Print
Word
PDF
|
| Name: _________________________ | Period: ___________________ |
This test consists of 5 short answer questions and 1 (of 3) essay topics.
Short Answer Questions
1. Who is the first voice from Marat's past to speak in Scene 26?
2. In Scene 30, Sade tells Marat that his writings mean nothing compared to what?
3. What does Simone think she sees in the sky in Scene 21?
4. What does Sade want remembered about himself after his death?
5. In Scene 30, how does Corday respond to Duperret's entreaty to leave Paris?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
The Marat/Sade is an inherently grotesque piece. It lingers in the dark, violent, and perverse places of human experience. Write an essay about Weiss's use of the grotesque in the play. How do the inmates, Sade, and the time period of the play-within-the-play reflect the grotesque? What is Weiss calling horrific in nature? Subjugation? Revolution? Life in general?
Essay Topic 2
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 3
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?
|
This section contains 365 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) |
|
