AP Lit Hamlet Vocab

Countenance

A face or facial expression, especially as it reveals mood or character.

Rank

Foul-smelling, overgrown, corrupt; offensive to the senses.

Dalliance

Idle or frivolous pleasure; amorous trifling

Unaneled

Without having received extreme unction (anointing) before death.

Antic

Grotesque, bizarre, clownish

Wit

Intelligence, wisdom, cleverness (not merely humor)

Quintessence

The purest, most concentrated essence of something; in older philosophy, the “fifth element” of the heavens.

Mettle

Spirit, courage, or temperament

Conscience

Moral sense; also, in Shakespeare’s usage, inward awareness or reflective thought.

Coil

Turmoil, fuss, commotion

Contumely

Insolent, contemptuous treatment or language.

Quietus

Release from life; a final settlement of a debt

Calumny

A false, malicious statement meant to damage a reputation

Arras

A tapestry wall hanging, often hung away from the wall.

Rue

A bitter herb symbolizing sorrow and repentance; to regret

Augury

A sign or omen; the practice of predicting the future from signs

Hamartia

The protagonist’s error in judgement or character flaw that contributes to his or her downfall. Aristotle’s word means “missing the mark,” so it can be a mistake, not only a moral failing.

Tragic hero

A protagonist of elevated status and admirable qualities whose downfall results from his or her own hamartia, often combined with fate or circumstance. The audience must find the hero sympathetic.

anagnorisis

The moment of critical recognition or discovery, when the protagonist realizes the truth of his or her situation or role in it.

Catharsis

The purging or release of pity and fear that the audience experiences at a tragedy’s conclusion, leaving them emotionally cleansed.