Hamlet vocab

Harbinger

An omen or sign that foreshadows a future event.

Auspicious

Conducive to success; favorable, promising, or indicating good fortune.

Impious

Lacking reverence or respect for a deity, sacred things, or recognized duty.

Besmirch

To damage the reputation of someone, or to sully and stain purity.

Enmity

A state or feeling of deep, mutual hatred or active hostility.

Pernicious

Having a harmful, destructive, or fatal effect, especially in a gradual manner.

Expostulate

To express strong disapproval or disagreement; to reason earnestly against a course of action.

Brevity

Concise and exact use of words in speech or writing; shortness of time.

Carrion

The decaying flesh of dead animals.

Pestilent

Destructive to life; deadly, infectious, or causing trouble and annoyance.

Paragon

A person or thing regarded as a model of excellence or perfection.

Quintessence

The purest, most concentrated essence or perfect embodiment of something.

Diadem

An ornamental jeweled crown or headband worn as a symbol of sovereignty.

Consummation

The point at which something is complete, finalized, or brought to ultimate fulfillment.

Inoculate

To introduce an idea, attitude, or substance into someone to produce immunity or effect a change.

Calumny

A false and malicious statement made to injure someone's reputation; slander.

Temperance

Moderation, restraint, or self-control in actions, statement, or consumption.

Groundling

A spectator who paid a low admission fee to stand in the pit of an Elizabethan theatre.

Journeyman

A trained, reliable worker or performer who is competent but not a master of the craft.

Clemency

Mercy, lenience, or compassion shown toward an offender or adversary.

Pander

To cater to or exploit the base desires, weaknesses, or vices of others.

Convocation

A large, formal assembly or gathering of people, often summoned for an official purpose.

Importunate

Persistent or urgently demanding to an annoying or troublesome degree.

Inter

To deposit a corpse into a grave or tomb; to bury.

Arraign

To call before a court to answer a criminal charge; to formally accuse or find fault with.

Cuckold

A man whose spouse is unfaithful to him.

Bier

A movable stand or framework on which a coffin or corpse is placed before burial.

Flaxen

Having a pale, yellowish-gray color like that of dried straw; often describing light hair.

Ostentation

Pretentious, vulgar, or boastful display intended to impress others.

Remiss

Lacking care or attention to duty; negligent or careless.

Requite

To make appropriate return or compensation for a favor, service, or injury; to repay.

Courtier

A person who attends a royal court as a companion or adviser to a monarch.

Equivocation

The use of ambiguous or evasive language to conceal the truth or avoid committing oneself.

Flagon

A large container or vessel for liquids, typically with a handle, spout, and lid, used for serving drink.

Requiem

A solemn ceremony, mass, or musical composition commemorating and resting the souls of the dead.

Churlish

Rude, ill-mannered, or surly in a mean-spirited way.

Asunder

Into separate parts or pieces; apart or divided.

Insinuation

An unpleasant, indirect hint or suggestion of something derogatory.

Verity

The quality or state of being true, real, or factual.

Germane

Directly relevant, appropriate, and applicable to the matter under consideration.

Upshot

The final outcome, result, or conclusion of an action or discussion.