Name: ____________________________
Shakespeare's Julius Caesar
Act 1 Vocabulary
Hour: ______ Date: _______________
Each of these words is in Act 1 of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar.
1. alchemy - (noun) a medieval science aimed at the transmutation of metals; especially changing base
metals into gold
2. barren - (adj) not bearing offspring
3. basest - (adj) lowest
4. beseech - (verb) ask for or request earnestly
5. cogitations - (noun) thoughts
6. conjure - (verb) evoke or call forth, with or as if by magic
7. conscience - (noun) sense of right and wrong
8. construe - (verb) make sense of
9. epilepsy (noun) a disorder of the central nervous system characterized by loss of consciousness and
convulsions ; many believe that this was the illness of Julius Caesar
10. factious - (adj) causing disagreement
11. fawn - (verb) try to gain favor by cringing or flattering
12. ides - (noun) the middle (usually of March when Julius Caesar was murdered.)
13. knave - (noun) a deceitful or unreliable scoundrel
14. lamented - (verb) mourned or grieved for
15. loath - (verb) unwilling, reluctant
16. prodigious - (adj) so great in size or force or extent as to elicit awe
17. rogues - (noun) dishonest or worthless person
18. soothsayer - (noun) someone who makes predictions of the future (usually on the basis of special
knowledge)
19. tyranny – (noun) a form of government in which the ruler is an absolute dictator (not restricted by a
constitution or laws or opposition etc)
20. vulgar – (adj) lacking refinement or cultivation to taste
Write each of the words in a sentence on the lines provided. Use your context clues worksheet to guide
you into making quality sentences. (Sentences such as “He is a rogue.” or “Knave is number thirteen on
the list.” will not receive credit.)
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