1. Romeo & Juliet Unit Vocab
English I – Revised 2018

2. Week 9 Drama: literature written to be performed; plays
Stage directions: directions that tell the director and actors what to do; not meant to be read aloud.
Comedy: a funny play with a happy ending. It usually ends with a wedding, and with friends and family settling their disagreements.
Tragedy: A sad, dark play with an unhappy ending. It usually ends with at least one character dying.
Dialogue: conversation between 2 or more characters
Monologue: a speech by one character which other characters can hear
Soliloquy: a speech by one character which is not heard by other characters
Aside: a short comment made by a character to the audience, which other characters cannot hear

3. Week 10
Irony: when there is a contrast between expectation and reality
Verbal Irony: saying the opposite of what you mean; sarcasm
Dramatic Irony: Occurs when the reader knows something the character doesn’t. Can be used to create tension, suspense, and/or humor
Situational Irony: when what happens is the opposite of what the reader or character expected.
objective (adj): not influenced by personal feelings; unbiased (antonym: subjective)
6. quarrel (n): a fight or disagreement
7. rowdy (adj): boisterous, unruly; tending to create a disturbance
8. valiant (adj): brave, heroic, courageous

4. Week 11 1. nimble (adj): quick and light in movement; agile
2. scorn (v): to ridicule; to treat with disdain
3. scoundrel (n): an unprincipled, dishonorable person; a villain
4. dignified (adj): respectable, honored
5. Act: (n) A chapter of a play. Shakespeare’s plays have 5 acts, and each act usually has 2-5 scenes. There is usually a small break between acts.
6. Scene: (n) a smaller section of an act, where something happens between a set of characters without a change in setting or time.
7. Props: (n) items carried by the actors while they perform the play. Shakespeare’s plays do not use many props.
8. Script: (n) The written text of a play

5. Week 12
insolent (adj): disrespectful, rudely ungrateful
contradict (v): to state the opposite; to prove something to be false
invincible (adj): incapable of being defeated
coy (adj): playing hard-to-get; pretending to be shy in order to get attention
consistent (adj): unchanging over a period of time (antonym: inconsistent)
nourish (v): to feed; to provide with substances necessary for growth
vice (n): a fault or shortcoming; an immoral behavior
absolve (v): to free from guilt; to pardon

6. Week 13
1.  devise (v): to carefully design, invent, or plan.
2. sluggish (adj): slow-moving, inactive, lazy
3. moderate (adj): avoiding extremes; keeping within reasonable limits; medium
4. flimsy (adj): poorly constructed so as to be weak or fragile; lacking substance
5. slander (n): false statements that damage a person’s reputation
6. mercy (n): compassion or forgiveness
7. tyrant (n): a cruel and oppressive ruler
8. endure (v): to suffer (something painful) patiently; to tolerate (something difficult)

7. Week 14
 1. tainted (adj): contaminated, polluted, corrupted
2. embed (v): to fix firmly into a surrounding mass; to envelop
3. sullen (adj): (of a person’s attitude) acting sulky or gloomy; resentfully silent
4. gallant (adj): brave, heroic, gentlemanly
5. berate (v): to scold angrily and at length
6. delay (v): to postpone; to cause to be late
7. squander (v): to waste in a reckless or foolish manner
8. modest (adj): humble; lowly; unpretentious

8. Week 15
 1. wayward (adj): (of a person) turning away from what is right or proper; disobedient
2. spite (v): to deliberately hurt, annoy, or offend (someone)
3. prosperous (adj): financially successful
4. arrogant (adj): conceited, cocky
5. unsavory (adj): unpleasant, distasteful, offensive
6. innocuous (adj): harmless, inoffensive
7. vile (adj): disgusting
8. placate (v): to make (someone) less angry or hostile; to appease

9. Week 16
allegory: (n) a story that has both a literal and symbolic meaning
contemporary: (adj) happening in the current time period; occurring at the same time as another event
haughty: (adj) having or showing the insulting attitude of people who think that they are better, smarter, or more important than other people
pensive: (adj) quietly thoughtful, especially in a sad way
melancholy: (adj, n) sad, mournful, depressed
solace: (n) comfort when a person is sad; something that makes someone feel better when they are unhappy
calamity: (n) an event that causes great harm and suffering 
distraught: (adj) so upset that you are not able to think clearly or behave normally