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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 character does Bloom say follows Shakespeare's "Pericles"?

2. Whom does Bloom say Iachino in "Cymbeline" resembles?

3. Why was Caliban suffering, according to critic Browning?

4. What does Bloom say is the problem with the character of Coriolanus?

5. What does Bloom say is the reason for Iago's persecution of Othello?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Bloom say "Henry V" has been used in its history?

2. How does Bloom characterize the play "Pericles"?

3. What view does Bloom take on Iago's character?

4. Why does Bloom say "Timon of Athens" was not performed in Shakespeare's lifetime?

5. What is the moral of "Measure for Measure", in Bloom's account?

6. What is Bloom's estimation of "Henry VIII"?

7. What does Bloom say makes "Hamlet" so fascinating?

8. What is the role of love in "King Lear", according to Bloom?

9. Where does Bloom say "Winter's Tale" sits in Shakespeare's folio?

10. What does Bloom say is the flaw of "Coriolanus"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Evaluate your own reading of "Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human"--did you resist it, or were you compelled by the story? What does your reading tell you about yourself and your interests? Use specific examples from the book to describe yourself as a reader.

Essay Topic 2

Bloom credits Shakespeare with defining the interior development that we take as emblematic of modernity. Has anything happened, in art or in human culture, that has invented a different kind of human being, or invented different ways of being human since Shakespeare?

Essay Topic 3

Write an evaluative review of "Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human". What is this book's place in culture? What are its uses? Who is its audience? What are its limitations?

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