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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. What aspect of social life was very important in Will’s time?

2. Which theme in Will’s later works likely stemmed from his family life?

3. Chapter 1 ends with a discussion of…

4. Chapter 5 begins with an examination of…

5. What did Will see upon entering his new home city that made him afraid?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe Will’s involvement with “The Queen’s Men.” Why was his involvement with this group important to his career?

2. Why would John Shakespeare’s fall into disrepute have been bothersome to Will?

3. In what language was Will’s education conducted? Was this common?

4. What two personal conclusions did Will draw as a result of his relationship with Edmund Campion?

5. Describe the relationship between Brutus and Portia in Will’s play Julius Caesar. Is this relationship healthy or unhealthy? Why is it an important indicator of how Will depicted marriage in his plays?

6. Was it dangerous for people to travel by road in Will’s day? What did they need for safe passage?

7. In Will’s day, what was London like inside the ancient Roman wall that surrounded the city? What was London like outside that same wall?

8. Describe the prevalent attitude of theater owners during this time. What was their primary concern?

9. Did Will ever refer to Anne in his writings? Why or why not?

10. What was the character of John Shakespeare? Was he an upstanding citizen?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe Will’s marriage to Anne Hathaway. What were the circumstances of their meeting and urgent marriage? Did Will appear to have a happy marriage? Why or why not? Give an example from his early life and one from his later life to support your answer.

Essay Topic 2

Describe the author’s opinion of Will throughout the book. Would you say that Greenblatt is a fan of Will and his work? What opinion does Greenblatt seem to have of Will’s decisions throughout his life? Does Greenblatt’s opinion of Will change your own opinion of Will?

Essay Topic 3

Describe Will’s own religious preferences. What faith did Will espouse? Did he have sympathy for those of other faiths, or was he intolerant? How was religion presented in his theatrical works? Was there something other than religion that was of utmost importance to Will? How do you know this?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 790 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample