a literary device in which objects, persons, or actions are equated with secondary, figurative meanings that underlie their literal meaning
amphora
a two-handled vessel used for oil or wine (see Figures 4.7 and 5.4)
antagonist
the character that directly opposes the protagonist in drama or fiction
catalog
a list of people, things, or attributes, characteristic of biblical and Homeric literature
democracy
a government in which supreme power is vested in the people
dialectical method
a question-and-answer style of inquiry made famous by Socrates
empirical method
a method of inquiry dependent on direct experience or observation
epithet
a characterizing word or phrase; in Homeric verse, a compound adjective used to identify a person or thing
ethics
that branch of philosophy that sets forth the principles of human conduct
hubris
excessive pride; arrogance
idealism (Platonic)
the theory that holds that things in the material world are manifestations of an independent realm of unchanging, immaterial ideas of forms (see also Kantian idealism, chapter 25)
oligarchy
a government in which power lies in the hands of an elite minority
protagonist
the leading character in a play or story
syllogism
a deductive scheme of formal argument, consisting of two premises from which a conclusion may be drawn
