Hamlet Literary Terms and Vocablet Part 1

Vocabulary terms, parts of speech, definitions, and dramatic devices from Shakespeare's Hamlet.

brazen

(adj.) Flagrantly audacious (I.i)

harbinger

(n.) A signal or indicator of what is to come (I.i)

auspicious

(adj.) Accompanied by favorable circumstances (I.ii)

mirth

(n.) Cheerfulness, especially when expressed by laughter (I.ii)

obsequious

(adj.) Exhibiting servile compliance or deference; fawning (I.ii)

circumscribe

(tr. v.) To encircle, delimit, or define the bounds of something (I.iii)

enmity

(n.) Deep-seated, often mutual hatred (I.v)

clamor

(n.) A loud outcry; a hubbub (II.ii)

vouchsafe

(tr. v.) To grant generously to someone beneath you (II.ii)

paragon

(n.) A model of excellence; a perfect example (II.ii)

tempest

(n.) A wild storm (III.ii)

clemency

(n.) Mercy or leniency (III.ii)