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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does Bloom say is the problem with the character of Coriolanus?
(a) The viewer does not know Coriolanus' reasons for surrendering.
(b) Coriolanus' death is not dramatized.
(c) We do not know Voluminia's thoughts about her son's treason.
(d) Coriolanus does not explain why he fought against Rome.

2. Whose skepticism does Bloom describe behind Hamlet's philosophizing?
(a) Plato's.
(b) Diogenes'.
(c) Montaigne's.
(d) Socrates'.

3. Why was Caliban suffering, according to critic Browning?
(a) Because his nature is still too bestial.
(b) Because Prospero will not adopt him.
(c) Because he is incapable of attaining the beautiful things he imagines.
(d) Because he will never win Ariel for himself.

4. M. C. Bradbrook describes "Pericles" as half spectacle and half what?
(a) Prophetic vision.
(b) Tragedy.
(c) Satyr play.
(d) Farce.

5. What does Bloom say brings Anthony back to Cleopatra?
(a) Hostility to Caesar.
(b) Sexual lust.
(c) Lust for power.
(d) Dependency on Cleopatra.

Short Answer Questions

1. In what way does Bloom say "The Merry Wives of Windsor" could be considered funny?

2. How does A. C. Bradley describe Cleopatra?

3. How does Bloom characterize Coriolanus as a character of Shakespeare's?

4. What is Bloom's complaint about "Henry VIII"?

5. How does Bloom characterize the Falstaff of "The Merry Wives of Windsor"?

Short Essay Questions

1. What insight does Bloom say "All's Well That Ends Well" gives us into marriage?

2. What is Bloom's estimation of "Henry VIII"?

3. How does Bloom characterize the play "Pericles"?

4. What does Bloom say is the moral of "All's Well That Ends Well"?

5. What purpose does Bloom say "The Merry Wives of Windsor" serves among Shakespeare's plays?

6. What is the role of love in "King Lear", according to Bloom?

7. What does Bloom say is the flaw of "Coriolanus"?

8. What does Bloom say makes "Hamlet" so fascinating?

9. What does Bloom say is the focus of "Antony and Cleopatra"?

10. What does Bloom say is the heart of "The Tempest"?

(see the answer keys)

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