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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. Which character says, "Virility! It'd be easier to get blood out of a stone, and far more probable. I've bribed a major on his staff to shoot him in the battle"?

2. What is the Carpenter's name?

3. What does the Gravedigger's Boy say his wife would like to do?

4. What do the soldiers do to the wife of the Gravedigger's Boy?

5. How have Lear's daughters had contact with the dukes?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the character of Lear as we first encounter him in the play. How old is he? What is his demeanor?

2. What does Lear say about the Farmer's Son joining the army? How does this show a change in his character?

3. Why is the Ghost unhappy and crying in Act 3, Scene 3?

4. What does Warrington advise the king regarding the war with Bodice and Fontanelle? What is Lear's reply?

5. Describe Lear's reaction to the mirror in the court scene.

6. What is an "aside"? What purpose does it serve the author? Give an example of an aside in Lear.

7. Why did the Gravedigger's Son settle where he did? How did he discover the place where he lives?

8. How does Fontanelle react to being taken prisoner? What does she say?

9. Describe how Lear is blinded in the prison scene. Why is he blinded?

10. What does Lear go to do at the Wall in the final scene? Why?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Compare and contrast the characters of Lear and his daughters. How are their actions similar? How are they different? How are their motivations related?

Essay Topic 2

Lear makes a reference in Act 3 to Christ on the cross, which contains a certain irony in that Lear eventually finds himself in a similar place to that in which Christ found himself - executed by those in authority as an example to others who would think and believe and act independently. What are other Biblical references in Lear? How can Lear (and others) be compared to Biblical figures?

Essay Topic 3

What is the primary theme of Lear? How is this theme expressed through the characters and the actions of the play?

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