The Tragedy of Arthur: A Novel (66 page)

20.
trebuchet
a swinging catapult.

Act V, Scene IV

1.
An interesting example of “the fog of war.” It is not clear who has attacked first. Does Arthur lose control of his temper or has Mordred lost control of a subtle plan? [
RV
]

2.
proofed unvalued currency
proven as worthless hostages.

3.
unstaid
uncontrollable.

4.
misproud
haughty, wrongly proud.

5.
stale
low-class prostitute.

6.
trad’st upon them
act upon them, deal with them.

7.
Elizabethan zoology viewed young serpents as having concentrated venom, which diluted with maturity. [
RV
]

8.
plainsong
simple truth.

Act V, Scene V

1.
bereft … strain
deprived of his lineage and quality.

2.
poltroon
coward, wretch.

3.
englutting
gulping, devouring.

4.
In fact, Arthur was not at Lincoln (II.vii). [
RV
]

W
ILLIAM
S
HAKESPEARE
was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, England, in 1564, the son of a town official. Likely educated at the local grammar school, Shakespeare then traveled to London in the late 1580s, making his name as an actor, poet, playwright, and co-owner of theaters and theater companies. His career ended as a member and partner of the King’s Men company serving King James I. His works include
Hamlet, Macbeth, King Lear
, and
The Tempest
. He is widely considered the greatest writer in the history of the English language. He died in 1616.

•

A
RTHUR
P
HILLIPS
was born in Minneapolis and educated at Harvard. He has been a child actor, a jazz musician, a speechwriter, a dismally failed entrepreneur, and a five-time
Jeopardy!
champion. He is the author of the novels
Prague, The Egyptologist, Angelica
, and
The Song Is You. The Washington Post
called him “one of the best writers in America,” and
Kirkus Reviews
wrote, in 2009, “Phillips still looks like the best American novelist to have emerged in the present decade.” He lives in New York with his wife and two children.