The Boys from Syracuse - Center Stage

Diogenes (died 320 BC)A Greek philosopher andfounder of the Cynic schoolwho advocated self-controland the pursuit of virtuethrough simple living. He issaid to have once wanderedthrough the streets ofAthens in daylight, holdinga lantern, searching—hesaid—for an honest man.Needless to say, he didn’tfind one.drachma the basic monetary unit of ancient Greece.forum The marketplace or public square of ancient Romancities; the center of judicial and business affairs and a placeof assembly for the people.hoosegow A slang term for a jail, from the Spanish juzgado.Maestro A master of any art, and a title of respect used inaddressing or referring to such a person.metropolis A major city, especially the chief city of a countryor region or one regarded as the center of a specific activity.Also, in ancient Greece, the mother city of an overseas colony.oracle at Delphi Oracles were shrines where one could receiveprophecies or answers from the gods by means of a priest orpriestess—the actual oracle. The one at Delphi was one of themost famous of the many in ancient Greece. The priestess,sitting on a tripod and inhaling the vapors from a sulfur spring,responded to queries—usually in cryptic phrases that were soambiguous and so obscure they risked being quite misleading.See the plight of poor old Oedipus. Today we have Horoscopes.Ovid (43 BC-17 AD) A Roman poet who wrote on topics of love,women, and mythological transformations. Ranked alongsideVirgil and Horace as one of the three canonical poets of Latinliterature, Ovid was generally considered the greatest masterof the elegiac couplet. His poetry, much imitated during lateantiquity and the Middle Ages, had a decisive influence onEuropean art and literature for centuries. He was best knownfor his Metamorphoses (retellings of ancient myths andlegends) and his Ars Amatoria, a how-to Guide to Romance forthe lovelorn ancient.philander To carry on a sexual affair, especially an extramaritalaffair, with a woman not one’s wife. To dally, or engage inmany love affairs, especially with a frivolous or casual attitude.Fancy word for cheating or “messing around.”Plato (427–347 BC) Greek philosopher. A follower of Socrates,he presented his ideas through dramatic dialogues, in the mostcelebrated of which (The Republic) the interlocutors advocatea utopian society ruled by philosophers trained in Platonicmetaphysics. He taught and wrote for much of his life at theAcademy, which he founded near Athens in 386 BC. Known forhis philosophy of ideal forms, beyond the physical world, andso associated with ideal—and non-physical—love in particular.Pygmalion and Galatea Characters (pictured in Gerome’sfamous clinch, right) foundin Ovid’s Metamorphoses.Pygmalion is a lonely Cypriotsculptor who carves a woman,Galatea, out of ivory and fallsin love with the lifelike imagehe’s created. He offers thestatue presents and eventuallyprays to Venus, who takespity on him and brings thestatue to life. They marry andhave a son, Paphos. A sourcefor Shaw’s Pygmalion and themusical My Fair Lady.quorum The number of members of a group or organizationrequired to be present to transact business legally, usually amajority; a particularly chosen group.recriminations Accusations, especially countercharges againstan accuser.Rotarian A member of a Rotary Club: a local social serviceclub of business and professional men that is a memberof a world-wide organization of similar clubs—RotaryInternational—devoted to serving the community andpromoting world peace. Like many such organizations—theElks, the Lions, the Shriners—popular in the early 20 th Century.Senator In this case, a member of ancient Rome’s supremecouncil of state.Spartacus A Thracian gladiator who led a slave revolt in Italy(73–71 BC). He defeated Roman armies in southern Italy, buthis forces were crushed at Lucania, where Spartacus waskilled and many of his troops were crucified. >>>Next Stage: The Boys from Syracuse | 14