| Incontinentcy | lack of sexual restraint[Polonius to Reynaldo, of Laertes] You must not put another scandal on him, / That he is open to incontinencyHam II.i.30 |
| assay | attack, attempt, trialWith windlasses and with assays of bias,Ham II.i.65 |
| purport | meaning, expression, effect[Ophelia to Polonius, of Hamlet] with a look so piteous in purportHam II.i.82 |
| perusal | inspection, scrutiny, examination[Ophelia to Polonius, of Hamlet] He falls to such perusal of my faceHam II.i.90 |
| levy | recruitment of soldiers, conscription of men[Voltemand to Claudius, of old Fortinbras] he sent out to suppress / His nephew’s leviesHam II.ii.62 |
| expostulate | expound, debate, discourse[Polonius to Claudius and Gertrude] to expostulate / What majesty should beHam II.ii.86 |
| fain | gladly, willingly[Polonius to Claudius, of being thought faithful and honourable] I would fain prove soHam II.ii.131 |
| prescript | order, direction, instruction[Polonius to Claudius and Gertrude, of Ophelia] And then I prescripts gave her Ham II.ii.142 |
| arras | tapestry hanging[Polonius to Claudius] Be you and I behind an arras thenHam II.ii.163 |
| conjure | ask solemnly, entreat earnestly, beseech[Hamlet to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern] But let me conjure youHam II.ii.283 |
| consonance (cy) | accord, harmony [of companionship][Hamlet to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern] But let me conjure you … by the consonancy of our youthHam II.ii.284 |
| promontory | peninsula–the whole world seems sterile and empty[speaking of why Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are there/how he is feeling] me a sterile promontory. This most excellent canopy,Ham II.ii.299 |
| pestilent | destructive to life; deadly; diseased[speaking of why Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are there/how he is feeling] appeareth nothing to me than a foul and pestilent congregationHam II.ii.302 |
| paragon | purest form/model– We surpass all animals[speaking of why Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are there] beauty of the world, the paragon of animals! And yetHam II.ii.307 |
| quintessence | purest form, most perfect manifestation– what are we but dust?[Hamlet to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, of the nature of man] this quintessence of dustHam II.ii.308 |
| appurtenance | usual accompaniment, accessory/custom[Hamlet to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern] Th’appurtenance of welcome is fashion and ceremonyHam II.ii.370 |
| gules | red/blood–covered in red[Hamlet to First Player, quoting lines about Pyrrhus] Head to foot / Now is he total gulesHam II.ii.455 |
| visage | face, countenance[Hamlet alone, of the First Player] all his visage wannedHam II.ii.551– became overwhelmed |
| cleave | split, sever; burstAnd cleave the general ear with horrid speech,Ham II.ii.560 –burst the audience’s ears |
| kite | vulturesI should ha’ fatted all the region kitesHam II.ii.576 |
| offal | intestines…With this slave’s offal.Ham II.ii.577 |
| lecherous | lustfulRemorseless, treacherous, lecherous, kindless villain!Ham II.ii.578 |
| scullion | menial, lackey, domestic servant[Hamlet alone] a very drab, / A scullion!Ham II.ii.585–…cursing in the streets… |
| malefaction | evil-doing, criminal act[Hamlet alone, of guilty people] They have proclaimed their malefactionsHam II.ii.590– confess their crimes |
| blench | flinch, start, shrink[Hamlet alone, of Claudius] If ‘a do blenchHam II.ii.595 |
| niggard | grudging, reluctant, unwilling[Rosencrantz to Gertrude, of Hamlet] Niggard of question [i.e. unwilling to start a conversation]Ham III.i.13 |
| consummation | fitting end, crowning fulfilment [of life][Hamlet to himself] ‘Tis a consummation / Devoutly to be wishedHam III.i.63 |
| contumely | scorn, insult, abuse[Hamlet to himself] the proud man’s contumelyHam III.i.71 |
| bourn | frontier, destination, boundary[Hamlet alone, of death] from whose bourn / No traveller returnsHam III.i.79 |
| orison | prayer, plea[Hamlet to Ophelia] in thy orisons / Be all my sins rememberedHam III.i.89 |
| calumny | false/slanderous statement[Hamlet to Ophelia] thou shalt not escape calumny. Get thee to a nunnery.Ham III.i.137 |
| judicious | wise, sensiblebut make the judicious grieve; the censure of the whichHam III.ii.26 |
| clemency | mercy; lenience. patience[Player as Prologue] Here stooping to your clemency,Ham III.ii.159 |
| beguile | charm away, while away, pass pleasantly[First Player as King to his Queen] I would beguile / The tedious day with sleepHam III.ii.236 |
| tedious | endlessThe tedious day with sleep.Ham III.ii.237.1 |
| choler | anger, rage, wrath[Hamlet to Guildenstern, of Claudius] plunge him into more cholerHam III.ii.315 |
| purgation | purging, cleansing, clearing away[Hamlet to Guildenstern, of Claudius] put him to his purgationHam III.ii.315 |
| weal | welfare, well-being, prosperity[Rosencrantz to Claudius] That spirit upon whose weal depends and rests / The lives of many Ham III.iii.14 |
| liege | between a feudal superior and a vassal.The speech, of vantage. Fare you well, my liege.Ham III.iii.33 |
| primal | primaeval, original, earliestIt hath the primal eldest curse upon’t,Ham III.iii.37 |
| hent | moment[Hamlet to himself] Up, sword, and know thou a more horrid hent [or: occasion, if variant of ‘hint’]Ham III.iii.88 |
| cozen | cheat, dupe, trick, deceive[Hamlet to Gertrude] What devil was’t / That thus hath cozened youHam III.iv.78 |
| tinct | colour, hue, tint[Gertrude to Hamlet] such black and grained spots / As will not leave their tinctHam III.iv.92 |
| tithe | tenth part[Hamlet to Gertrude, of Claudius] A slave that is not twentieth part the tithe / Of your precedent lordHam III.iv.98 |
| cutpurse | pickpocket, thief, robber[Hamlet to Gertrude, of Claudius] A cutpurse of the empireHam III.iv.100 |
| diadem | a jeweled crownThat from a shelf the precious diadem stoleHam III.iv.101 |
| chide | scold, rebuke, reprove[Hamlet to Ghost] Do you not come your tardy son to chideHam III.iv.107 |
| whet | sharpen, stimulate appetiteIs but to whet thy almost blunted purpose.Ham III.iv.112 |
| incorporeal | incorporeal, insubstantial, immaterial[Gertrude to Hamlet] And with th’incorporal air do hold discourse?Ham III.iv.119 |
| coinage | invention, fabrication, concoction / figment[Gertude to Hamlet, of the Ghost] This is the very coinage of your brainHam III.iv.138 |
| gambol | shy away, leap away[Hamlet to Gertrude] I the matter will re-word, which madness / Would gambol fromHam III.iv.145 [rephrase everything which would prove i am not a lunatic] |
| unction | balm, salve, soothing ointment[Hamlet to Gertrude] Lay not that flattering unction to your soulHam III.iv.146 |
| cleft | splitO Hamlet, thou hast cleft my heart in twain.Ham III.iv.157 |
| ravel out | unravel, disentangle, make clear / admit[Hamlet to Gertrude] Make you to ravel all this matter out Ham III.iv.187 |
| mandate | command, order[Hamlet to Gertrude, of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern] They bear the mandateHam III.iv.205 |
Hamlet Act 2 Vocabulary
August 16, 2019