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actor - A male theatrical performer. actress - A female theatrical performer. apothecaries - pharmacists. attack - A piece is in position and ready to capture an opponent's piece on the next move. armor - A defensive covering, as of metal, wood, or leather, worn to protect the body against weapons. battle - Armed fighting; combat. bishop - 1. A high-ranking Christian cleric. 2. A usually miter-shaped chess piece that can move diagonally across any number of unoccupied spaces. brooch - A relatively large decorative pin or clasp. capture - To move a piece onto the square that is occupied by an opponent's piece. The opponent's piece is then removed from the board and out of the game. cast - The actors in a play, movie, or other theatrical presentation. castling - Moving the king in chess from its own square two empty squares to one side and then, in the same move, bring the rook from that side to the square immediately past the new position of the king. cauldron - A large vessel, such as a kettle or vat, used for boiling. chess master - one who has shown exemplary skill in playing chess. chivalry - The medieval system, principles, and customs of knighthood. climax - The turning point of the play. conflict - The problem that the characters need to solve. Crusades - Any of the military expeditions undertaken by European Christians in the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries to recover the Holy Land from the Muslims. denouement - The final resolution or clarification of a dramatic or narrative plot. developing - Moving (a chess piece) to or toward a more strategic position. diagonal - Having a slanted or oblique direction. dialogue - Conversation between characters in a drama or narrative. diction - Degree of clarity and distinctness of pronunciation in speech or singing; enunciation. diocese - The district or churches under the jurisdiction of a bishop. director - A person who supervises the creative aspects of a dramatic production or film and instructs the actors and crew. draw - To end or leave (a contest) tied or undecided. etiquette - Rules governing socially acceptable behavior. fenestral - A windowlike opening. feudalism - A political and economic system of Europe from the 9th to about the 15th century, based on the holding of all land in fief or fee and the resulting relation of lord to vassal and characterized by homage, legal and military service of tenants, and forfeiture. fiefdom - The estate or domain of a feudal lord. fiefs - The estates or domains of a feudal lord. fork - A move in which one piece threatens two other pieces in risk that one of the pieces will be taken. hearth - The floor of a fireplace. horizontal - At right angles to a vertical line. inciting incident - The event which triggers the problem of the play. joust - A combat between two mounted knights or men-at-arms using lances. keep - The stronghold of a castle. king - 1. A male sovereign. 2. The principal chess piece, which can move one square in any direction and must be protected against checkmate. knight - 1. A medieval tenant giving military service as a mounted man-at-arms to a feudal landholder. 2. A chess piece, usually in the shape of a horse's head, that can be moved two squares along a rank and one along a file or two squares along a file and one along a rank. The knight is the only piece that can jump other pieces to land on an open square. lance - A thrusting weapon with a long wooden shaft and a sharp metal head. lord - A man of high rank in a feudal society or in one that retains feudal forms and institutions. mace - A heavy medieval war club with a spiked or flanged metal head, used to crush armor. manor - A landed estate. medieval - Relating or belonging to the Middle Ages. merchant - One whose occupation is the wholesale purchase and retail sale of goods for profit. Middle Ages - The period in European history between antiquity and the Renaissance, often dated from A.D. 476 to 1453. opponent - One that opposes another or others in a battle, contest, controversy, or debate. originate - To bring into being; create. parish - An administrative part of a diocese that has its own church in the Anglican, Roman Catholic, and some other churches. paten -A plate, usually of gold or silver. pawn - A chess piece of lowest value that may move forward one square at a time or two squares in the first move, capture other pieces only on a one-space diagonal forward move, and be promoted to any piece other than a king upon reaching the eighth rank. peasant - A member of the class constituted by small farmers and tenants, sharecroppers, and laborers on the land where they form the main labor force in agriculture. peddler - One who travels about selling wares for a living. pilgrim - One who embarks on a quest for something conceived of as sacred. pilgrimage - A journey to a sacred place or shrine. pin - One piece is rendered unable to be moved for threat of the capture of an important piece or the king. plot - The pattern of events or main story in a narrative or drama. pottage - A thick soup or stew of vegetables and sometimes meat. precursor - One that precedes and indicates, suggests, or announces someone or something to come. producer - One who supervises and controls the finances, creation, and public presentation of a play, film, program, or similar work. production - A staging or presentation of a theatrical work rank - To place in a row or rows. resin - Any of numerous clear to translucent yellow or brown, solid or semisolid, viscous substances of plant origin, such as copal, rosin, and amber, used principally in lacquers, varnishes, inks, adhesives, synthetic plastics, and pharmaceuticals. resolution - Finding a solution to a problem. role - A character or part played by a performer. rook - A chess piece that may move in a straight line over any number of empty squares in a rank or file. Also called castle. scenery - Backdrops, hangings, furnishings, and other accessories on a stage that represent the location of a scene. serf - A member of the lowest feudal class, attached to the land owned by a lord and required to perform labor in return for certain legal or customary rights. set - An arrangement of scenery on a theater stage.. skewer - The movement of one piece gives an opportunity to capture another piece. sovereign - One that exercises supreme, permanent authority, especially in a nation or other governmental unit, as a king, queen, or other noble person who serves as chief of state; a ruler or monarch. spectacle - A public performance or display, especially one on a large or lavish scale. stage direction - An instruction written as part of the script of a play. stalemate - A drawing position in chess in which the king, although not in check, can move only into check and no other piece can move. strategy - A plan of action resulting from strategy or intended to accomplish a specific goal. sword - A weapon consisting typically of a long, straight or slightly curved, pointed blade having one or two cutting edges. surcoat - A tunic worn in the Middle Ages by a knight over his armor. tallow - Hard fat obtained from parts of the bodies of cattle, sheep, or horses, and used in foodstuffs or to make candles, leather dressing, soap, and lubricants. theme - A subject of artistic representation. tunic - A medieval surcoat. vassal - A person who held land from a feudal lord and received protection in return for homage and allegiance. vertical - At or approximately at right angles to the horizon or to level ground. warrior - One who is engaged in or experienced in battle. wimple - A fold or pleat in cloth.
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