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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. With what word does Enobarbus describe his revolt in comparison to Antony's nobility?

2. Who arrives and claims that the enemy is beaten and his side's advantage serves for "a fair victory" in the seventh scene of the fourth act?

3. Upon what does one of the soldiers place his hope of the battle on foot in Act 4, Scene 3?

4. Who is it revealed has deserted Antony in Act 4?

5. What do the soldiers resolve to do about the noise in Act 4, Scene 3?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happens to Enobarbus after his speech in Act 4, Scene 9?

2. What attitude grips Antony and his soldiers in Act 4, Scene 7?

3. How has the battle gone so far, in Act 4, Scene 7?

4. What purpose does Act 4, Scene 3 serve, with its interlude of unnamed, minor characters?

5. What does the sudden music expose within the soldiers of Antony before the battle at Alexandria?

6. How does Antony react to the desertion by Enobarbus?

7. What does Antony say will happen to Cleopatra if she does not vanish after his fleet has betrayed him?

8. Why does Caesar insist upon being still with his land forces on the second day of Battle at Alexandria?

9. What is indicated by Cleopatra's refusal to come down to Antony in Act 4, Scene 15?

10. What does Antony mean by saying that his men have "shown all Hectors" and why is this significant?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

Keeping in mind that a tragedy is a story of human action which, by the means of free will and fate, results in exceptional calamity and the death or disintegration of the life of an extraordinary man, analyze the relationship between the story of Antony and Cleopatra with the archetypal indications of tragedy in a well-thought-out essay. What indicates the story to be a tragedy? What is the significance of all the central elements of the story insofar as they relate to tragedy? In what does the play's tragedy specifically consist?

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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