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This test consists of 5 short answer questions and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is the first thing that Michael and Agnes agree about in Act 2, Scene 2?

2. Michael tell Agnes he would have made a run for it on the first night of their marriage had he not been wearing what?

3. What is Agnes' decision about the bedclothes in Act 3, Scene 2?

4. What does Agnes accuse Michael of in Act 2, Scene 2?

5. What is Michael doing when he is first seen in the last scene?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

There are only two characters with a speaking part in the play, but the fourposter bed can be interpreted as a third character. Using examples to support your response, write an essay answering the following:

1) What ways does the fourposter bed resemble a third character on the stage?

2) How does the fourposter bed influence the events in the marriage between Agnes and Michael?

3) What is the significance of the giving of the fourposter bed to the newlywed couple as a conclusion of the play?

Essay Topic 2

Compassion and the need to feel wanted greatly affects the relationship between Michael and Agnes throughout their marriage. Use examples from the play to support your response to the following:

1) When has Agnes felt the need to be wanted and what was her reaction to this feeling?

2) When has Michael felt the need of compassion and what was his reaction to this feeling?

3) By the end of the play, is the problem of the need for compassion solved in the marriage of Agnes and Michael?

Essay Topic 3

Each act in the play closes with an embrace between Michael and Agnes. This display of repetition is a literary device used by the author. Respond using examples to support your answer.

1) Does the embrace at the end of each scene always come from the same emotion, such as relief, love or compassion?

2) What is the significance of the repetition of the familiar embrace to the relationship of Agnes and Michael?

3) What is the significance of the repetition of the familiar embrace to the audience of the play?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 433 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample