Ophelia: Chapters 18-27

by Lisa Klein
Lisa Klein's adaptation of Shakespeare's Hamlet reimagines the famous tragedy from Ophelia's perspective.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Prologue-Chapter 4, Chapters 5-9, Chapters 10-17Chapters 18-27, Chapters 28-38, Chapter 39-Epilogue
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. halting
    proceeding in a fragmentary, hesitant, or ineffective way
    “Not bad, but not at all good, either,” I said. Indeed the hasty poem was lacking in music and halting in meter.
  2. languish
    lose vigor, health, or flesh, as through grief
    “Remember, when we are in company I will play the languishing lover to your disdainful mistress; you will show me no pity, and yet I will fawn upon you. Let us see how they do greet this love.”
  3. visage
    the appearance conveyed by a person's face
    I described his ungartered stockings, his unlaced doublet, and his pale visage.
  4. missive
    a written message addressed to a person or organization
    He snatched the missive from me as if it were money.
  5. gullible
    naive and easily deceived or tricked
    After a moment, I followed, half pitying my father for being so gullible.
  6. dais
    a platform raised above the surrounding level
    Seated on a dais, Claudius was speaking in low tones to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.
  7. mercenary
    serving for wages in a foreign army
    How fitting, I thought, that the villain had found a position as a mercenary soldier, paid to protect Claudius and fight his battles.
  8. liege
    a feudal lord entitled to allegiance and service
    “My liege and madam, I have found the cause of Hamlet's lunacy,” he declared.
  9. canny
    showing self-interest and shrewdness in dealing with others
    I considered how canny my father was, despite being a fool.
  10. labored
    requiring or showing effort
    I searched high and low until my breath grew labored, but I found the castle strangely deserted.
  11. fanfare
    a short lively tune played on brass instruments
    A distant fanfare sounded, announcing an arrival at the castle.
  12. rogue
    a deceitful and unreliable scoundrel
    “Oh, what a rogue and peasant slave am I!” he cried, seizing his forehead in his hands.
  13. wrack
    smash or break forcefully
    Then the memory of Hamlet’s words tormented me and my own tears wracked me until, exhausted, I fell into an uneasy slumber.
  14. filial
    relating to or characteristic of or befitting an offspring
    But despair, more than filial duty, made me compliant.
  15. untimely
    uncommonly early
    “But surely you do know what makes the prince so wild and mad lately. Some say it is his father’s untimely death, while others blame his mother’s hasty marriage.”
  16. minion
    a servile or fawning dependent
    I hated Cristiana and her spying minions, and I was furious with Hamlet for believing their false gossip.
  17. sconce
    a decorative wall bracket for holding candles or lights
    Along the length of Elsinore's vast hall, torches flamed in their sconces.
  18. carrion
    the dead and rotting body of an animal; unfit for human food
    “You lie, you vile piece of carrion flesh!”
  19. doff
    remove
    Turning toward the sound, I watched her greet Rosencrantz, who bowed as he doffed his hat, its feather brushing her cheek and making her smile.
  20. stalwart
    having rugged physical strength
    I spilled my sadness to Horatio, and it surged like waves against a stalwart dam.
  21. corporeal
    having material or physical form or substance
    “It was not corporeal, to be touched like you or me,” he said.
  22. equivocate
    be deliberately ambiguous or unclear
    “Horatio, you speak like a philosopher who equivocates truth and falsehood,” I said impatiently.
  23. aloof
    distant, cold, or detached in manner
    But I was determined to remain aloof until I knew his feelings for me.
  24. diverting
    providing enjoyment; pleasantly entertaining
    I hoped the play would take my mind from his strange behavior, but it offered nothing diverting or pleasant.
  25. ensconce
    fix firmly
    No doubt Claudius was ensconced in a secure room blazing with light and surrounded by his guards.
  26. riotous
    characterized by unrest or disorder or insubordination
    In the gray dawn of the following morning, a noisy and riotous dream disturbed my sleep.
  27. lethargic
    deficient in alertness or activity
    Still lethargic from my sleep, I wondered if this was a game, a joke of Hamlet’s.
  28. vehemence
    intensity or forcefulness of expression
    “For what he has done, he ought to seek your pardon on his knees,” she said with vehemence, then added, “I must not say such a thing, for he is still the son of my queen.”
  29. brood
    think moodily or anxiously about something
    I brooded continually over the timing of Hamlet’s departure and its meaning.
  30. lore
    knowledge gained through tradition or anecdote
    Finally my trunk held two books I had rescued from the queen’s hand and my book of herbal lore. My possessions were scant indeed.
  31. gaunt
    very thin, especially from disease or hunger or cold
    I held up the cracked glass and considered my distorted image. I almost did not recognize myself. My face was gaunt, with deep and dark shadows beneath my eyes.
  32. sheaf
    a package of several things tied together
    I watched as the men gathered wheat into sheaves and the women, with bent backs, gleaned the shorn fields.
  33. glean
    gather, as of natural products
    I watched as the men gathered wheat into sheaves and the women, with bent backs, gleaned the shorn fields.
  34. perverse
    marked by a disposition to oppose and contradict
    I felt a perverse pleasure in these pains, for they distracted me from my misery.
  35. ebb
    flow back or recede
    The wave of my defiance began to ebb.
  36. reverie
    an abstracted state of absorption
    The sound of footsteps startled me from my sad reverie.
  37. ruse
    a deceptive maneuver, especially to avoid capture
    Reason told me I could not keep up my ruse of madness for long.
  38. prudent
    marked by sound judgment
    Then I lay on my bed and thought it would be more prudent to delay my plan, and meanwhile hold off danger with my dagger.
  39. sentinel
    a person employed to keep watch for some anticipated event
    In less guarded times, the darkened halls and galleries of Elsinore had stirred with furtive lovers and winking sentinels who let them pass.
  40. fetid
    offensively malodorous
    Its fetid dark green leaves spread like a canopy over the ground and its fruit, like a small apple newly ripened, lurked beneath.
Created on Wed Jan 31 15:50:08 EST 2018 (updated Thu Feb 01 16:50:36 EST 2018)

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