Vocab for Macbeth/The Empress/Jekyll and Hyde Flashcards
Valiant / Righteous
possessing or showing courage or determination. Doing something for the greater good.
Facade
a deceptive outward appearance - faking what you are like or who you are
Deception
making someone believe something is true or real when it is in fact a lie or false.
Bravado
a bold manner or a show of boldness intended to impress or intimidate (think Lady Macbeth at the start; Macbeth at the very end)
Equivocation / equivocate
to bend the truth so that you are NOT lying but what you have said can be very deceptive.
Machiavellian
cunning, scheming, and unscrupulous, especially in politics. Someone who does not care who gets hurt, or what damage is done if they get what they want.
Subverts
(in literature) will portray what we expect as something unexpected, and have us (as readers) examine the truth of what things are like for ourselves. This is often done with the hope to challenge the reader/audience’s expectations.
Consequence
the positive or negative outcome of an action as a direct result of what was done.
Tyrant / Tyrannical
a cruel and oppressive ruler. Or, a person exercising power or control in an extreme and unreasonable way.
Regicide
to kill a king
Treason
to act in a way that goes against the wishes, demands or rules of a government. It can also mean to try to harm or take down a king/government.
Rightful (heir to the throne)
full of right, the only true version of a thing (EG: Malcolm being the rightful heir to the throne)
Remorse / Guilt / Regret
to feel terrible about things you have done and possibly to wish you had not done them or could avoid the consequences of what you have done.
Corrupt
act dishonestly in return for money or personal gain OR to be evil or to act without morality. In can be a verb whereby something infects other things and ‘corrupts’ them (usually making them worse)
Soliloquy
a SINGLE person giving a speech unable to be heard by any other character
Monologue
a longer speech given in front of another character as part of a conversation.
Aside
a short remark given only to the audience that usually reveals a character’s inner feelings.
Stage directions
statements in italics - written by the playwright - that detail critical set information and how characters should act - what type of voice to use or important movements.
Dramatic irony
where the characters on the stage do not know something that the audience know
Tragedy
a play dealing with tragic events and having an unhappy ending, especially one concerning the downfall of the main character.
Tragic hero
the central character of a play, film, etc., depicted as a noble figure (either meaning rich or well respected EG a lord or Prince etc) who experiences a tragic downfall in part due to their own actions.
Hamartia / Fatal flaw
a personality flaw that speeds up the tragic hero’s downfall examples are: greed, ambition or jealousy.
Writer’s intent
What the writer aims to show / teach the audience
Prejudice
dislike, hostility, or unjust behaviour deriving from preconceived and unfounded opinions
Exploitation
the action or fact of treating someone unfairly in order to benefit from their work.