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.