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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 was the former profession of the interrupting patient in Scene 14?

2. In Scene 6, Jacques Roux protests that the ruling class controls all of the following except which?

3. What is Coulmier's official position?

4. How much does Corday pay for the dagger with which she will kill Marat?

5. Which character's name does the Heral mention appearing on Marat's black list in Scene 4?

Short Essay Questions

1. What do the apparitions of Scene 26 reveal about Marat?

2. What is the role of the audience in the play?

3. In 1793, what is the common people's attitude toward the new ruling class in France?

4. What is Corday's primary fear regarding the revolution?

5. Describe Corday and Duperret's interchange in Scene 29.

6. How does Duperret's affliction affect his performance in Scene 17?

7. In Scene 28, how do the Singers tell Marat he could avoid his death?

8. How doe Marat and Sade differ in their attitudes toward violent action?

9. Besides Coulmier, who interrupts the action of the play in this section?

10. How does the actress playing Corday nearly ruin the play in Scene 9?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The idea of the reactionary is a constant theme throughout the play. Write an essay about the revolutionary attitude toward those who wish to reverse the social changes recently made. For each character below, explain their attitude toward the Revolution as a whole, Marat in particular, and violence in general:

Part 1) Corday

Part 2) Sade

Part 3) Coulmier

Essay Topic 2

Because The Marat/Sade consists of a play within a large play, the role of the audience is more ambiguous in the play than in a more traditional piece. Write an essay about this role, in three parts:

Part 1) Describe the audience that would have attended a Charenton performance in 1808. What is their social status? Why would they be in attendance? What is the purpose of the performance?

Part 2) Consider the subject matter of Sade's play from the point-of-view of the average 1808 audience member. What would their memories of the Revolution be? How would they feel, by and large, about Napoleon's France?

Part 3) Is the modern-day audience, to some extent, a participant in The Marat/Sade? How do the inmates fell of about their 1808 spectators, and how does the modern audience fill in for these spectators?

Essay Topic 3

In the great debate between Sade and Mart, Sade's viewpoint is more complex and ambiguous. As an aristocrat turned Revolutionary turned voice for political apathy, his worldview is strange and inwardly focused. Write an essay on etymology of this viewpoint. Why did Sade join the Revolution, and why was he repelled by it? What does he view as most important in life? What is his attitude toward violence and its place in society?

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