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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who saves "Two Gentlemen of Verona", in Bloom's opinion?

2. What does Bloom say is the purpose of Falstaff's philosophizing?

3. Who whom does Bloom compare Beatrice and Benedick from "Much Ado About Nothing"?

4. Where does Shakespeare use the themes of "Two Gentlemen of Verona", in Bloom's interpretation?

5. What does Bloom say "Richard III" is a rehearsal for?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who are the prominent critics Bloom cites as the most influential critics of Shakespeare?

2. How does Bloom describe the meaning of his title, "The Invention of the Human"?

3. What does "Romeo and Juliet" prefigure, in Bloom's interpretation?

4. What is Bloom's estimation of "Two Gentlemen of Verona"?

5. What was Nietzsche's influence on Bloom's view of Shakespeare?

6. What does Bloom say Shakespeare's compare to in terms of world religion?

7. How does Bloom characterize "Twelfth Night"?

8. Where does Bloom see resonances of "Julius Caesar" in other plays?

9. What is the cause of the comedy in "Love's Labor's Lost", according to Bloom?

10. How does Bloom characterize Shakespeare's "Titus Andronicus"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Bloom says that he values interior development, but what is it that he wants to see characters be aware of? Where does the actual world of lived experience figure in Bloom's analysis of Shakespeare's writing or of writing in general?

Essay Topic 2

What does Bloom say is Shakespeare's relationship with Christopher Marlow? How is that relation borne out? Where does Bloom see evidence of it?

Essay Topic 3

Where is the climax of this book? Are there different climaxes? What questions does each climax resolve? What questions does each climax leave unanswered?

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