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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. Who is Bacchus, as referenced in Act 2, Scene 7?

2. With whom does Caesar exchange speech in Act 4, Scene 1?

3. Who does Antony say is approaching the ports of Rome in the play's first act?

4. Whom does Cleopatra send to report on the features of Octavia?

5. To whom does Enorbarbus predict Antony will be faithful?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Caesar instruct Thyreus to win Cleopatra from Antony?

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

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

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

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

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

7. For what reason does Mecaenas imply that striking Antony while the beleaguered triumvir is in his rage is strategically sound

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

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

10. What characterizes Antony's speech after Actium, before Cleopatra arrives, at the palace in Alexandria?

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

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 3

In a variety of scenes and a variety of manners, the play constantly exposes the inherent dangers of political success and failure. Analyze this exposition as it occurs throughout the play in a well-organized essay. In what scenes is political danger a dominant theme? How are the dangers of politics portrayed? Which characters provide insight on the dangers of the political machinations of the play and how are they exposed? What is the significance of the inherent dangers of politics to the tragic nature of the play?

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