Glossary of Terms
Behoove: To be necessary; to require; to oblige.
Bower: An arbor or a rustic cottage.
Censure: Opinion or assessment, without negative connotations, as in "the King's censure."
Close with: To meet secretly with.
Coy it: To affect shyness, as in "Although she coy it, as becomes her kind" (II.iii.3).
Despite: Hatred.
Doom: A decision or judgment, without negative connotations. A phrase like "Will both abide the censure of my doom," for example, can address a positive issue (I.ii.175).
Entreat: To beg; to ask earnestly.
Fortune: A neutral word, as Fortune's Wheel brings a subject both high and low.
Gallery: An upper stage from where important guests can watch a play on the main stage.
Gear: Affairs or business, as in "When shall we to this gear?" (III.vi.23)
Guerdon: A reward.
Infect: As an adjective, the word indicates something that is infected and thus tainted or poisonous.
Miracle: A supernatural event; a wonder in the most neutral sense of the word, as in "What means this unexpected miracle?" (III.ii.32)
Pompous: Characterized by splendor and magnificence (in this context, without disparaging connotations).
Scutcheon: Usually spelled "escutcheon"; a shield with a coat of arms depicted.
Sound: To measure the depths of something; figuratively, to understand or comprehend, as in "I sound not well the mystery" (I.v.24).
Train: A body of attendants, such as the king's retinue.
Valiancy: A variant of valiance; bravery, valor, courage.
Wrought: An archaic form of "worked."
ClassicNote on The Spanish Tragedy
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