Dramatis Personae — Vocabulary
Hamlet by William Shakespeare — key words and definitions
Vocabulary Words from Dramatis Personae
- Dramatis Personae (noun)
- A Latin phrase meaning "persons of the drama," used as the heading for the list of characters in a play.
- Lord Chamberlain (noun)
- The chief officer of a royal household, responsible for managing court affairs and advising the monarch.
- courtier (noun)
- A person who attends a royal court as a companion, advisor, or attendant to the king or queen.
- officer (noun)
- A person holding a position of authority in the military, responsible for commanding soldiers and maintaining order.
- personae (noun)
- The plural of "persona," a Latin word meaning characters, roles, or masks worn by actors in classical theater.
- nephew (noun)
- The son of one's brother or sister; here it indicates Hamlet's blood relationship to Claudius, his father's brother.
- Elsinore (noun)
- The English name for Helsingor, a real castle and town in Denmark that serves as the setting for the entire play.
- gravediggers (noun)
- Workers who dig graves for burial; in the play, they are listed as "Two Clowns" and provide dark comic relief.
- attendants (noun)
- Servants or assistants who wait upon persons of rank, performing various duties at court or in a household.
- clowns (noun)
- In Elizabethan drama, comic characters or rustic figures who provide humor; not the circus performers of modern usage.