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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 sneaks into Constance's garden after Juliet leaves?

2. What are the scrolls?

3. Who is climbing Constance's balcony?

4. With whom is Constance awestruck?

5. What does Juliet decide to do?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Juliet theorize is Constance's predication towards homosexuality? Do you agree?

2. What is humorous about the ghost's appearance?

3. What is Juliet's response to learning of Constance's true gender?

4. Why does Constance pounce on a Servant walking by?

5. What is the irony of the scene where Juliet stands beneath Constance's balcony and woos her?

6. How does cross dressing become a theme in this sexually-loaded scene?

7. For whom is Constance searching at the beginning of Act 3, Scene 3 and why is this ironic?

8. How is the ghost's appearance in the boneyard typical of Shakespearean tragedy?

9. What reason do Juliet and Desdemona give for being flat characters? Do you agree with the two women's assessment?

10. What does the purpose of this brief scene (Act 3, Scene 3) seem to be?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

GOODNIGHT DESDEMONA belongs to the genre of drama. Answer the following questions in a well-developed essay using examples from the book as well as personal experience:

1. What do you think is the definition of drama? Write out your definition and then look up the definition in a literary dictionary. How similar are the two definitions?

2. Drama is written with the intention that it will be performed. How do you think this influences the manner in which the plot unfolds, the dialogue, the set complexity, the number of characters, and the length?

3. Compare GOODNIGHT DESDEMONA to a short story. What are the differences? The similarities? Which do you enjoy reading the most?

Essay Topic 2

In Act 3, Scene 7, Juliet admits she does not know the name of the author and determines to commit suicide in shame. . Choose one of the following questions and write a well-organized essay using detailed examples from the text, your research and personal experience to support your statements:

1. Write an essay and include responses to the following questions: How many times does Juliet either threaten or attempt suicide? Is she ever serious? What is different about Juliet's suicidal tendencies in Goodnight Desdemona compared to Juliet's actual suicide in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet? Why do you think the author focuses so much on Juliet's apparent fascination with suicide? How does this thread contribute to the plot? Does Juliet's suicidal tendencies in GOODNIGHT DESDEMONA help make the play a comedy versus her suicide in Romeo and Juliet which contributes to that play being a tragedy?

2. Suicide is the second-leading cause of death for children ages 10-17; only car accidents claim more lives in that age range. Discuss why you think this may be true and what you think needs to or could be done to help change this statistic. Be sure to be specific and include any situations of which you have personal knowledge if you are comfortable doing so.

3. In Goodnight Desdemona, most readers would not expect Romeo to kill himself over any of his "true loves" (Juliet, Constance, or Desdemona). Discuss why this is true, giving examples, and what this reveals about Romeo's character in GOODNIGHT DESDEMONA.

Essay Topic 3

In Act 3, Scene 9, Constance becomes exasperated with both Desdemona and Juliet, calling them unreasonable and dimensionless and both women agree they are flawed. Answer the following questions in a well-developed essay using examples from the book as well as personal experience:

1. What is a flawed character? Is the trait different in a heroic character versus a villain? Does one assume a flaw in a villain but not necessarily in a hero?

2. How do you think Desdemona and Juliet are flawed characters? Do their flaws make them less "flat"? Are there flaws serious enough to keep them from being defined as heroines?

3. Do you think the flaws in the male characters are similar or different from those in Desdemona and Juliet? Explain using specific examples.

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