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

2. How does Bloom say Macbeth allows himself to pursue the crown?

3. How does Bloom say "Henry V" has been used in England?

4. How does Auden describe Iago?

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

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Bloom say "Timon of Athens" was not performed in Shakespeare's lifetime?

2. What does Bloom say is the difference between 'Othello' "Cymbeline"?

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

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

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

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

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

8. What is the role of love in "King Lear", according to Bloom?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

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?

Essay Topic 3

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.

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