TO BE OR NOT TO BE THAT IS THE QUESTION!!!!

William Shakespeare - To be, or not to be (from Hamlet 3/1) To be, or not to be: that is the question: Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, And by opposing end them? To die: to sleep; No more; and by a sleep to say we end The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks That flesh is heir to, 'tis a consummation Devoutly to be wish'd. To die, to sleep; To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub; For in that sleep of death what dreams may come When we have shuffled off this mortal coil, Must give us pause: there's the respect That makes calamity of so long life; For who would bear the whips and scorns of time, The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely, The pangs of despised love, the law's delay, The insolence of office and the spurns That patient merit of the unworthy takes, When he himself might his quietus make With a bare bodkin? who would fardels bear, To grunt and sweat under a weary life, But that the dread of something after death, The undiscover'd country from whose bourn No traveller returns, puzzles the will And makes us rather bear those ills we have Than fly to others that we know not of? Thus conscience does make cowards of us all; And thus the native hue of resolution Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought, And enterprises of great pith and moment With this regard their currents turn awry, And lose the name of action. - Soft you now! The fair Ophelia! Nymph, in thy orisons Be all my sins remember'd.

vocab #5

1)Obsequious: obedient, dutiful 2)Beatitude: exalted happiness 3)bete noire: disliked person or thing 4)bode: predict, announce before hand 5)dank: moist, humid, damp 6)ecumenical: general, universal 7)fervid: enthusiasm, burning in spirit 8)fetid: bad odor, stinky 9)gargantuan: gigantic, enormous 10)heyday: stage or period of success, strength, high spirits 11)Incubus: evil spirit, nightmare 12)infrastructure: the underlying framework of a system 13)inveigle: to entice by flattering talk 14)kudos: honor, glory 15)lagniappe: bonus, tip 16)prolix: long, wordy and unnecessary 17)protégé: under patronage, protection 18)prototype: model or something that is used to illustrate 19)sycophant: self-seeking flatterer 20)tautology: needless repetition of something 21)truckle: passive, willingness, submissive

vocab #3

Apostate: a person who forsakes his religion, cause, party, etc. Effusive: pouring out; overflowing Impasse: a position or situation from which there is no escape; deadlock. Euphoria: a state of intense happiness and self-confidence Lugubrious: mournful, dismal, or gloomy, especially in an affected, exaggerated, or unrelieved manner Bravado: a pretentious, swaggering display of courage. Consensus: majority of opinion Dichotomy: division into two parts, kinds, etc.; subdivision into halves or pairs. Constrict: to draw or press in; cause to contract or shrink; compress. Gothic: pertaining to the Middle Ages; medieval. Punctilio: a fine point, particular, or detail, as of conduct, ceremony, or procedure. Metamorphosis: a complete change of form, structure, or substance, as transformation by magic or witchcraft. Raconteur: a person who is skilled in relating stories and anecdotes interestingly. sine qua non: an indispensable condition, element, or factor; something essential quixotic: extravagantly chivalrous or romantic; visionary, impractical, or impracticable. Vendetta: bitter feud, rivalry, contention non sequitur: Logic. an inference or a conclusion that does not follow from the premises. Mystique: an aura of mystery or mystical power surrounding a particular occupation or pursuit Quagmire: soft boggy area of land Parlous: perilous; dangerous.

vocab #2

1. accoutrements: personal clothing, accessories 2. apogee: the highest or most distant point, climax 3. apropos: fitting, at the right time 4. bicker: to engage in a querulous argument 5. coalesce: to grow together or into one body 6. contretemps: inopportune occurrence, embarrassing moment 7. convolution: coiled condition, twist 8. cull: to choose, select, pick 9. disparate: distinct in kind, essentially different 10. dogmatic: pertaining to, inflexible 11. licentious: libertine, unrestrained 12. mete: to distribute, apportion 13. noxious: harmful to physical/well being 14. polemic: a controversial argument, as one against some opinion 15. populous: heavily populated 16. probity: honesty, uprightness 17. repartee: quick witty reply 18. supervene: implied event or action, to take place as something additional 19. truncate: to shorten, cut short 20. unimpeachable: impeccable, impossible to discredit, entirely trustworthy