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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. In what field of battle does Antony proclaim he will engage Caesar in Act 3, Scene 7?

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

3. How does the messenger report the voice of Octavia to Cleopatra?

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

5. Who emerges triumphant in Parthia?

Short Essay Questions

1. For what reason does the Soothsayer tell Antony he must go back to Egypt?

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

3. How does Cleopatra act in Antony's absence?

4. For what reason does Cleopatra fly into a rage in the fifth scene of the second act?

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

6. Why does Octavius Caesar lament the absence of Mark Antony?

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

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

9. Why is it suggested by Agrippa that Mark Antony be married to Octavia?

10. What good does Caesar say that Octavia's letters had done, regarding Antony?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

One of the most complicated characters in the play, despite the brevity of his appearance, is the Clown who delivers the deadly asps to Cleopatra in the final scene. Though his phrasing is somewhat veiled and ambiguous, a multitude of arguments can be made for any number of interpretations of his character's significance. In a very carefully constructed essay, analyze the Clown's words to Cleopatra and make an argument for some definite interpretation of his meaning. What are the referents for the people and conditions to which the Clown alludes? What is the significance of his commentaries insofar as they relate to the actions and characters of the play? Why have a clown deliver such a message?

Essay Topic 2

Although the external conflict with Caesar is what ostensibly brings Mark Antony to his fate, it is only as a result of Antony's failure to overcome the internal conflict between his desire for Cleopatra and his right reason that the conflict comes about. In a thoughtful essay, analyze the causes, events, and consequences of this internal conflict as it develops throughout the story. In what does the conflict consist? What actions are characteristic of the conflict? How does the conflict move the story's events? What commentaries are given on the conflict, and what insights are provided by characters other than Cleopatra and Antony? How is the conflict resolved? What affects the resolution of the conflict?

Essay Topic 3

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?

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