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This test consists of 5 short answer questions and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Which of the following is something that Coulmier claims is absent in 1808?

2. In Scene 30, Sade tells Marat that his writings mean nothing compared to what?

3. In Scene 18, for what group does Marat say the Revolution was fought?

4. Which of the following is not something that Duperret accuses Mara of being in Scene 17?

5. In Duperret's Scene 22 song, who is the only entity that man will be expected to obey in an ideal world?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The theme of subjugation and captivity is pervasive in Weiss's play. Write an essay in three parts discussing the theme of captivity:

Part 1) How are the poor of 1793 constantly held in captivity? Who were their oppressors before the fall of the Bastille, and who have there oppressors become int he Revolutionary era? How does Marat decry both in the play?

Part 2) The story of Mart's death is performed by inmates in a mental asylum. How does the the life of the inmate reflect the life of the poor in 1793? In what way is the play-within-the-play an act of revolution against captivity?

Part 3) What is Sade's notion of captivity? How is it different from Marat's? What is the prison that every man inhabits in Sade's worldview?

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay on the topic of absolute power. Marat is offered it over the course of the play, but he refuses it. Duperret and Corday fear he will become dictator. The play itself takes place in the shadow of Napoleon. Does Weiss believe that all power corrupts? Is he implying that Marat might have been an exception?

Essay Topic 3

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?

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