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E211: British Literature to 1760 Shakespeare Study Questions Alfred Drake | Uni Hall 329 | W 3-4 | ajdrake@ajdrake.com King Henry V Act 1 1. In the Prologue, what does the Chorus ask theater-goers to do? In what sense might the Chorus be said to give the spoken words of Shakespeare's play the place of honor in their experience? 2. In scenes 1-2, the Bishops of Ely and Canterbury have their reasons (money, for the most part) for sending the young Henry off to France. But what specific arguments do they employ to convince him--what is Salic Law, and what do the Bishops say about Henry's predecessor kings? 3. In scene 2, what qualities in Henry are brought to the fore by the Dauphin's wicked present of "tennis balls" in place of a serious answer to his claims upon the French throne? Act 2 4. In scene 1, what seems to be Shakespeare's principle in going back and forth between serious and silly, noble and low, as he begins to do here with the comic scene between Pistol, Bardolph, and Nym (Henry's friends from Henry IV, Parts 1-2)? How does their quarreling compare to that of their betters? 5. In scene 2, how does King Henry set forth the moral of the treason and fall of Cambridge, Scroop, and Grey? Pay particular attention to his comments about Scroop. 6. In scene 3, how do Henry's former friends Pistol, Bardolph, and Nym see the impending war with France? When they learn that old Jack Falstaff has finally died, what effect does his passing have upon them? What do they think is the cause of his death? 7. In scene 4, what contrast between the French outlook on war and the English one appears? How does Exeter, in his message to the King of France, undercut the expectations and rhetoric of Shakespeare's French? Act 3 8. What perspectives on war do scenes 1-3 of this act, taken together, advance? Consider the remarks of Henry, Pistol/Bardolph/Nym, and the Welshman Fluellen. 9. In scene 4, the French Princess Katherine explores the presence of the English from her own perspective. What does she add to our understanding of the war and the French? 10. In scenes 5-7, how does King Henry's insistence on hanging Bardolph for theft show about his grasp of proper kingship? How can we connect this part of the play with Fluellen's failure to understand (at least at first) the nature of Pistol? Perhaps it would be best to consider this question in light of Shakespeare's perpetual interest in sorting out "seeming" from "being." 11. In scene 7, what flaw in the Dauphin's character reaffirms itself? How does the Constable undercut the Dauphin's claims? Act 4 12. In scene 1, why does Henry wander about the camp on the eve of battle? What does he find out about the way some of his subjects (Williams and Bates) think of their part in the campaign? What argument does Henry use to bring Williams around, and what quarrel nonetheless remains between them? 13. In scene 1, when Henry is at last alone, how does he sum up his thoughts on the nature and responsibilities of kingship? What spiritual burden will he bring with him into battle, aside from anything to do with current events? 14. In scenes 2-3, contrast the Frenchmen's high words before battle with what Henry and his English followers say. What assumptions do the French make about the English, and what proves effective for Henry in lifting the spirits of his men? 15. How do scenes 4-5 work together to show the French side's shameful conduct? 16. In scenes 6-8, how much realism do you find in Shakespeare's representation of the battle and the views characters take concerning war? And how does King Henry explain his unlikely triumph over the French? 17. In scenes 7-8, how does the quarrel between King Henry and Williams get settled? What moral principle does this settlement reaffirm? Act 5 18. In scene 1, what lesson about symbolism does Fluellen teach Pistol when the two meet? And what does Pistol plan to do now that the war is over? 19. What strategy does King Henry employ to win Katherine's heart and her assent to the marriage that will make him heir to the French throne? What objections does she make, and how does he deal with them? 20. Critics have long argued both sides of an obvious issue in Henry V: is the play pro-English and pro-war to the point of "jingoism" (a "jingo" is someone who is too quick to call for war, usually to promote national prestige), or should we say that Shakespeare is criticizing others for such attitudes? Or do you find that "either/or" argument simplistic? Explain. The Merchant of Venice Act 1 1. In scene 1, what sense of community is affirmed between the Venetian merchant Antonio and his several gentile (non-Jewish) friends? Antonio is sad without knowing why--what kind of atmosphere does that fact set up for this comic play? 2. In scene 1, what seems to be the relationship between Antonio and Bassanio--what has led to the latter man's need for Antonio's help? 3. In scene 2, what constraint lies upon Portia's future, thanks to her father's will? What complaints does she have about her suitors? 