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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 literally are "wassails" as used by Caesar to describe Antony's behavior?

2. Which of the following does Antony NOT command his men to do after his defeat at Actium?

3. Who brings a message from Antony to Cleopatra at the end of the first act?

4. To whom does the triumphant victor in the first scene of Act 3 speak?

5. To whom does Enobarbus attribute all the fault of the defeat in battle at Actium?

Short Essay Questions

1. What causes Antony to flee the battle of Actium?

2. What is the significance of the discussion between Enobarbus and Agrippa in the first part of Act 3, Scene 2?

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

4. Why does Enobarbus tell Menas that that which has caused amity between Caesar and Antony will likewise "prove the immediate author of their variance"?

5. For what reason does Cleopatra send Alexas to Italy?

6. For what reason does Antony insist upon assailing Caesar by sea at Actium, despite the protestations of his loyal men?

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

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

9. What is the result of Antony's fleeing from Actium?

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 Act 3, Scenes 10 through 13, Antony is unveiled as being shamed and enraged to the point of violence by that shame. Having fled battle, shown himself to appear a coward, and having his woman enticed by a servant of his enemy, Antony is overcome with emotional discord. By formulating an insightful essay, examine the inherent relationship between shame, anger, and violence, as it is portrayed in Antony and Cleopatra. In what scenes does the relationship become evident? How does it become evident? What motivates Antony, or any other characters for whom you can find examples, to feelings of shame? How is this shame related to anger and/or violence?

Essay Topic 2

An essential element of the tragic play is the evocation of pity from the audience. In order to evoke pity, the audience must be enabled to relate with the characters caught up in the tragedy. In a broad-minded and considerate essay, analyze the means by which the play makes those involved in the tragedy, principally Antony and Cleopatra, but also Enobarbus and Eros, as well as any others caught in the struggles between mightier characters, sympathetic to the audience or reader. What scenes demonstrate the unfortunate nature of these characters' sufferings? How do they portray the characters as pitiable? What is the fundamental root of relation between the audience and the pitiable characters in these scenes? What does this reveal about dramatic tragedy and its relationship to human nature?

Essay Topic 3

A dominant means of exposition and plot movement in the play is through the unseen but contextually described battles. Being careful to read out from the play and not into the play, explicate the significance of the battles at Actium and Alexandria, analyzing in what ways the various victories and defeats occur and what the significance of each is. Who wins the battle? How does he win the battle? What are the consequences of the battle being won? What is revealed about the various involved characters through their reactions to the conclusions of the various battles?

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