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 I 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 I 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