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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 the porter describe the effects of alcohol?

2. What does Bloom say is the center of "The Tempest'?

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

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

5. Whom does Bloom say Iachino in "Cymbeline" resembles?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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

Essay Topic 2

What does Bloom say Shakespeare teaches us about the relation between men and women? That women are stronger? That men are? Use examples from Bloom's analysis to formulate your argument.

Essay Topic 3

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?

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