4. In scene 3, Antonio and Shylock discuss the former's need for a loan. Why doesn't Antonio take Shylock's terms seriously? What grievances does Shylock set forth against Antonio and other Christians whom he has come upon in the Rialto (the financial district of Venice)? Act 2 5. In scenes 1 and 7, and 9, respectively, the Princes of Morocco and Arragon choose amongst the gold, silver, and leaden caskets for Portia's hand in marriage. Why do they make the choices they make, and what explanation of their error is provided in the enclosed scrolls? 6. In scenes 2-3, Lancelet (Shylock's servant) and Jessica (Shylock's daughter) decide to abandon him. Why is Lancelet disaffected from his master, and why is Jessica determined to run away? Does she do so with a clear conscience? Explain. 7. In scenes 4-6, Jessica, Lorenzo, and his companions Gratiano and Salarino plot Jessica's escape, and then make good on it. What important concern arises from the fact that the Venetian custom of donning masques figures in their plans? Moreover, what can we make of Jessica's disguising herself as a boy? 8. In scene 5, what forebodings does Shylock reveal as he prepares to dine with his gentile debtors? What are his concerns about his daughter Jessica and the possibility that she might come into contact with Christians? 9. In scene 8, how does Shylock react to the awful news that Jessica has run away and, to make matters worse, stolen his golden "ducats" and jewels? Would it be fair to say (see also 3.1) that he confuses the two losses, as the Christians suggest by their mockery--or is something else going on here? Act 3 10. In scenes 1 and 3, what good does Shylock say insisting on his bond will do--how does he justify what Christians in the play would call "Jewish" hard-heartedness? 11. In scene 2, what accounts for Bassanio's success in choosing the leaden chest rather than the golden and silver ones? How might the song "Tell me where is fancy bred?" be a way of describing Bassanio's choice? 12. In scene 3, how does Antonio, who stands within Shylock's power, understand his predicament--why can't the Duke help him, and what irony resides in that fact? 13. In scene 5, is there any significance in Lancelet's theological quibbling with Jessica over her religion? How might we connect this comic scene with the play's more serious events? Act 4 14. In scene 1, what lesson about mercy underlies the disguised Portia's defense of Antonio? How does Saint Paul's injunction that "the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life" apply to Portia's final destruction of Shylock's demand for a pound of flesh? (2 Corinthians 3:6) 15. In spite of Portia's Christian lesson in scene 1, do the Christians engage in some conduct that is less than charitable towards Shylock? Explain. 16. At the end of scene 1 and then in scene 2, why does Bassanio (although grudgingly) set aside his oath regarding the ring Portia has given him and award it to the "Doctor"? What does this act suggest about his understanding of the relative value of relationships between men and relationships between men and women? Act 5 17. In scene 1, what is the thematic significance of Lorenzo's remarks about the heavenly music we can't hear because of our fallen nature--i.e. because of "the muddy vesture of our decay"? 18. In scene 1, what allows for resolution of the controversy over the loss of Bassanio and Gratiano's rings, given them by Portia and Nerissa, respectively? How do the two women assert a kind of power that the men didn't know they possessed? 19. General question: this "dark comedy" about Christians and Jews has troubled many Shakespeare scholars and theater-goers. It is obvious that Shakespeare's plot favors the Christian theological framework, not Shylock's Judaism. But in what sense might we be doing Shakespeare an injustice if we take Shylock for a one-dimensional "stock" ethnic character? What does he have going for him that a stock character doesn't? 20. General question: similarly, in what sense does Shakespeare's representation of Christian characters such as Antonio, Bassanio, Lorenzo, and Gratiano complicate what might otherwise be a straightforward victory for Christianity over Shylock's principles? Editions: Shakespeare, William. Henry V. Washington, D.C: Washington Square Press, 2004. ISBN: 0743484878 (Folger Editions). Also Shakespeare, William. The Merchant of Venice. Washington , D.C: Washington Square Press, 2004. ISBN: 0743477561 (Folger Editions).
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