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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 whom has Antony's most recent deserter been discovered in Act 4, Scene 5?

2. Of whom does Cleopatra report dreaming in Act 5, Scene 2?

3. With what does Cleopatra kill herself?

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

5. Of what animal of Thessaly does Cleopatra speak?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. How does Antony behave towards his servants before the battle at Alexandria?

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

4. How does Caesar gain an advantage by holding his land forces still?

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

6. In what way are the places of the two armies shown to be exchanged in Act 4, Scene 8?

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

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

9. What does Enobarbus reveal about Caesar in Act 4, Scene 6?

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

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?

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

Throughout the play, there is a regularly occurring but never explicitly mentioned theme of tyrannical rule. Tyranny, in the modern conception, is defined as the rule of any authoritative figure or body for the sake of his or their own good, without consideration of those who are ruled. In a thoughtful essay, analyze the presence of this theme in all of the powerful rulers throughout the play. How do they rule for their own good? In what way does this rule affect those who are ruled, be it positive or negative? In what scenes or actions do the various rulers evince tyrannical tendencies?

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