CLEP Humanities : Analyzing the Content of Medieval and Renaissance Drama
Study concepts, example questions & explanations for CLEP Humanities
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Example Questions
Example Question #1 : Analyzing The Content Of Drama
The character Ophelia was featured in which of the following Shakespeare plays?
Twelfth Night
The Merchant of Venice
Hamlet
Romeo and Juliet
Othello
Hamlet
Ophelia is featured in Shakespeare's Hamlet.
Example Question #1 : Analyzing The Content Of Medieval And Renaissance Drama
"He hath disgraced me, and
hindered me half a million; laughed at my losses,
mocked at my gains, scorned my nation, thwarted my
bargains, cooled my enemies, heated mine
enemies; and what's his reason? I am a Jew."
(1605)
From which Shakespeare play is the following quotation drawn?
Hamlet
Richard III
The Tempest
Othello
The Merchant of Venice
The Merchant of Venice
This quote is from Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, and is spoken by Shylock about his reasons for seeking revenge against Antonio. The revenge that Shylock is seeking is the right to exact a pound of flesh from Antonio for not repaying the money that Shylock lent him.
(Passage adapted from The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare, III.iii.54-58)
Example Question #2 : Analyzing The Content Of Medieval And Renaissance Drama
What is the Shakespeare play about the Prince of Denmark investigating his father’s death?
Othello
Hamlet
Macbeth
Henry V
Julius Caesar
Hamlet
Hamlet was a turning point in the writing career of William Shakespeare. Taking an old tale about a Prince of Denmark whose father has mysteriously died and whose uncle has usurped the throne, Shakespeare focused intensely on Hamlet's character and inner drama. The play features many ruminations on philosophy and psychology, which were used in most of Shakespeare's later tragedies.
Example Question #2 : Analyzing The Content Of Drama
Antonio, Portia, and Jessica are all characters in which Shakespearean play?
Romeo and Juliet
The Merchant of Venice
Julius Caesar
Richard III
Macbeth
The Merchant of Venice
Antonio, Jessica, and Portia are all characters in The Merchant of Venice.
Example Question #1 : Contexts Of British Plays
The story told in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is often thought to be derived from the story of __________.
Orpheus and Eurydice from Ovid's Metamorphoses
Pyramus and Thisbe from Ovid's Metamorphoses
Lancelot and Guinevere from Lancelot, the Knight of the Cart by Chretien de Troyes
Samson and Delilah from the Bible
Dido and Aeneas from the Aeneid, by Virgil
Pyramus and Thisbe from Ovid's Metamorphoses
The general consensus among scholars reflects that Shakespeare derived his story and main characters for Romeo and Juliet from Ovid's story of Pyramus and Thisbe. The story of Pyramus and Thisbe depicts two tragic lovers who are separated by their families, who do not approve of their marriage. They communicate their love through a cement wall and plan to meet under a tree outside to confess their love. However, when Thisbe comes out first, she mistakes the blood of a lion for Pyramus' blood and, believing he had been killed, kills herself.
Example Question #3 : Analyzing The Content Of Medieval And Renaissance Drama
Which Shakespeare play opens with three witches forecasting the future?
Macbeth
Titus Andronicus
Hamlet
Romeo and Juliet
Othello
Macbeth
The image of three witches calmly prophesying the future is one of the indelible images of Shakespeare's Macbeth. The titular character's rise to power is conditioned and effected by the witches' proclamations, providing one of the key themes of the play, predestination and foreshadowing.
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