Papinian, born Aemilius Papinianus, was a celebrated Roman jurist that lived during the Roman Empire. He was eventually made magister libellorum (master of petitions, in change of drafting Imperial rescripts) and praetorian prefect (an officer of state exercising the highest criminal and civil jurisdiction next to the Emperor). He was greatly praised for his clear and profound legal writings, having been called "the Asylum of Right and Treasurer of the Laws". It should be noted that Papinian is not as widely known as Plato and Cicero despite his importance in Roman history. While Rabelais primarily uses his name here to have Gargantua encourage Pantagruel to pursue the classical authors' works, he also subtly holds the jurist in high esteem. By mentioning his name here, the author can give special attention to such an important, possibly encouraging his audience to do the same.

Source: Sherman, Charles Phineas. Roman law in the modern world, Volume 1. New Haven Law Book Co., 1922, pp 47-48.

Hippocrates, known as the "father of medicine", wrote a great deal of that greatly changed the focus of classical medicine. As a physician, Rabalais had often relied on Hippocrates' theories in his medicinal work. As a writer, he pays tribute to his background and respect for the Greek physician by utilizing citations from Hippocrates. However, these citations are often used in humorous ways, often to justify a fantastical event. In this instance, Garganelle's 11-month pregnancy is near improbable in a real life context. To make it true in the fantastical world of Gargantua and Pantegruel, Rabalais points to a vague text of Hippocrates to deter his audience from questioning it.

Citation: Randell, Lesa. "Hippocrates" The Rabelais Encyclopedia, edited by Elizabeth Chesney Zegura. Greenwood Publishing Group, 2004, p. 116.

Semiramis was the queen regent of Assyria, having succeeded the throne after Nimus after he had passed. Elizabeth Archibald notes that her promiscuity was well-documented by classical historians. As such, medieval writers often painted her in depicted her as a bloodthirsty queen with a horrifying sexual appetite, influenced by her story of her incestuous relationship with her son. While Dante does not mention her incest explicitly in Inferno, he alludes to an infamous marriage law Semiramis enacted that apparently legitimized parent-child marriages, presumably to satisfy for own guilt. As the Second Circle is for those who are "the sinners of the carnal kind", Dante places Semiramis in the Circle to repent for her lust. He notably does not show much sympathy towards her plight, as she let her lust corrupt her morals and ethics as a mother and ruler.

Archibald, Elizabeth. Incest and the Medieval Imagination. OUP Oxford, 2001.

The supernatural is primarily represented through the Green Knight, who is able to perform feats beyond human comprehension. While he is a being beyond nature, his powers are seemingly linked to the cycle of the seasons and regeneration that defines nature. These small glimpses of his power contrast the rigid structures of chivalry and civility that define Arthur's court. When Gawain crosses over to the wilderness, the ideals of chivalry gradually wane as he is challenged to live with nature's unpredictability and overarching power. His mounting confusion and doubt in the face of nature's chaos culminates in him betraying the very ideals he represents when he hides the girdle away from Bertilak. By the end of the poem, he quietly recognizes the true nature of the world outside of the court, seemingly embracing it when he wears the green girdle.

Parfitt, Georgina. "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Themes: The Natural and the Supernatural." LitCharts. LitCharts LLC, 3 Sep 2013. Web. 10 Mar 2023, https://www.litcharts.com/lit/sir-gawain-and-the-green-knight/themes/the-natural-and-the-supernatural.

In Lysistrata, Aristophanes uses stereotypes to generate comedy, which often revolve around women. To the male-dominant audience of Ancient Greece, women were only made to be homemakers and wives, as they are too lustful and unintelligent to really do anything else. Lysistrata's most impressive moments don't come from her subverting these stereotypes. She uniquely plays on those stereotypes and fears, which allow her to gain a small voice in the conversation. She doesn't try to challenge the Magistrate, despite her opposition towards his role. She instead tries to convince him to understand why things have gone so far. The women have nothing to do but wallow in fear for their husbands' lives. If those fears come true, then they cannot reproduce, which means that they cannot have heirs that can carry on their husbands' names. No heirs could mean the end of civilization as they know it if they don't end the war. Men may believe that war is their "sole affair", but women have just as much to lose in it if their husbands are all senselessly killed.

Luo, Shuyang Cynthia, "Women and War: Power Play from Lysistrata to the Present" (2012). Honors Scholar Theses. 262. https://opencommons.uconn.edu/srhonors_theses/262

"Kshetra" means "the field", which is interpreted as the thoughts, emotions, and desires a person cultivates over time (the mind). "Kshetrajna" translates to "knower of the field", which is the person themself (the body). They look over and cultivate their "field" to gain a better understanding of themselves. "Kshetra" and "Kshetraina" complete each other in one being, as the mind fuels the body with the knowledge its needs to survive. This ties in with Krishna's role as the One Supreme God, as he states that he is the "Kshetraina" to every living being's "Kshetra". To fulfill his duty, he must understand every thought and emotion that is within every living being.

“Chapter 13: Kṣhetra Kṣhetrajña Vibhāg Yog.” Bhagavad Gita - the Song of God, 2014, www.holy-bhagavad-gita.org/chapter/13. Accessed 3 Feb. 2023.