“‘Besides, Professor, I know you’re claustrophobic.”
Claustrophobia is the fear of being trapped in small spaces, and it often results in a panic attack. Throughout Dan Brown’s novels, Robert Langdon is known for his debilitating claustrophobia.
“…Langdon’s morbidly obese companion, il Duomno, ascended in the elevator…”
Obesity is a medical condition where there is so much excess body fat on the body that it may have adverse health effects. People are considered obese when their BMI (Body Mass Index) exceeds 30 kg/m2. In the novel, Robert Langdon’s friend Ignazio Busoni is morbidly obese, which means obese to the point that he could die from it.
Ignazio Busoni-il Duomino
“Ignazio Busoni-the man known as il Duomino-was something of a celebrity in the Florence cultural world.”
Longtime director of the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo and friend to Robert Langdon. His nickname- il Duomino, means “the little dome” as a result of his passion for the red-doomed cathedral and historical site-il Duomo, massive body weight, and perpetually red face.
“The longtime director of the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo…”
A small museum in containing many of the original works of art created for the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore. As of August 2013, the director of the museum is Fr. Timothy Verdon, an American.
“In the light of the mezzanine windows….”
Also known as an entresol, a mezzanine is an intermediate floor between the main floors of a building.
“…Langdon was not the first to show a nearly maniacal fascination with it.”
Maniacal means to be “characterized by ungovernable excitement or frenzy.” In the book, Marta is surprised at how maniacal Langdon and his “sister”, Sienna are about the mask of Dante.
“Sono io, Marta! Buongiorno!”
“It’s me, Martha! Goodmorning!” What Martha says to the doorman to get him to let her, Robert, and Sienna into the museum.
“Ecco il museo!”
“Here’s the museum!” What the doorman says to Langdon and Sienna as they enter the museum.
“…it was a labyrinth of moderate-size rooms and hall ways…”
A labyrinth was originally an elaborate structure designed and built by the King of Crete to hold the Minotaur. Nowadays, the word labyrinth is generally used to describe a maze or, like in the book, a really complex set of rooms and hallways.
l’andito/andito
l’andito means the corridor. A corridor is a walkway between two larger rooms
“Johann Numeister created the first printed edition of this work.”
Johann Numeister is a German typographer known for being one of the first printers in Italy and the first to print The Divine Comedy.
“‘This copy is on loan from the Laurentian Library“
A historical library that contains more than 11,000 manuscripts and 4,500 early printed books.
William Shakespeare, arguably the most famous English poet and playwright in history. He wrote approximately 38 plays, 154 sonnets, and 2 long narrative poems. Among his more famous works are, a Midsummer Night’s Dream, Hamlet, Macbeth, and Twelfth Night.
Voltaire was a French writer, historian, and philosopher who was famous for his writings on freedom and religion. He wrote over 20,000 letters and over 2,000 books and pamphlets.
Torquato Tasso was an Italian poet best known for his poem La Ferusalemme liberata. He died a few days before he was to be crowned as king of the poets by the Pope.
John Keats was an English poet whose reputation grew after his death. He wrote mainly about romance.
“We ask that you please stay outside the stanchions.”
An upright bar, which shows people where they can go and not go in places like museums or airports.
“Che esagerato…Oh mio Dio!”
“What an exaggeration… Oh my God!” Marta’s initial response to seeing the looks on Sienna’s and Langdon’s face as they supposedly “see” the Mask of Dante.
“La maschera di Dante!”….“La maschera di Dante è sparita!”
“The mask of Dante!… The mask of Dante is gone!”
This page was written by Karina Toy