Download Standards Focus: Allusions and Terminology to Know

Name ___________________________________________ Period __________
Standards Focus: Allusions and Terminology to Know
Allusions are literary references to well-known persons, places and events. A Midsummer Night’s
Dream makes many allusions to mythology and ancient folklore which helps to make the story more
fantastical and interesting.
1. Athens: a city in southeastern Greece. In this play, Athens is ancient Greece, a place from which
came large contributions to the arts and sciences.
2. Aurora: Roman goddess of the dawn
3. Carthage: in ancient times, Carthage was a great city on the northern coast of Africa
4. Cupid (Eros): in Roman mythology, Cupid is the son of Venus, the goddess of love. In Greek myths
he is Eros, the god of love. Cupid and Eros were said to wound individuals with their arrows, causing
mortals to fall in love.
5. Daphne: a nymph who was transformed into a tree so that she might be saved from Apollo, the
Greek god of the sun, who had fallen in love with her
6. Diana: Roman Goddess of the moon, hunt, and chastity
7. Hippolyta: an Amazonian queen; married Theseus
8. May-day: a holiday celebrated on May 1st; a celebration of the coming spring
9. Muse: in Greek mythology, one of the nine daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne, goddess of memory;
Muses inspired and presided over the creative arts.
10. Ninus: legendary founder of Nineveh, a city in ancient Mesopotamia
11. Oberon: legendary king of the elves and fairies
12. Phoebe: also called Artemis; twin sister of Apollo (Pheobus); traditionally associated with the moon
13. Puck (Robin Goodfellow): a mischievous spirit of nature; a creature of British folklore
14. Theseus: a legendary king of Athens; involved in many mythological battles; eventually
conquered and wed the Amazon queen, Hippolyta
15. Titania: a name given to the daughters of titans
16. Trojan: someone from the ancient city of Troy, a famous city of Greek legend.
17. Venus: the Roman goddess of love, beauty, and fertility
2008 Secondary Solutions
©
- 18 -
A Midsummer Night’s Dream Literature Guide