English 431A - Shakespeare
Exam 2 - Questions for Preparation
All of your questions should be firmly anchored to the texts discussed.
That is, you should substantiate your assertions by referring to
specific arguments, characters, incidents, passages, examples, etc.
from the works we have read. Support general observations with
particular evidence. Avoid vagueness. Write in grammatically correct
sentences.
Three of the five questions below will be on the exam. As we discussed
in class, you may answer either one question that treats all four plays
or two questions that treat two plays each.
- Based on evidence drawn from all four plays of
the Henriad, discuss
Shakespeare's
depiction of the qualities of a good king. Why are the qualities good?
What does morality have to do with the "goodness"?
- There are many lies woven throughout the Henriad. (For the purposes of this
topic, lies may be defined as untruths, half-truths, withholding
information, false insinuations, equivocations, and generally
misleading other characters.) Choose what you believe to be the most
significant instance of such lying in each of the four plays, and argue
what makes it so important. For example, does it have thematic
significance, contribute to character development, provide humor, etc.?
How and why? In the course of your essay, consider whether the plays
depict lying as good, bad, both, or neither -- and how we know that.
- Examine Shakespeare's treatment of ceremony in Richard II and Henry V.
- Discuss the concept of heroism in Henry IV, Part I and Henry V. Your examination should
include (but not be limited to) the idea of "negative heroics," that
is, traditionally heroic actions or responses that the plays treat
skeptically. What are some of the ways Shakespeare represents heroism?
How does heroism get redefined in the course of the plays? Who is a
hero and why?
- Images of disease or illness pervade the Henriad. Such images resonate even
in the names of characters, such as Moldy, Wart, Feeble, Shadow, and
Gaunt. Drawing on the two plays
you haven't already addressed in another question, consider why
images of disease or illness are so prominent. Who or what is ill and
why? Discuss the
different kinds of illness, both physical and metaphorical, and then
examine whether the plays envision a cure. If they do envision a cure,
what is it? If they do not, then what prevents them from being
tragedies?