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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 song reminds Bloom of this other work?

2. In what way does Bloom say Shakespeare departs from Marlowe's precursor "The Jew of Malta"?

3. What quality do Faulconbridge and Hamlet have in common, according to Bloom?

4. How does "Henry VI" end?

5. What are the men overcome by, in "Love's Labor's Lost"?

Short Essay Questions

1. What aspect of Nietzsche's philosophy is present in "Richard II", in Bloom's interpretation?

2. Where does Bloom see resonances of "Julius Caesar" in other plays?

3. What is Bloom's estimation of "Julius Caesar"?

4. What is Bloom's estimation of "Richard III"?

5. What does Bloom say "Henry VI" did for Shakespeare?

6. What is the cause of the comedy in "Love's Labor's Lost", according to Bloom?

7. What does Bloom say Shakespeare's compare to in terms of world religion?

8. What does "Romeo and Juliet" prefigure, in Bloom's interpretation?

9. Who are the prominent critics Bloom cites as the most influential critics of Shakespeare?

10. How does Bloom characterize the character Shylock?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How useful is the categorical breakdown Bloom uses--histories, comedies, tragedies, problem plays, etc.? Is there too much overlap between plays for these terms to be useful? What use does this schema of categorization have?

Essay Topic 2

Are there places where you feel like Bloom got an interpretation wrong, or not completely right? Where would you supplement or correct his insights? Where would you quibble with his analysis? If you can't find a place to quibble, identify the place where he is most convincing, and other critics seem to have been less insightful than him.

Essay Topic 3

What is missing from this book? What should have been covered or presented that was not? What is the effect of this absence? Describe an element that ought to have been covered, and explain why it would have made the book stronger.

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