Miko: annotations

Gold coins minted in Venice; also a general purpose name for other European coins. Ducats were used throughout Europe.

Rose petals compressed into cakes for their perfume.

Apothecaries often had curiosities on display in their shops.

Italian for “at the thrust”, a fencing term. Modern editions spell the second word variously as “stoccato”, “stoccado”, and “stoccata”. The First Folio spells it “stucatha”.

Chalcedony (cryptocrystalline quartz), a stone often used for jewelry.

Frighten. This word later evolved into “afraid”.

According to folklore, King Cophetua was an African king who fell in love with a beggar woman.

Modern editions provide various explanations for this use of “Abraham”. The Folger edition says it means “old”, meaning that Cupid is an old god, even though he is portrayed as young. The Norton edition provides a similar definition. The Riverside edition says that “Abraham” refers to an “Abraham Man”, which the Oxford English dictionary defines as a beggar. Finally, the New Oxford edition changes the word to “Adam”, saying that it's a reference to Adam Bell, an archer. The First Folio has the word “Abraham”.

As late as the 1700s, “or” was often used before the first alternative in a list as well as a conjunction between alternatives.

These lines seem to indicate that Oberon and Hippolyta had a romantic relationship.