When authors refer to other great works, people, and events, it’s usually not accidental. Put on your super-sleuth hat and figure out why.
Literary and Philosophical References
- Beattie, The Minstrel (1.3.3), (1.3.15), (1.6.1), (1.7.1).
- William Collins, "Ode to a Lady on the Death of Colonel Ross in the Action of Fontenoy" (1.8.1), (1.11.1).
- Goldsmith, The Traveller (2.1.1).
- Mason, "Ode; to a Friend" (1.9.1).
- Milton, Comus (1.6.66), (4.19.1).
- Sayers, Moina (2.11.1).
- Shakespeare, Antony and Cleopatra (2.8.1).
- Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream (2.2.1).
- Shakespeare, Julius Caesar (2.3.1), (2.6.1).
- Shakespeare, Measure for Measure (2.12.1).
- Thomson, Britannia (2.3.118).
- Thomson, The Seasons, "Autumn" (1.1.1-4)
- Thomson, The Seasons, "Summer" (1.1.49).
- Thomson, The Seasons, "Spring" (1.4.43).
- Thomson, The Seasons, "Winter" (2.6.1).
- Thomson, The Castle of Indolence (1.6.1), (1.13.1).
- Petrarch (1.6.10).
Historical References
- Charlemagne and his twelve peers (4.19.1). Charlemagne, the Frankish king, supposedly hired twelve of his bravest knights to guard over him.
- Condittieri (2.6.55). Let's hear it for the professional mercenaries popular between the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries.
- Hannibal (2.1.19). This dude was a Carthaginian general who invaded Italy with elephants.