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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 accompanies Antony in Act 4, Scene 10?

2. What decision does Antony lament to the solider who greets him in the fifth scene of the fourth act?

3. What noise disturbs the soldiers in Act 4, Scene 3?

4. From next to where does Antony go to discover the outcome of the sea-battle at Alexandria?

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

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Cleopatra feign submission to Caesar at the end of the play?

2. What is meant by Charmian's statement that "The soul and body rive not more in parting / Than greatness going off"?

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

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

5. To what end does Cleopatra commit herself, and why, after Antony has died?

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

7. What effect on Antony's disposition does the desertion by Enobarbus have?

8. For what reason does Caesar seek to preserve the life of Cleopatra after hearing that Antony has died?

9. How does Cleopatra comport herself towards Antony in Act 4, Scene 4?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In the third act of the play, the fortunes of the two sides of the external conflict are reversed by the machinations of free will. Examine in a thoroughly-developed analytical essay this reversal of fortune. How had the fortunes of Antony and his companions been positively progressing throughout the first few acts of the play? In what way do they regress in the second half? How is this affected in the third act of the play? What particular actions, and of whom, are responsible for the inception of the downfall of the triumvir Antony and in what do they consist?

Essay Topic 2

The tragic conclusion of Antony and Cleopatra is somewhat mitigated by the portrayal and evident Roman perception of the nobility of suicide. By carefully developing a well-structured essay, analyze the reasons behind the Roman view of suicide and explicate how this effects the conclusion of the play. What is significant about the various characters ending their own lives? How does such action alter the ending of the play? What is the fundamental correlation between death and nobility? Upon what principles is the Roman conception of suicide in the face of being conquered as noble founded? Be sure to explicate through examples from the text.

Essay Topic 3

As Antony's rival, Octavius Caesar plays a vital role in the tragic story of Antony and Cleopatra. As the story's external antagonist, he helps to propel the action of the story. In a thoughtful essay, analyze the character of Caesar, being sure to contrast him with Mark Antony but nonetheless retaining focus on Caesar himself. What are his principal traits as a character? What are his motivations? How does he treat other characters in the story? What worldview does Caesar represent? How does Caesar correspond to a changing world dynamic?

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