Analysis of Roman Architecture: From Renaissance to Baroque
Acqua Felice Fountain by Domenico Fontana
This fountain, a grand triumphal arch, showcases a fusion of architectural styles. Its three spans, topped with a penthouse bearing Sixtus V’s inscription, are crowned by a broken pediment with curving lines and spiral-ending buttresses. These elements echo the Renaissance Doric style while incorporating Mannerist touches that disrupt the verticality.
Obelisks on either side emphasize the vertical axis, while Corinthian columns adorned with scroll-connected
Read MoreThematic Analysis of Sophocles’ Theban Plays: Unwritten Law, Truth, and Fate
Themes
Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a literary work.
The Power of Unwritten Law
After defeating Polynices and taking the throne of Thebes, Creon commands that Polynices be left to rot unburied, his flesh eaten by dogs and birds, creating an “obscenity” for everyone to see (Antigone , 231). Creon thinks that he is justified in his treatment of Polynices because the latter was a traitor, an enemy of the state, and the security of the state makes all of human
Read MoreReflections of Love and Longing
Of Sea and Sun
Of sea and sun have the name of a virgin is your face, your lips are rubies, sapphire your eyes, your sweetness is infinite, as infinite is the sky, that serene face and eyes like stars. Who can pass by you without looking and let out a sigh, a compliment without words?
For sea and sun with that dream,
Rafael
I’m the Dreamer
I’m the dreamer, kiss that wind knob, and I hope will perch on your cheeks and take without suspicions. And if the rest on your cheeks, lightly stepping, is why
Read MoreAmerican Literature: A Journey Through Imagination, Freedom, and Identity
Main Ideas in Edgar Allan Poe’s “Sonnet—To Science”
Science vs. Poetry
This sonnet explores the perceived conflict between science and imagination, portraying science as a restrictive force that limits the poet’s ability to find wonder and beauty in the world.
- Science as a Vulture: Science is compared to a vulture, its penetrating gaze dissecting and altering the mysteries of nature, leaving behind dull realities.
- The Poet as a Bird: In contrast, the poet is depicted as another kind of bird, one that
Architectural Masterpieces of Antiquity and the Middle Ages
The Colosseum
The Colosseum is a monumental building designed to accommodate about 50,000 spectators. It was built by Nero in the Domus Aurea and was originally called the Coliseum, because beside an artificial lake that connected to the gate of the forums had a statue of Nero (portrayed as the God Helio) of colossal dimensions. It has an onion-shaped structure, with different sections of arches used to support the different heights of the stands. The arches are intercolumnar, and the columns are
Read MoreThe Protestant Reformation: A Historical Overview
Santa Teresa
Santa Teresa was born in 1515 in Avila, Spain. Her father and mother were noble Castilians. Teresa was the sixth of twelve children. Raised in a Christian environment, at 15 her father sent her to the Augustinian convent in Avila. Still a young girl, she lost her mother. Teresa always showed an extroverted and sympathetic character. At age 7, she showed special interest in reading the lives of the saints, which gave way to reading novels of chivalry. Her brother Rodrigo and she had a
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