4.  Give an outline of the origin and rise of the drama in England.  What is meant by Miracle and Mystery plays?  What purposes did they serve among the common people?  How did they help the drama?  What is meant by cycles of Miracle plays?  How did the Moralities differ from the Miracles?  What was the chief purpose of the Interludes?  What type of drama did they develop?  Read a typical play, like “Noah’s Flood” or “Everyman,” and write a brief analysis of it.

5.  What were our first plays in the modern sense?  What influence did the classics exert on the English drama?  What is meant by the dramatic unities?  In what important respect did the English differ from the classic drama?

6.  Name some of Shakespeare’s predecessors in the drama?  What types of drama did they develop?  Name some plays of each type.  Are any of these plays still presented on the stage?

7.  What are Marlowe’s chief plays?  What is the central motive in each?  Why are they called one-man plays?  What is meant by Marlowe’s “mighty line”?  What is the story of “Faustus”?  Compare “Faustus” and Goethe’s “Faust,” having in mind the story, the dramatic interest, and the literary value of each play.

8.  Tell briefly the story of Shakespeare’s life.  What fact in his life most impressed you?  How does Shakespeare sum up the work of all his predecessors?  What are the four periods of his work, and the chief plays of each?  Where did he find his plots?  What are his romantic plays? his chronicle or historical plays?  What is the difference between a tragedy and a comedy?  Name some of Shakespeare’s best tragedies, comedies, and historical plays.  Which play of Shakespeare’s seems to you to give the best picture of human life?  Why is he called the myriad-minded Shakespeare?  For what reasons is he considered the greatest of writers?  Can you explain why Shakespeare’s plays are still acted, while other plays of his age are rarely seen?  If you have seen any of Shakespeare’s plays on the stage, how do they compare in interest with a modern play?

9.  What are Ben Jonson’s chief plays?  In what important respects did they differ from those of Shakespeare?  Tell the story of “The Alchemist” or “The Silent Woman.”  Name other contemporaries and successors of Shakespeare.  Give some reasons for the preeminence of the Elizabethan drama.  What causes led to its decline?

10.  Tell briefly the story of Bacon’s life.  What is his chief literary work? his chief educational work?  Why is he called a pioneer of modern science?  Can you explain what is meant by the inductive method of learning?  What subjects are considered in Bacon’s Essays?  What is the central idea of the essay you like best?  What are the literary qualities of these essays?  Do they appeal to the intellect or the emotions?  What is meant by the word “essay,” and how does Bacon illustrate the definition?  Make a comparison between Bacon’s essays and those of some more recent writer, such as Addison, Lamb, Carlyle, Emerson, or Stevenson, having in mind the subjects, style, and interest of both essayists.