| incontinent | lacking self-restraint”You must not put another scandal on him that he is open to incontinency.” (2.1.29) [synonyms: ungovernable, unsuppressed] |
| assay | examination and determination as to characteristics”And thus do we of wisdom and of reach, with windlasses and with assays of bias, by indirections find directions out.” (2.1.64) [synonyms: appraisal, assessment, evaluation] |
| purport | meaning conveyed, professed, or implied”Pale as his shirt; his knees knocking each other; and with a look so piteous in purport as if he had been loosèd out of hell to speak of horrors.” (2.1.82)[synonyms: connotation, gist, idea, intention, message, point] |
| perusal | to examine or consider with attention and in detail”Then goes he to the length of all his arm, and, with his other hand thus o’er his brow, he falls to such perusal of my face as he would draw it.” (2.1.90)[synonyms: examination, inspection] |
| levy | the enlistment or conscription of men for military service”Upon our first, he sent out to suppress his nephew’s levies, which to him appeared to be a preparation ‘gainst the Polack” (2.2.62)[synonyms: draft] |
| expostulate | discuss/examine”My liege and madam, to expostulate what majesty should be, what duty is, why day is day, night night, and time is time, were nothing but to waste night, day, and time.” (2.2.98)[synonyms: argue, remonstrate] |
| fain | with pleasure or by desire”I would fain prove so.” (2.2.122)[synonyms: willing, inclined, minded] |
| prescript | a rule”And then I prescripts gave her, that she should lock herself from his resort, admit no messengers, receive no tokens.” (2.2.133)[synonyms: command, decree, law, regulation, statute] |
| arras | a wall hanging or screen of tapestry “Be you and I behind an arras then, mark the encounter.” (2.2.164)[synonyms: tapestry, draping] |
| conjure | to charge or entreat earnestly or solemnly “But let me conjure you, by the rights of our fellowship” (2.2.277)[synonyms: beseech, entreat, urge] |
| consonance | harmony or agreement among components “…by the consonancy of our youth…” (2.2.278)[synonyms: congruity, correspondence, harmony] |
| promontory | a high point of land or rock projecting into a body of water”this goodly frame, the earth, seems to me a sterile promontory” (2.2.290)[synonyms: bluff, cape, jetty, peninsula, point, ridge] |
| pestilent | destructive of life”why, it appears no other thing to me than a foul and pestilent congregation of vapors” (2.2.299)[synonyms: contaminating, corrupting, deadly,destructive, diseased] |
| paragon | a model of excellence or perfection”The paragon of animals.” (2.2.303)[synonyms:epitome, model, perfection] |
| quintessence | the most typical example or representative”And yet, to me, what is this quintessence of dust?” (2.2.304)[synonyms: epitome, essentiality] |
| appurtenance | a subordinate part or adjunct”Th’ appurtenance of welcome is fashion and ceremony.” (2.2.367)[synonyms: addition,component] |
| gules | the heraldic color red “Head to foot now is he total gules, horridly tricked with blood of fathers, mothers, daughters, sons” (2.2.438)[synonyms: red?] |
| visage | the face, countenance, or appearance of a person”But in a fiction, in a dream of passion, could force his soul so to his own conceit that from her working all his visage wanned,” (2.2.530)[synonyms: face, countenance] |
| cleave | to divide by or as if by a cutting blow”He would drown the stage with tears and cleave the general ear with horrid speech.” (2.2.539)[synonyms: sever] |
| kite | a person who preys on others “I should have fatted all the region kites with this slave’s offal” (2.2.556)[synonyms: vulture, shark] |
| offal | the viscera and trimmings of a butchered animal removed in dressing”I should have fatted all the region kitesWith this slave’s offal” (2.2.557)[synonyms:carrion, remains, intestines, guts] |
| lecherous | indicating inordinate indulgence in sexual activity”Remorseless, treacherous, lecherous, kindless villain!” (2.2.541)[synonyms:libertine, unchaste, wanton] |
| scullion | a kitchen helper”And fall a-cursing like a very drab, a scullion!” (2.2.548)[synonyms: wretch] |
| malefaction | evil deed”They have proclaimed their malefactions” (2.2.553)[synonyms: lawlessness, outrage, unlawful act, wrongdoing] |
| blench | to draw back or turn aside from lack of courage “I’ll observe his looks. I’ll tent him to the quick. If he do blench, I know my course.” (2.2.558)[synonyms:cringe, tremble, wince] |
