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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 play did Will likely see upon his arrival in London?

2. In what country is Stratford located?

3. What is a possible evidence for John’s Shakespeare’s suspected alcoholism?

4. What was Will licensed for during the time that he lived in Stratford?

5. Chapter 3 begins with a discussion of…

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What was Tamburlaine the Great? Who wrote it? Why was it significant?

3. Who was Will’s mother? What was her family background?

4. Who was Sir Thomas Lucy? What was Will’s relationship with him?

5. What was a remarkable characteristic about the villain Tamburlaine in Tamburlaine the Great? Why was this characteristic remarkable?

6. Why would Will’s continued relationship with Edmund Campion have been a hindrance for his career?

7. What was another way that Will would have been exposed to theater as a young child?

8. Discuss the possible reason for Will’s hasty marriage and identify which of Will’s plays reflects the same urgency between a male and female character.

9. Who was Richard Field? Why was Will’s relationship with him important?

10. 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?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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?

Essay Topic 2

Define some main themes of Will’s works. What are two main themes that are consistently seen throughout Will’s theatrical works? Why, in your opinion, does he choose each of these themes? What might have influenced him in selecting these themes? List a play that exemplifies each of the themes you have chosen to discuss.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss Will’s return to Stratford near the end of his life. Why did he return to Stratford? For what reasons did he not want to stay in London? How did this impact his career? Did his move have a negative or positive effect on his work? What relationships drove his decision to move back to Stratford?

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