Aristotle had similar Renaissance definition of tragicomedy in Poetics. Plautus coined term "tragicomoedia" in Amphitryon prologue. Greek and Roman plays like Alcestis may be tragicomedies
Jesters were entertainers employed by nobles and monarchs at court. Term "jester" emerged in mid-16th century Tudor times. Ancient Roman balatrones were professional entertainers paid for their jests. Other cultures like Aztecs and Chinese employed similar entertainers
Tantra means "loom, warp, weave" in Sanskrit. Term emerged in Indian traditions from mid-1st millennium CE. Initially referred to as "principal part" or "model" in Vedic texts. Term "tantrism" is a 19th-century European invention
The thistle is Scotland's oldest recorded national flower. Legend attributes its selection to the Battle of Largs in 13th century. A Norse soldier's thorny thistle's cry inspired Scottish warriors
Written by Samuel Beckett between 1948-1949, premiered in 1953 in Paris. Two-act tragicomic play about Vladimir and Estragon waiting for Mr. Godot. Play lacks specific setting, time, and definitiveness
King Lear divides kingdom among three daughters for peaceful old age. Daughters Goneril and Regan declare love for Lear, Cordelia refuses. Lear strips Cordelia of dowry and banishes Kent. Lear divides kingdom between Goneril and Albany, Regan and Cornwall