Hamlet Vocab Quiz

Harbinger

Something indicating the approach of something or someone (foreshadow)

Auspicious

Indicating favorable circumstances & good luck

Impious

Lacking piety or reverence for a god (not religious)

Besmirch

smear so ast to make dirt or stained (or tarnish)

enmity

a state of deep-seated hatred, hostility, or ill will

Pernicious

Exceedingly harmful (usually subtle)

Expostulate

Convincing/arguing against someone to stop something they are doing/thinking (dissuasion)

Brevity

The attribute of being short or fleeting (brief)

Carrion

Dead & rotting body of an animal

Pestilent

likely to spread and cause an epidemic disease (harmful)

Paragon

model of excellence/perfection of a kind (perfect example)

Quintessence

the most typical example or representative of a type (ideal/purest)

Diadem

Ornamental jeweled headdress signifying sovereignty (crown/tiara)

Consummation

the act of bringing to completion

Inoculate

Inject or treat with the germ of a disease to cure/become immune

Calumny

An abuse attack on a person’s character/name

Temperance

Having self-control and balance (to not overreact)

Groundling

common, lower-class play spectator watching on the ground in front of the stage

Journeyman

A skilled worker who practices trade & handicraft

Clemency

Mercy, leniency and compassion shown toward offenders

Pander

Help/encourage someone in doing something immoral (enable bad behavior)

Convocation

A large gathering of people called together for a specific purpose

Importunate

Making persistent or urgent requests (demanding/relentless)

Inter

Place in a grave/tomb (to bury)

Arraign

Accuse of a wrong or an inadequancy

Cuckold

A man whose wife committed adultery

Bier

Movable stand/platform used to support a corpse or a coffin before/during a funeral

Flaxen

Pale yellowish to yellowish brown

Ostentation

A gaudy/flashy outward display (to attract attention)

Remiss

Failing in what duty requires (mistake)

Requite

Make repayment for or return something

Courtier

An attendant for a monarch/serve the king

Equivocation

Use of vague/ambiguous language, double-meaning words to evade truth or watch wits with someone

Flagon

Large metal/pottery vessel with handle and spout (to pour drinks)

Requiem

Song/hymn of mourning as a memorial to a dead person

Churlish

Rude or boorish

Asunder

apart or separate pieces

Insinuation

An indirect (and usually malicious) implication (to insinuate)

Verity

Truthfulness, reality

Germane

Relevant and appropriate

Upshot

Final result, outcome of a course of action (consequence) - cause & effect