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

Short Answer Questions

1. What was the subject of the suppressed work that Marat describes in Scene 28?

2. In Scene 27, to whom does Marat accuse the generals of being loyal?

3. Who has the final line of the play?

4. As a judge in Revolutionary tribunals, what does Sade find himself unable to do?

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

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 2

Write an essay about the worldview of Duperret and Corday. What do they describe as their ideal nation? How does the Paris of 1793 represent everything that both detest about social engineering? Why do you think this leads Charlotte Corday to take violent action but not Duperret?

Essay Topic 3

The Marat/Sade is a carefully constructed argument among various viewpoints that ends in utter chaos. Write an essay analyzing the meaning behind the final moment of the play. Does it seem out of place with what came before? Do you think it solves any of the lingering quandaries left by the debate? Cite arguments from the play's text as corroboration.

(see the answer keys)

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