1. altruistic Unselfish, concerned with the welfare of others Shakespeare's Banquo is the antithesis (opposite) of Macbeth; he is truly altruistic.

2. repose To rest; sleep, relaxation King Duncan chooses to repose at the home of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth.

3. remiss Neglectful in performance of one’s duty; carelessness Could it be that King Duncan is remiss in his discernment of Macbeth’s true character?

4. assent To express agreement Macbeth and Banquo assent to discuss the visitation of the witches.

5. temerity Rashness, boldness Is Lady Macbeth’s temerity attractive to Macbeth?

6. virulent Extremely poisonous; full of malice; spiteful Lady Macbeth words were as virulent as the venom of a viper!

7. benefactor One who does good to others Will Banquo be the benefactor as the plot progresses?

8. truculent Fierce and cruel; harsh, aggressive The truculent Lady Macbeth would see King Duncan dead!

9. pungent Causing a sharp sensation; stinging; biting The pungent thought of murdering the king frightened Macbeth.

10. dearth A lack, scarcity, inadequate supply Lady Macbeth did not possess a dearth of ambition; on the contrary, her virulent ambition motivated her every thought and action.

11. plod To trudge, walk heavily The wounded captain was seen plodding to King Duncan’s camp.

12. unfeigned Sincere, real, without pretense Was Banquo’s unfeined loyalty something Macbeth deserved?

13. chivalrous Marked by honor, fairness, courtesy, and courage The chivalrous subject fought for his king.

14. indomitable Unconquerable, refusing to yield The witches’ indomitable spirits resulted in hurly- burly!

15. discrepancy A difference; a lack of agreement There was a discrepancy between the what was said and what the was true!

16. Clemency Mercy, humaneness, mildness, moderateness King Duncan showed no clemency toward the Scottish traitor!

17. facile Easily done or attained; superficial Would becoming king be a facile task for Macbeth?

18. diffident Shy, lacking self- confidence The witches took advantage of anyone whose diffident personality made him easy to manipulate!

19. infallible Free from error; absolutely dependable No one in The Tragedy of Macbeth was infallible!

20. embark To go aboard, to make a start If you were visited by the wyrd sisters, could they convince you to embark on a journey to gain fame and fortune?