Monday, April 22, 2013

THE MERCHANT OF VENICE - VOCABULARY - SHAKESPEARE PLAY

Vocabulary Study Sheet
The Merchant of Venice
William Shakespeare
http://www.verbalworkout.com/b/b1037.htm
amity
If we cannot be close friends, we can at least live in amity.
a state of friendly relations
beseech
She teaches and beseeches her students to think about their future.
to ask strongly or beg for something
bestow
bestow blessings upon the marriage
present as an honor or give as a gift
commend
commend you for a good job.
praise or recommend
conjure
She fears his black magic will conjure up evil spirits.
summon into action or bring into existence -- often as if by magic
entreat
She flattered and entreated him until he agreed to help.
to ask or attempt to persuade -- especially while trying hard to overcome resistance
exeunt -- (Latin)
Exeunt all except Hamlet.
stage direction: characters exit from stage
exhort
I have exhorted and encouraged her, but it has to be her decision.
to urge strongly
forbearance
She recommended regulatory forbearance while the banks repair their balance sheets.
refraining (holding back) from acting

or:

patience, tolerance, or self-control
forfeit
We had to forfeit the deposit.
to lose or surrender something -- often as a penalty
heinous
What could drive a person to commit such a heinous crime?
shockingly brutal or cruel
heresy
a hard-line form of Sunni Islam that condemns all other strains as heresy
opinions or actions most people consider immoral
impugn
She impugns the statistics even though they are validated at factcheck.com.
attack as false or wrong
inevitable
It is as inevitable as death and taxes.
certain to happen (even if one tried to prevent it)
loathe
loathe that man
detest or intensely dislike (find repugnant or disgusting)
malicious
malicious gossip
wanting to see others suffer; or threatening evil
mitigate
There are mitigating circumstances.
make less harmful or unpleasant
obdurate
Some of the protestors disbanded when the police arrived, but others remained obdurate.
stubbornly persistent -- especially in wrongdoing

or more rarely (except in classic literature):

showing unfeeling resistance to tender feelings
obscure
The stars are obscured by the clouds
not known to many people

or:

not clearly seen, understood, or expressed; or to hide or make less visible or understandable
peruse
Please peruse this report at your leisure
to read or examine
prodigal
prodigal variety of vegetation
recklessly wasteful

or more rarely:

abundant (extravagant in amount)

or more rarely still:

long absent (someone who has been away a long time)
profound -- as in: profound sadness
Her apology was heartfelt--expressing profound sorrow and regret.
of greatest intensity or emotional depth
remorse
There was no sign of remorse until the police caught her.
a feeling of deep regret (usually for some misdeed)
render -- as in: render service or a verdict
We`re waiting for the jury to render a verdict.
to give or supply something
repentance
Prisoners who show repentance are more likely to be released on parole.
the feeling or expression of regret for having done something wrong with a firm decision to be a better person in the future
reproach
She reproached him for being thoughtless and lazy.
a criticism; or to express criticism
revere
Many fans revere Michael Jordan as one of the greatest basketball players of all time.
regard with feelings of deep respect and admiration -- sometimes with a mixture of wonder and awe or fear
rigorous -- as in: a rigorous math class
I found it an interesting, but rigorous class.
difficult and demanding
tedious
endured another of her tedious lectures
boring -- especially due to the amount of something that must be endured
zeal
She attacks each challenge with zeal.
active interest and enthusiasm

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