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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. Which character is not dead at the end of Othello?

2. Who does Orsino marry at the end of Twelfth Night?

3. Why is Marina not killed by Dionysa's servant?

4. How does Roderigo assist Iago in his plotting?

5. Who wins the wager at the end of the Taming of the Shrew?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Timon do with his chest of gold at the end of his story?

2. Describe Iago's revenge against Othello.

3. How is Angelo corrupted in Measure for Measure?

4. In Pericles, how does Marina become a slave?

5. What is the state of affairs between Ephesus and Syracuse in Comedy of Errors?

6. What wager is involved in the final part of Taming of the Shrew?

7. Why can Orsino not woo Olivia successfully in Twelfth Night?

8. Why does the Duke of Vienna give up power at the beginning of Measure for Measure?

9. How do Romeo and Juliet die?

10. Why is Romeo banished from Verona?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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?

Essay Topic 2

In A Midsummer Night's Dream, Shakespeare famously said the course of true love never did run smooth. Write an essay charting the arc of a particularly tumultuous courtship in one of the stories. What two characters are in love, and what obstacles prevent their complete happiness? How do they respond to these obstacles? Do they over come them or break apart from each other? Through this courtship, what is Shakespeare saying about romance and commitment?

Essay Topic 3

In his stories, Shakespeare deals with individuals that hurt and betray their fellow man. These characters have many disparate reasons for doing this. Discuss three such malefactors and their motivations in an essay:

Part 1) Why does Macbeth choose to kill Duncan, his king? What external forces impel him to commit this evil act, and why does he acquiesce to them? Discuss how Macbeth makes progressively more evil choices to protect himself. What is Shakespeare saying about the way evil men are made?

Part 2) What drives Shylock to insist upon a pound of flesh as payment from his rival Antonio? What does his place in Venetian society have to do with this? To what extent does Antonio represent this marginalized place?

Part 3) How is Iago different from the other villains in Shakespeare's stories? What drives him to destroy Othello, Cassio, and Desdemona? Does he hold a grievance against all of them? To what extent does Shakespeare present Iago as a portrait of pure evil?

(see the answer keys)

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