View a FREE sample

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

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Fluellen's comparison mean for Henry V?

2. What gives "Winter's Tale" its supernatural quality, according to Bloom?

3. What objection does Dr. Johnson make about "Cymbeline"?

4. Why does Bloom say "Timon of Athens" was never performed?

5. What makes "Winter's Tale" jarring, in Bloom's interpretation?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

4. What does Bloom say is the political subtext of "Troilus and Cressida"?

5. What interpretation does Bloom say he favors for Caliban in "The Tempest"?

6. What parallel does Bloom describe between characters Henry V and Alexander the Great?

7. Where does Bloom see comedy in "Antony and Cleopatra"?

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

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

10. Where does Bloom say "Winter's Tale" sits in Shakespeare's folio?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In many of his other works of criticism, Bloom describes his affinity for the Gnostic idea that there is one eternal, living moment, and we enter into it and depart from it, but the flame itself stays alive, transcendent and human. Where do you think the flame that is burning in Shakespeare is burning today?

Essay Topic 2

What is the role of society in Shakespeare's writing, and what is its role in Bloom's thinking? Is society meant to be entered, resisted, overcome, evaded? How do Shakespeare and Bloom understand the imaginative person's place in society?

Essay Topic 3

Write a character sketch of the author based on his style and content. What values does he hold dear? What are his hopes and fears? What kind of person do you think he is? Anchor your sketch in passages in the book.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 727 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample