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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What situation did Will leave behind in London when he went to Stratford?
(a) A threat that he was going to be executed for treason
(b) An ailing father that was close to death
(c) An accusation of embezzlement from the church
(d) A dispute leading to the dismantling and rebuilding of a particular theater

2. With whom did Will want to be united near the end of his life?
(a) His wife Anne
(b) His daughter Susanna
(c) His daughter Judith
(d) His son Hamnet

3. What is the basic plot of Will’s play Richard II?
(a) A feeble monarch is deposed
(b) A powerful monarch gets sick
(c) A strong monarch is overthrown
(d) A cowardly monarch flees the country

4. What was the name of Christopher Marlowe’s play that was about a Jew?
(a) Come Alongside Me
(b) Tamburlaine the Great
(c) The Jew of Malta
(d) As You Like It

5. Which person associated with Queen Elizabeth was executed on accusations of heresy and treason?
(a) The monarch’s hairdresser
(b) The monarch’s daughter
(c) The monarch’s doctor
(d) The monarch’s priest

Short Answer Questions

1. What was the watching public’s response to the execution of Queen Elizabeth’s personal doctor?

2. What object did Will leave to his wife after his death?

3. During the production of which of Will’s plays did the Globe Theater burn down?

4. Which character in one of Will’s works especially reflects the encounters that Will had with two of the members of the important group of playwrights in London?

5. What was the name of the house that Will purchased?

Short Essay Questions

1. What are two main innovations present in Hamlet?

2. What were some main differences between Will and Christopher Marlowe?

3. What happened to Will’s financial standing after the production of Hamlet? What was Will able to purchase for his family?

4. What great tragedy did Will write in the latter part of his life that centered around a father-daughter relationship?

5. What Jewish character did Will create that plays a central role in his play The Merchant of Venice? What play did Christopher Marlowe write that is about a Jew?

6. Why did Will return to Stratford in the latter years of his life?

7. When did Will die? Where was he buried?

8. What were the provisions of Will’s will? What object did he leave to his wife?

9. Describe why Will’s play Richard II was not well-received by Queen Elizabeth.

10. Who defended Will and his work after the criticism voiced by Robert Greene? Why might this person have defended Will?

(see the answer keys)

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