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

Short Answer Questions

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

2. Which famous Revolutionary figure does Marat accuse of turning white at the mention of force?

3. What two things does Corday claim Marat wants in Scene 17?

4. Who has the final line of the play?

5. In the Singers' Scene 21 song, what has just been destroyed?

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

In the play-within-the-play, Sade has created a sort of spectrum from far-left (Roux) to the far-right (Corday). Where do all the major players in this play fall on this spectrum? What does each extreme of this spectrum want regarding France? What is its ideal society? Does Sade present both as equally dangerous in the play?

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay about the central argument between Sade and Marat. How do they different in regard to the right of private property? The violent overthrow of the aristocracy? The role of the middle class? Does the fact that Sade has written the role of Marat give him an unfair advantage in their dialectical debates?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 278 words (approx. 1 page at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample