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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 Proteus betray Valentine's love of Silvia to the duke in Two Gentlemen of Verona?

2. In whose clothes is Margaret dressed as part of the devious plot in Much Ado About Nothing?

3. What does Prospero do to Antonio when the two meet at the end of The Tempest?

4. Which of the following characters does not die at the end of King Lear?

5. In As You Like it, how does Oliver plan to kill Orlando after his initial plan fails?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who does Valentine offer Silvia to Proteus at the end of Two Gentlemen of Verona?

2. Under what circumstances does Lear go mad?

3. How does Valentine becomes the leader of bandits in Two Gentlemen of Verona?

4. How are Hero and Claudio reunited at the end of Much Ado About Nothing?

5. How does Leontes respond to his new daughter at the beginning of The Winter's Tale?

6. How does Proteus betray his friend Valentine in Two Gentlemen of Verona?

7. Why is Posthumus banished at the beginning of Cymbeline?

8. What is the rift in the spirit room at the beginning of A Midsummer Night's Dream?

9. Describe the interaction between Prospero and his enemies on the island at the end of The Tempest.

10. At the end of As You Like It, what happy news arrives concerning the banished duke?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The tragic figure of Shakespeare's stories suffer because they make rash decisions without considering the full ramifications of their actions. Write an essay discussing three tragic figures from the collection and the decisions they make. What drives the most destructive of these choices? What does the character want to accomplish, and what does he or she not consider regarding the ramifications of these choices? How do these choices undo this character, and what is Shakespeare saying about the human condition with this reversal?

Essay Topic 2

The role of women in Shakespeare's work is remarkably ambiguous, particularly in his comedies. Choose three heroines from his comedies - Katharine, Beatrice, Helena, etc - and chart their arc over the course of the narrative. Are their objectives relatively constant throughout? Do they take their courtship into their own hands over the course of the narrative? Are they dynamic character, changing over the course of the narrative? If so, what changes them? Is it self- or society-imposed?

Essay Topic 3

Shakespeare's stories can span the range of possible settings: some exist in one day and one location, while others take place over many lands and many years. In an essay, compare the two most extreme examples: The Tempest and Pericles. Which is the more compact of the narrative and which the more expansive? What common plot devises and character types do they share? How does each one end, and how does the setting affect the progression of the plot to this finality?

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