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

2. What does Bloom say is the problem with the character of Coriolanus?

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

4. What character does Bloom say follows Shakespeare's "Pericles"?

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

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Bloom say is the heart of "Macbeth"?

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

3. What warning does Bloom say Emerson makes about ''King Lear"?

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

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

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

7. How does Bloom say "Henry V" has been used in its history?

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

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

10. What view does Bloom take on Iago's character?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Is Shakespeare an everyman, whose talents are universal, or is he a unique individual whose gifts will never be repeated? Is he a type or a hero? How does Bloom describe him? How do you see him, as a result of reading this book?

Essay Topic 2

What are the archetypal Shakespearean characters? Where are they delineated? How does Bloom say they develop from one work to another?

Essay Topic 3

Which one of Shakespeare's plays is most promising for further analysis, in your opinion? Which play raises questions you would like to answer? What are those questions, and what part of Bloom's analysis makes those questions seem poignant? How does Bloom himself frame the answers for those questions?

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