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midsummer day and midsummer night

(Encyclopedia)midsummer day and midsummer night, names given to the feast of the nativity of St. John the Baptist (June 24) and the preceding night (St. John's Eve, June 23). Because midsummer is about the time of ...

Diamond, David

(Encyclopedia)Diamond, David, 1915–2005, American composer, b. Rochester, N.Y. Diamond was trained at the Cleveland Institute of Music and the Eastman School; he also studied with Roger Sessions in New York and N...

Cobb, Lee J.

(Encyclopedia)Cobb, Lee J., 1911–76, American actor, b. New York City. He first performed with the Pasadena (Calif.) Playhouse in 1929 and made his Broadway debut in Crime and Punishment (1935). Cobb created the ...

Gamelyn, The Tale of

(Encyclopedia)Gamelyn, The Tale of gămˈəlĭn [key], a romance in verse, written c.1350, containing about 900 lines. It tells of the tribulations of a young man abused by his older brothers. The tale survives in ...

Bürger, Gottfried August

(Encyclopedia)Bürger, Gottfried August gôtˈfrēt ouˈgo͝ost bürˈgər [key], 1747–94, German poet. He is best known for his ballads in folk-song style; the famous Lenore (1773) was widely translated and had ...

Troilus and Cressida

(Encyclopedia)Troilus and Cressida troiˈləs, krĕsˈĭdə [key], a medieval romance distantly related to characters in Greek legend. Troilus, a Trojan prince (son of Priam and Hecuba), fell in love with Cressida ...

Playfair, Sir Nigel

(Encyclopedia)Playfair, Sir Nigel nīˈjəl plāˈfâr [key], 1874–1934, English actor-manager. He made his acting debut in 1902 and later appeared in major London productions of Shaw and Shakespeare. He took on ...

Sládek, Joseph Václav

(Encyclopedia)Sládek, Joseph Václav yôˈzĕf vätsˈläf släˈdĕk [key], 1845–1912, Czech poet and translator. He lived in the United States from 1868 to 1870. Sládek later taught English in Prague and tran...

Cymbeline

(Encyclopedia)Cymbeline kyo͞oˌnōbĭlīˈnəs [key], d. c.a.d. 40, British king. His conquest of the Trinovantes (of Essex) reportedly made him the wealthiest and most powerful ruler in SE England. After his deat...

Chamberlain's Men

(Encyclopedia)Chamberlain's Men, Elizabethan theatrical company for which Shakespeare, a joint owner of the company, wrote his plays and served as actor. Organized in 1594, they performed at the Globe and at the Bl...
 

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