nervousness or worry

obtain (come into the possession of something)

something that is outstanding — especially a literary work that is long and heroic

French equivalent to the English Mr.

or:

French equivalent to saying sir in English (a polite way to address a male)

in a very serious (and often dignified) manner

to attempt; or a project or activity attempted

necessary or important or relating to the basic nature of something

characterized by sincere belief

or:

intensely or excessively serious

to ask about or look into something

to die — especially in an unnatural way

or:

to be destroyed or cease to exist

to stop or discontinue

someone  you feel sorry for

or:

a person of bad character

to treat with extra kindness or tolerance

calm and not easily excited

English dramatist and poet frequently cited as the greatest writer in the English language and who wrote such works as Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet (1564-1616)

the feeling or expression of regret for having done something wrong with a firm decision to be a better person in the future

without interest

to understand something — especially to understand it completely

to force someone to do something

or more rarely:

to convince someone to do something

to call forth

making fun of

or:

not real

to have unreasonable belief that is unfair to members of a race, religion, or other group

or more generally:

to have (or create in others) an unreasonable belief that prevents objective (unbiased) consideration of an issue or situation

not returned in kind

someone who offers opposition or is hostile

an examination and judgment of something

a figure of speech in which a similarity between two things is highlighted by using a word to refer to something that it does not literally denote — as when Shakespeare wrote, "All the world's a stage."

When Shakespeare wrote, "All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players." he was not saying the world is really a stage and all people are actors. But he was pointing to the similarities he wants us to recognize.

a phrase that highlights similarity between things of different kinds — usually formed with "like" or "as"

as in "It's like looking for a needle in a haystack," or "She is as quiet as a mouse."

mythical Greek hero of the Iliad; central character and foremost Greek warrior at the siege of Troy

U.S. writer and humorist best known for his novels about Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn (1835-1910)

U.S. writer of novels based on experiences in the Klondike gold rush and is best remembered for his novella, The Call of the Wild (1876-1916)

arguably one of the English language's best writers and the foremost writer of the Victorian Era whose novels depicted and criticized social injustice (1812-1870)

Charles Dickens novel that traces the life of Pip, an impoverished young boy with great expectations for self-improvement, who experiences conflict between his desires to be a good person and to advance in social class (1861)