Rachel Sinex

pg. 76 – Parsifal
Parsifal is a three act opera written in 1882 by German composer Richard Wagner. The opera is loosely based on the poem Parzifal by Wolfram von Eschenbach. The opera follows Parsifal, a young man who is a “pure fool,” meaning he is innocent. Throughout the opera, he begins to understand the world. In the opera, The Holy Grail and the Holy Spear are given to Titurel and a band of Christian knights to protect from Klingsor, a wizard. Klingsor obtains the Holy Spear by using maidens under his power to lure the knights. The only one who can retrieve the spear is a “pure fool,” who would know nothing of the evil world and thus could resist the maidens. 

pg. 76 – Isolde
Character from the Irish legends of Tristan and Isolde. Isolde is an Irish princess married to Mark of Cornwall. During their courtship, Mark of Cornwall sends his nephew Tristan to go win the hand of Isolde for him and bring her back, but while they journey back to Mark, they both accidentally drink a love potion meant for Mark and Isolde. The two fall madly in love, and Mark of Cornwall banishes Tristan in order to marry Isolde. Despite Mark’s efforts, the two use trickery to reunite.

pg. 76 – Ugo
Character in Wings who appears in part III. Ugo is a musician who lives in Italy and is Vanya and Daniil Ivanovich’s friend and guide while they are in Rome.

pg. 76 – Mori (aka the Canon)
Character in part III of Wings. Vanya travels with Mori to Florence and Sicily.

pg. 77 – Moratti
Moratti is Ugo’s aunt who is also referred to as the Marquise. Vanya ends up visiting Ugo before leaving Rome and ends up meeting Stroop again. This meeting is the beginning of the conclusion of Wings, where Vanya decides to leave with Stroop and embrace his homosexuality.

pg. 77 – Coliseum
The Coliseum is a historic site in Rome, Italy. It is also known as the Flavian Amphitheater and was built from 70-80 A.D. The Coliseum was the largest built amphitheater and could hold up to 80,000 spectators at a time. People would go to the Coliseum to watch gladiator battles, public speeches, and simulation water battles.

pg. 77 – The Forums
The forums refer to a historic site in Rome, Italy. Also known as the Forum Romanum, it is a rectangular forum surrounded by the ruins of several important ancient Roman government buildings. During its time, the forum was a marketplace and popular public space in Rome. 

pg. 77 – Palatine Hill
Palatine Hill is another historic site in Rome, Italy. This hill is the centermost of the seven Roman hills which make up the city. This site now holds ruins and museums, but was once site to Roman imperial palaces.

pg. 77 – Phidias
Phidias was a famous Greek sculptor and artist. His sculpture “Statue of Zeus at Olympia” is one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Phidias also designed the statues of Athena for the Athenian Acropolis. In Wings Vanya and Daniil Ivanovich discuss the Ilian Torso and the other works of Phidias. This is an important moment as Vanya is coming to terms with his homosexuality in that their discussion centers around the beauty of the male form. 

pg. 78 – Marcus Aurelius
Marcus Aurelius (121 - 180 A.D.) was the emperor of Rome from 161 to 180 A.D. He was also a stoic philosopher during the time. Marcus Aurelius was the last of the “Five Good Emperors” of Rome and was the last ruler during the Pax Romana, which was an age of peace and stability for Rome. His reign however, was generally marked by military conflict and resulted in a lot of deaths.

pg. 78 – Romanticism
An intellectual and artistic movement in the 18th and 19th centuries that emphasized nature, inspiration, and intense emotion. In Wings, Romanticism is referred to when Vanya is discussing his distrust of Stroop after the incident with Ida Goldberg and implies that Vanya is being overdramatic.

pg. 79 – Cato
Cato the Elder (234 - 149 B.C.) was a Greek senator and philosopher known for both his conservatism and his opposition to Hellenism. 

pg. 81 – Thomas Aquinas
Thomas Aquinas (1225 - 1274) was an Italian Dominican friar and philosopher. Thomas was inspired by Aristotle and tried to combine Aristotelian philosophy with Christianity. 

pg. 81 – Don Quixote
Don Quixote is a Spanish novel by Miguel de Cervantes. It was written in two parts, published in 1605 and 1615 respectively. In the novel, Alonso Quixano, a nobleman. Decides to become a knight to revive chivalry. Under the new name Don Quixote, he recruits a farmer, Sancho Panza, and goes on a journey as a knight-errant. 

pg. 81 – Lives of the Saints
Lives of the Saints is a Polish book published in 1756 by Jesuit Piotr Skarga. It became one of the most popular Polish books and is now a Polish classic. The book is a work of hagiography, and focuses on the lives of Catholic Saints. The book was popular among the Church and common readers for its depiction of moral values, national and international politics, and detailed descriptions of torture.

pg. 81 – Seneca
Seneca (4 B.C. - 65 A.D.) was a Roman Stoic Philosopher. His works which include plays and prose include discussions of morals.

pg. 81 – Anacreon
Anacreon (582 - 485 B.C.) was a Greek Lyric Poet known for both drinking and erotic poems.

pg. 82 – Madonna “of Good Counsel”
A title Given to the Virgin Mary in Christianity

pg. 82 – St Luigi of Gonzaga
St. Luigi of Gonzaga was an Italian Aristocrat turned Saint for dying while caring for those ill during a serious epidemic. 

pg. 82 – Aspergill
An implement used to sprinkle Holy Water which is often found in Churches. 

pg. 82 – Vasari
Vasari (1511 - 1574) was an Italian painter, architect, writer, and historian. He was best known for his book Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects, which was thought of as the foundation of art history writing. Additionally, he was the first to use the term ‘Renaissance’ in writing.

pg. 83 – Sacchetti
Sacchetti (1335 - 1400) was an Italian author and poet known for his writing of political and moral views. His writing, especially poetry, relies on oral tradition and his observation of everyday life.