| niggard | a meanly covetous and stingy person”Niggard of question, but of our demands most free in his reply.” (3.1.14)[synonyms: scrooge] |
| consummation | achievement”’tis a consummation devoutly to be wished” (3.1.64)[synonyms: achievement] |
| contumely | harsh language or treatment arising from haughtiness and contempt”Th’ oppressor’s wrong, the proud man’s contumely” (3.1.72)[synonyms:abuse, arrogance, insolence, scorn] |
| bourn | boundary or border”The undiscovered country from whose bourn no traveler returns” (3.1.80)[synonyms: boundary, border] |
| orison | prayer”Nymph, in thy orisons be all my sins remembered” (3.1.90)[synonyms: prayer] |
| calumny | a misrepresentation intended to harm another’s reputation”Be thou as chaste as ice, as pure as snow, thou shalt not escape calumny” (3.1.138)[synonyms: defamation, lie] |
| judicious | having, exercising, or characterized by sound judgment ” Now this overdone or come tardy off, though it make the unskillful laugh, cannot but make the judicious grieve” (3.2)[synonyms: careful, clear-sighted] |
| clemency | an act or instance of leniency “For us and for our tragedy, here stooping to your clemency, we beg your hearing patiently.” (3.2.137)[synonyms: grace, indulgence, lenience, mercifulness] |
| beguile | to lead by deception “My spirits grow dull, and fain I would beguile the tedious day with sleep” (3.2.214)[synonyms:con, deceive, manipulate, mislead, scam, trick] |
| tedious | Causing fatigue, progressing slowly”My spirits grow dull, and fain I would beguile the tedious day with sleep” (3.2.214)syn. Dull, monotonous, dreary |
| choler | Thought to cause anger or bad temper”For, for me to put him to his purgation would perhaps plunge him into far more choler” (3.2.286)syn. extreme anger, fury, wrath |
| purgation | The act of purging, purification”For, for me to put him to his purgation would perhaps plunge him into far more choler” (3.2.285)syn. Cleansing, pardon, release |
| weal | Prosperity or well-being, the state”That spirit upon whose weal depend the rest” (3.3.14)syn. prosperity, wealth, profit |
| liege | word used by a vassal to address his superior or lord in the feudal system”Fare you well, my liege” (3.3.34)syn. Lord, leader, master |
| primal | Belonging to the earliest age”It hath the primal eldest curse upon ‘t” (3.3.38)syn. fundamental, old, original |
| hent | To seize or grasp”Up, sword, and know thou a more horrid hent” (3.3.89)syn. see definition |
| cozen | To lead on, a trick or a cheat”That thus hath cozened you at hoodman-blind” (3.4.78)syn. Deceive, con, fraud |
| tinet (tinct?) | Tinted or colored”I see such black and grained spots as will not leave their tinct” (3.4.93)syn. pigment, shade |
| tithe | one tenth”A slave that is not twentieth part the tithe”syn. 1/10, a tenth of |
| cutpurse | A pickpocket”A cutpurse of the empire and the rule” (3.4.100)syn. pocket picker, thief, wallet lifter |
| diadem | A crown”That from a shelf the precious diadem stole” (3.4.101)syn. headband adorned with jewels |
| chide | To rebuke or scold”Do you not come your tardy son to chide” (3.4.108)syn. condemn, reprimand, berate |
| whet | To make keen or eager”This visitation is but to whet thy almost blunted purpose” (3.4.112)syn. sharpen, hone, foster |
| incorporeal | Without material form, body, or substance”That you do end your eye on vacancy and with th’ incorporal air do hold discourse” (3.4.119)syn. bodiless, metaphysical, intangible |
| coinage | The act of inventing something (esp. a word/phrase)”This is the very coinage of your brain” (3.4.139)syn. contrivance, invention |
| gambol | Dancing around, skipping”Bring me to the test, and I the matter will reword, which madness would gambol from” (3.4.146)syn. bound, frolic, spring |
| unction | Anything soothing or comforting”Lay not that flattering unction to your soul” (3.4.147)syn. soother, remedy |
| cleft | A division formed by cleaving”O Hamlet, thou hast cleft my heart in twain” (3.4.158)syn. sever, chop, disunite |
| ravel | To make or become confused or complicated”Make you to ravel all this matter out: That I essentially am not in madness But mad in craft” (3.4.190-192)Syn. to involve, confuse, perplex |
| mandate | A command from a superior”There’s letter sealed, and my two schoolfellows, whom I will trust as I will adders fanged, they bear the mandate” (3.4.207-209)syn. authorization, commission, decree |
Hamlet Acts 2 & 3 Vocabulary
September 5, 2019