Macbeth vocab Thane n A nobleman under service
Macbeth vocab
Thane (n. ) A nobleman under service of a king, much like a knight l Known by the names of the places they ruled l l Macbeth=Thane of Glamis, Thane of Cawdor l Macduff=Thane of Fife
Motif (n. ) l The repetition of an image, symbol, or idea in a work of literature l Motifs in Macbeth l Blood l Clothing l Sleep/sleeplessness l Light/darkness l Birds l Unnatural occurrences
Comic relief (n. ) In drama, a humorous scene that follows a serious one l Intensifies the seriousness by adding contrast l
Motifs in Macbeth l Blood l l l Duncan: “What bloody man is that? ” I/ii Macbeth: “…When we have marked with blood those sleepy two of his own chambers and used their very daggers…” I/vii Clothing l Macbeth: “The Thane of Cawdor lives. Why do you dress me in borrowed robes? ” I/iii l Banquo: “New honors come upon him, like our strange garments, cleave not to their mold but with the aid of use. ” I/iii
Motifs in Macbeth l Light/Darkness l Macbeth: “Stars, hide your fires; Let not light see my black and deep desires. ” I/iv l LM: “Come, thick night, and pall me in the dunnest smoke of hell!” I/v
Motifs in Macbeth l Sleep/sleeplessness l LM: “When in swinish sleep their drenched natures lie as in a death, what cannot you and I perform upon the unguarded Duncan? ” I/vii
Your motif task from here on in: Choose a motif from the previous list l Every time it is mentioned in Macbeth, note the page # in your notebook or mark the page with a sticky note. l These references will become the basis of a unit assessment l
Minion (n. ) l Assistant or servant l The dictator used his minions to do his dirty work
Disburse (v. ) l To pay out to someone l The treasurer disbursed $1000. 00 for the field trip.
ague (n. ) l Fever l The ague left him hallucinating and blabbering.
dire (adj. ) l very bad l After the botched robbery attempt, the three found themselves in a dire situation.
Harbinger (n. ) l One who announces the arrival of another l The robin is the harbinger of spring.
Missive (n. ) l Letter l After reading about a tax increase, he sent a missive to his congressman.
prate (v. ) l To speak foolishly or about trivial matters l The girls would prate on and on about their favorite boy bands
trifle (n. ) l Something trivial or unimportant l He threw his life away as if it were a trifle.
equivocate (v. ) l To speak vaguely or be deliberately unclear; to speak in half-truths l The three witches equivocate with Macbeth.
chide (v. ) l Tell somebody off (gently) l The woman would chide her young son for misbehaving in public.
parricide (n. ) l The murder of one’s parents l No one could understand what drove her to parricide
suborn (v. ) l Persuade another to do wrong, esp. with a bribe l I tried to suborn my teachers to get better grades, but most of them refused.
Blank Verse (n. ) l Unrhymed iambic pentameter l (ten syllables per line, no end rhyme) l Most of Macbeth is written in blank verse l “Lower-class” characters speak in straight prose l Other characters deviate from blank verse if they are lying, speaking prophecy, or doing something out of the ordinary
Blank Verse (n. ) l Unrhymed iambic pentameter l (ten l “All syllables per line, no end rhyme) hail Macbeth. Hail to thee Thane of Glamis” (10 syllables) l “All hail Macbeth. Hail to thee Thane of Cawdor. ” (11 syllables) l “All hail Macbeth, that shall be king hereafter. ”(11 syllables)
couplet (n. ) l two lines of verse that form a unit alone or as part of a poem, especially two that rhyme and have the same meter
Paradox (n. ) l A statement that seems to be contradictory but that might be true when considered from a particular perspective. Fair is foul and foul is fair. l To achieve peace, you must prepare for war. l
Aside (n. ) l a remark made by an actor, usually to the audience, that the other characters on stage supposedly cannot hear l Asides are designated in the script of a drama l Ex: MACBETH (aside): This supernatural soliciting cannot be good; cannot be ill.
Aside (n. ) l a remark made by an actor, usually to the audience, that the other characters on stage supposedly cannot hear l In film, characters address the camera when using asides.
intemperance (n. ) l overindulgence, the inability to control one’s desires. l His intemperance lead to liver disease.
laud (v. ) l praise somebody l laudable l His (adj): worthy of praise performance on the football field was laudable.
incensed (adj. ) l angry l He was so incensed that he threw his toys across the room.
entrails (n. ) l innards (guts) l The hunters threw the elk’s entrails to the dogs.
epicure (n. ) l expert in food and wine and the “finer things” in life l To be a food critic, one must be a bit of an epicure.
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