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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is the name of the man who accompanies Caesar in Act 3, Scene 8?

2. What action of Thyreus's inspires Mark Antony to have him punished?

3. Whose flight has given example to the rest of the men on the losing side?

4. What does Cleopatra insist Charmian give her to drink at the last scene of Act 1?

5. The Soothsayer tells Antony he ought to go where?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Caesar imply by his directions regarding giving the soldiers a feast the night before the battle at Alexandria?

2. What characterizes the manner with which Cleopatra reacts to Antony's decisions?

3. For what reasons are tensions brewing between Antony and Caesar in Act 3, Scene 4?

4. How does Menas propose to make Pompey the ruler of the world?

5. What is the meaning and significance of "a Lethe'd dulness" as Pompey uses the phrase in line 27 of Act 2, Scene 1?

6. What causes Antony to experience a dramatic change at the play's beginning?

7. What does the sight of Thyreus kissing Cleopatra's hand provoke in Mark Antony?

8. For what reason does Ventidius claim he leaves some soldiering undone?

9. Under what condition would Caesar grant lands in Sicily to Mark Antony?

10. How do his companions react to Antony's speeches in Act 4, Scene 2?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In contrast to the more nuanced influences of the play, the direct cause of the play's tragic outcome is quite obviously the external conflict between Mark Antony and Octavius Caesar. However, the drastic importance of this conflict, its political and historical implications, have a drastic influence on the overall significance of the play. Why is the conflict important to the whole world? How is this indicated in the play? What is at stake in the conflict between the two triumvirs? What is the relationship between the greater significance of this conflict and the significance of the play as a tragedy?

Essay Topic 2

The primary element to the vibrancy of any of Shakespeare's plays, particularly those that are historically based, is the richness of the characters' portrayal. As such, comprehending the roles of even the most minor characters can be crucial to appreciation of the play as a whole. In the case of Antony and Cleopatra, every character revolves around fidelity to some other, more powerful individual. Analyze in an insightful essay all of the characters who are fundamentally attached to Antony, excluding Enobarbus. What is common among the various characters attached to Antony? How does this reflect upon Antony himself? What sort of relationship is there between each character and Antony? Upon what is the relationship founded? Is there any sort of reciprocity present?

Essay Topic 3

As a constant companion of Mark Antony, Enobarbus often serves as a foil against which Antony's greatness and tragic decline are set. Thus, compose an insightful analytical essay that examines the character of Enobarbus as he helps to expose Antony's character. What sort of man is Enobarbus? What characterizes his actions? How does such a character help to demonstrate Antony's character? What does Enobarbus's tragic end help the audience to see regarding Antony? What is the significance of Enobarbus's soliloquy in Act 4, Scene 9?

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