Macbeth Vocabulary Words Macbeth Vocabulary Words 1. Minion-a submissive follower or dependent; slave Duncan’s minion relayed the news that that the Scottish forces were victorious. 2. Corporal-of or relating to the body Corporal punishment is outlawed in many states. Macbeth Vocabulary Words 3. Chastise—rebuke or reprimand severely; punish The Thane of Cawdor was chastised for being a traitor. 4. Prophetic—containing a prediction; predicting The witches gave Macbeth a prophetic glimpse into his future. Macbeth Vocabulary Words 5. Surmise—make a guess; assume hesitantly Macbeth surmised the plot to kill Duncan would be difficult to carry out. 6. Appalls—horrify; shockingly unpleasant The murder of Duncan appalled Malcolm and the rest of the king’s court. Macbeth Vocabulary Words 7. carousing—Drunken merrymaking The porter was out carousing the night the King was killed. 8. equivocate—to use ambiguous language Many students think Shakespeare equivocates speeches in his plays to add suspense. Macbeth Vocabulary Words 9. Scruples - To hesitate as a result of conscience or principle Macbeth practiced low scruples by killing his king. 10. Augment - to make larger; enlarge in size, number, strength, or extent; increase The King was able to augment his army while the other side was distracted allowing him to win. Macbeth Vocabulary Words 11. Malice - desire to inflict injury, harm, or suffering on another Macbeth claims he killed the guards out of malice. 12. Purged - to rid of whatever is impure or undesirable; cleanse; purify. Lady Macbeth purged her sin with a little water on her hands. Macbeth Vocabulary Words 13. Muse - to think or meditate in silence, as on some subject Macbeth muses over the problems with killing the king. 14. Homage - respect or reverence paid or rendered Banquo pays homage to Duncan’s memory by promising to avenge his death. Macbeth Vocabulary Words 15. Eminence - high station, rank, or repute The king’s eminence was clear by the clothes he wore and the horse he rode. 16. Malevolence - the quality, state, or feeling of being malevolent; ill will; malice; hatred Banquo is filled with malevolence towards the killers of the king. Macbeth Vocabulary Words 17. Diminutive - small; little; tiny Malcolm and Donalbain seem to have diminutive parts at the beginning of the play, but they become more important later. 18. Appease - to bring to a state of peace, quiet, ease, calm, or contentment; pacify; soothe Lady Macbeth tried to appease the banquet guests when Macbeth was seeing Banquo’s ghost. Macbeth Vocabulary Words 19. Integrity - adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty Macbeth’s integrity was a result of his desire to remain King of Scotland. 20. Oblivious - unmindful; unconscious; unaware Macbeth was oblivious to Lady Macbeth’s downfall until it was too late to help. Macbeth Literary Terms Imagery – Language that appeals to the senses. Descriptions of people or objects stated in terms of our senses. Paradox – An apparent contradiction that is actually true. Foreshadowing – The use of hints or clues to suggest what will happen later in the story. Aside – Private words that a character in a play speaks to the audience or to another character & that are not supposed to be overhead by others onstage. Soliloquy – A long speech in which a character who is usually along onstage expresses his or her private thoughts or feelings.
