, affecting art, science, literature, and more.

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Great Chain of Being

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A Renaissance belief from ancient Greece that the universe is ordered in a rigid hierarchy from God to rocks, representing a "natural order."

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Macrocosm: Microcosm

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The belief that the order in larger units is identical to the order in smaller units, e.g., cosmos to ruler, kingdom to parent.

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Succession

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The transition of power from one ruler to the next, which can be peaceful or disruptive.

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Usurp

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To take a position of power or importance illegally or by force, e.g., "Richard usurped the throne."

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Ambitious Overreacher

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A disruptive character who seeks power beyond the norm through illicit means.

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Humor

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In Elizabethan psychology, personality was dictated by four body fluids: blood, yellow bile, black bile, and phlegm, affecting behavior.

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The 4 Temperaments

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Personality types determined by the dominant "humor": Sanguine (blood), Choleric (yellow bile), Melancholic (black bile), Phlegmatic (phlegm).

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Drama

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A literary work meant to be enacted on stage by actors for an audience.

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Tragedy

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A drama type where the plot moves from order to chaos, often ending with most characters dead, due to an infraction in the natural order.