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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. What does Tybalt carry away in triumph?

2. Who comes through the vortex created by a page from the manuscript?

3. What separates Juliet and Constance's balconies?

4. How did Professor Night treat Constance?

5. What does Tybalt do with Romeo?

Short Essay Questions

1. How is it again intimated that Constance is playing the role of the Fool?

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

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

4. Who does Desdemona spot and what does she do?

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

6. What is Desdemona's response to Romeo revelation that he is a man? Do you think the Desdemona of Shakespeare's tragedy, Othello, would have said something like this?

7. What do you think is the purpose of this very short scene?

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

9. How does the author of this play satirize the real Romeo and Juliet fight scene?

10. Describe what happens when Desdemona and Juliet arrive at the crypt and stand near Constance.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

There are a number of actions and objects that represent something else, i.e., they are symbolic. . 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. One of the most overtly symbolic actions is when Romeo and Juliet pull the turtle in half in Act 3, Scene 2. What are a couple possible things this action symbolizes? Is this symbolic action (the pulling in half of a live animal) "over the top?" Could this symbolic action have been represented in a less gruesome way, or would that have diminished the impact of the action?

2. Find three other symbols or symbolic actions and give a brief account of them and what they represent. (for example: the diamond necklace Othello gives Constance or the gold pen at the end of the drama).

3. Why do writers use symbols or symbolic actions? How does it add to the depth or coherence of a piece of literature? Give some examples of symbols in a piece of literature or film and explain what they mean to you and if they are effective for conveying meaning.

Essay Topic 2

The idea of authorship is an obvious theme in the play GOODNIGHT DESDEMONA. 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. What is the issue of authorship in the play? Give examples to illustrate your statements. Is this issue resolved?

2. Professor Night thanks Constance for her ghost writing much of his academic publications and allowing him to take credit for her contributions. Do you think this is honest on the Professor's part? Do you think he would be out of a job if his taking advantage of Constance were revealed? How often do you think Professors take credit for work done by their research assistants? Is this fair, considering the Professor is the one taking the time to supervise a graduate student? Would you be willing to ghost write for someone else and not receive credit for your work? What if you were well paid for doing so--would that make a difference?

3. Authorship is a broader issue in the play as several characters in a sense re-write their lives--particularly Desdemona, Juliet, and Constance. How do you think you author your own life? Are you writing your story the way you want it to play out? Can you change your story? Would you?

Essay Topic 3

In Act 2, Scene 2, Constance unwittingly inserts herself as the Wise Fool into the drama of Othello. Answer the following questions in a well-developed essay using examples from the book as well as personal experience:

1. Define what is meant by the dramatic use of the Wise Fool. Give several examples that you learn from your research.

2. Describe how Constance fills the role of the fool in Act 2, Scene 2. Give specific examples.

2. Would you call her actions as that of a "wise" fool or just plain foolish? Why or why not?

(see the answer keys)

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