romeo & juliet act 1 vocabulary

ACT 1 VOCABULARY

Romeo & Juliet

adversary

An opponent/ an enemy

The Montagues are the Capulet’s adversaries.

anguish

Intense pain or grief

Juliet felt much anguish when learning she had to marry Paris.

apothecary

One who dispenses drugs (sometimes illegally) for

profit/ a pharmacist Romeo went to the apothecary for some

herbs to cure his headache.

augment

To enlarge, to increase

Lady Capulet purchased another ring at the fair to augment her jewelry collection.

Belligerent

Eager to fight, aggressive

Tybalt can be described as belligerent because he picks fights with everyone.

Boisterous

Noisy, rough

Prince Escalus tried to quiet the boisterous crowd so that his speech could be heard.

Disposition

Temperament, the fixed qualities of one’s nature or

character/ personality Romeo has a highly emotional disposition;

he cries one minute and is in love the next.

nimble

Active, quick, lively

One had to be nimble when fencing; otherwise, he might die because he couldn’t

avoid the sword.

Nuptial

Pertaining to a marriage/ the marriage ceremony

Once Romeo and Juliet said their nuptial vows, they were married.

Semblance

A likenessRomeo and Juliet tried to hold some

semblance of a wedding ceremony on short notice.