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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. Why are Romeo and Juliet separated after the street duel with Tybalt?

2. In Comedy of Errors, how can a merchant from Syracuse avoid death in Ephesus?

3. What does Hamlet happen upon when he returns to Elsinore from England?

4. Who does Juliet's father betroth her to?

5. Which of the following is Iago's reason for wanting to destroy Othello?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why is Hamlet dissolute at the beginning of the story?

2. What happens when Viola, in disguise, goes to Olivia on Orsino's behalf?

3. What happens to Aegeon's lost son and servant in Comedy of Errors?

4. Why is Romeo banished from Verona?

5. How does Pericles reunite with his daughter and wife at the end of the story?

6. What is the state of affairs between Ephesus and Syracuse in Comedy of Errors?

7. How do Romeo and Juliet die?

8. What does Timon do with his chest of gold at the end of his story?

9. Describe Iago's revenge against Othello.

10. How does Petruchio tame Katharine on their wedding day?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Tales from Shakespeare translates the plays of William Shakespeare into a series of twenty stories intended for children. In this process, Charles Lamb has kept some of the more adult themes that were present in the plays. Write an essay in three parts dealing with the prevalence of adult themes in the collection:

Part 1) In comedies like The Winter's Tale and Much Ado About Nothing and tragedies like Othello, Shakespeare deals with infidelity and mistrust between lovers. How do these themes manifest themselves? Which characters suffer as a result, and what is learned from this painful experience?

Part 2) In King Lear and Hamlet, in particular, Shakespeare deals with the duty a child owes his or her parents. Discuss the strained relationships at the center of these stories. What sense of neglect or betrayal exists in them? How are these relationships more intense forms of everyday struggles?

Part 3) Shakespeare deals fairly unsparingly with intolerance in The Merchant of Venice and Othello. What types of intolerance are discussed in these stories? Which characters subjugate which? What is learned about this type of racial and religious intolerance over the course of the narrative?

Essay Topic 2

Shakespeare's comedies involve betrayal and reconciliation between family members and friends. Write an essay about three comedies and discuss how friends and family members betray each other. What compels them to do this? What is the fallout from this betrayal? Discuss what events occur that lead to reconciliation among them? What does this redemption say about the nature of friendship, family and love?

Part 1) The Winter's Tale

Part 2) Two Gentlemen of Verona

Part 3) As You Like It

Essay Topic 3

Love is a frequent theme of Shakespeare's narratives, but love in his comedies is markedly different from love in his tragedies. Write an essay comparing the way couples interact in Shakespearean comedy and tragedy. What does the courtship - provided it is shown - look like? Is deception involved? In comedies, why does Shakespeare always end after the marriage? What occurs after the marriage in Shakespeare's tragedies? What does this say about Shakespeare's attitude toward the institution of marriage?

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