AP Lit Hamlet Vocab and Terms

AP literature hamlet vocabulary and literary terms for quizes

Assay

to examine or attempt

Augment

to increase or enlarge

Beguile

to charm or deceive

Conceit

an elaborate or extended metaphor

Confute

to prove wrong or false

Congeal

to solidify or become fixed

Countenance

facial expression or approval

Diligence

persistent and careful effort

Discourse

formal speech or discussion

Doublet

a close-fitting Renaissance jacket

Emulation

effort to equal or surpass another

Gorged

overfilled or stuffed

Hectic

feverish or frantic

Indulgence

yielding to desire or leniency

Kindle

to ignite or arouse

Manifold

many and varied

Mirth

amusement or joy

Mitigate

to lessen severity

Moiety

a portion or half

Obsequious

excessively obedient or servile

Offal

waste or refuse

Partisan

strong supporter or pole weapon

Pate

the top of the head

Posterity

future generations

Quagmire

a difficult or boggy situation

Retrograde

moving backward

Rivals

competitors or opponents

Rouse

to awaken or stir

Sinews

tendons or strength

Strew

to scatter or spread

Sty

a filthy place

Suspiration

a deep sigh

Tenable

capable of being defended

Vaunt

to boast or brag

Wit

mental sharpness or clever humor

Anaphora

repetition at the beginning of clauses

Pun

a play on words

Tricolon

three parallel elements

Antithesis

juxtaposition of opposites

Monologue

long speech to others

Soliloquy

speech to oneself

Chiasmus

inverted parallel structure

Hyperbole

deliberate exaggeration

Oxymoron

contradictory terms combined

Personification

human traits to non-human things

Double Entendre

phrase with two meanings