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

2. How does Thersites avoid being killed?

3. Whose appearance marks a shift in Act IV of "Winter's Tale"?

4. Why was Caliban suffering, according to critic Browning?

5. What does Ben Jonson say "Winter's Tale" unites with the dark fears of Leontes?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What does Bloom say was Shakespeare's role in "Two Noble Kinsmen"?

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

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 view does Bloom take on Iago's character?

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

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

9. What is the moral of "Measure for Measure", in Bloom's account?

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

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 is the role of love in Shakespeare's plays? How does Bloom describe the benefits and consequences of love?

Essay Topic 3

Describe Shakespeare's hierarchy of values. What is most important to him. What is least? Similarly, describe Bloom's hierarchy of values.

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