S22.33 DP28 Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2016 https://archive.org/details/suggestivequestiOOpaul SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS f FOR THE STUD! OF SHAKESPEARE H. Gr. PAUL, INSTRUCTOR IN ENGLISH IN THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS. PUBLISHED BY CUNNINGHAM BROS., CHAMPAIGN’, ILL, 1904 , 3 GENERAL QUESTIONS FOR THE STUDY OF EACH PLAY. Is the drama aptly named? What is the probable date of composition, and what the probable sources of the play? How far has Shakespeare regarded the dramatic unities of time, place, and action? Approximately how much time is consumed by the play? PLOT. Trace through its various stages the develop- ment of the plot. What are the different contending inter- ests, and the means by which these various forces are put into play? State the results of the plot. Indicate in each play the following : (a) The Introductory Exposition ; (b) The Exciting Force; (c) The Development of this Force; (d) The Climax; (e) The Tragic Force; (f) The Development of this Force; (g) The Final Suspense ; (h) The Catastrophe. Does the play contain a subsidiary action ? If so, how is this action joined with the main one? What is the function of each act? Are there any episodes that have little connec- tion with the main plot? CHARACTERS. Are the characters suited to the story, and the story to the characters? Are all the characters clear- ly distinguished from each other? Are the characters always self-consistent? Are they selected so that each one may serve as a foil to another? p 15162 A THE TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA. What devices does Shakespeare employ in the manage- ment of the introduction? Why is the scene of the comedy laid in Italy? What features detract from the unity of the play? Commit to memory the song “Who is Silvia?” What scenes serve principally to prepare for succeeding ones? What scenes are lyric in their effect? Point out scenes in which the comedy lies more in the situation than in the characters; some in which the interest is reversed. Which would make the best acting scenes and why? Point out some passages requiring a great deal of acting in proportion to the amount of dialogue. What scenes would be more effective when acted than when read? Which would be the hardest part to play? Has the author secured variety in the kinds of emo- tions aroused and in the number and grouping of characters? Is undue use ever made of chance or accident in the solution of the plot? Compare the humor with that of “The Mer- chant of Venice.” Cite some illustrations of so-called “American humor.” How does the comedy of the Launce scenes differ from that of some of the other scenes? What use of parody has Shakespeare made in this drama? What, if any, is the moral problem of the play? How do you ac- count for the inadequate “ denotement ?” What characters and situations contain a marked farci- cal element? Describe the “make-up,”, as you imagine it, of Speed and of Launce. What sets of characters are balanced against each other? Are any of the nominally subordinate characters more sharply defined than some of the professedly principal ones? Select some subordinate actor in the drama, and go rapidly through the play, pointing out the many and careful ways in which his character is developed. A MIDSUMMER-NIGHT’S DREAM. Should you call this play a comedy? In what spirit, does Shakespeare tell us, are we to take the play? Is the plot more or less complex than that of “The Two Gentlemen of Verona?” 5 What means are employed for securing dramatic unity? Do you imagine the play was very successful on the stage? How has the element of wonder in this drama affected its permanent interest? Has the play more than one grand climax? In what sense may we say that the action is prob- able? Does any descriptive passage seem introduced simply for its own sake? Point out some anachronisms. What speech is most frequently quoted? Cite some passages that seem especially clear, graceful, and musical. Do we find any- where in the play some of Shakespeare’s own ideas of dram- atic action? What one word best summarizes the spirit of the piece? Why is the scene in Acts II and III transferred to the woods? What preparation is made for the entrance ^ of the fairies at the end of the play? Note the care with which the characters are introduced. Divide the characters into groups. How are these groups united ? Select some one word to characterize each of the more important “ dramatis personae .” Criticize the state- ment that “Theseus is a classic personage with romantic fea- tures and expression.” Contrast the two pairs of lovers. Are the characters of Lysander and Demetrius clearly differen tiated? Describe the nature of the fairies. Of what two dif- ferent standpoints of interest are Oberon and Puck represen- tative ? Compare Puck with Robin Goodfellow of “L’Allegro.” RICHARD III. Point out the close connection between the beginning of this play and the end of the “Third Part of Henry VI.’’ Why should more editions of this drama have been called for in Elizabethan times than of any other Shakesperean play? Does the dramatist deviate from historical fact in the introduction of any characters? If so, what is his reason, y and is the deviation justifiable? How is provision made for relief? What character represents the Nemesis of the Greek drama? Does the moral lesson of the play ever surpass its dramatic interest? Where is the movement of the action / especially slow? What blemishes, if any, mar some of the speeches? Give specific illustrations. What non-dramatic elements are incorporated in the drama? Summarize the different purposes of the first soliloquy. Cite the best illus- trations of dramatic irony. Enumerate the different reasons why Richard is a splen- did acting character. Describe the personal appearance of Richard by noting all the hints given in the play. How does the King as here portrayed differ from the historic Richard? How far are the qualities emphasized in Richard’s first speech carried out as the source of his action? ‘Trace the successive steps in Richard’s wooing of Lady Anne. Does Richard win Elizabeth, or is her consent feigned? Which of the characters seems to understand Richard the most thoroughly? What scene best illustrates Richard’s bitterly sarcastic humor? What different emotions does Richard successfully simulate? What saves his character from becoming entirely repulsive to us? In what one ‘in- stance when awake does Richard show any sense of guilt? Does his conscience ever gain complete mastery over him? Contrast Richmond’s oration to his army with Richard’s to his? Compare the death of Richard with that of Macbeth? HENRY V. What causes contributed to the popularity of the his- torical plays during Elizabeth’s reign? What common fea- tures do we find in the historical drama and in the epic ? What is the weakness of the historical plays for dramatic represen- tation? What gives these plays their unity? What parts of this play offer a good chance for scenic dis- play? What is the dramatic purpose of representing Henry’s soldiers as belonging to different nationalities? What dra- matic justification is there for introducing a herald so often? In what respects is the play faulty in construction? Would anything have been lost by^qmitting the Scroop-Cambridge ep- isode? Why is not Falstaff introduced as promised in “Henry IY? ” Compare the rapidity of movement of this play with f 7 that of “Richard III.” Which is the best of the prologues, and why? Does Act I end with a climax? Do we feel sure of the outcome of the battle of Agincourt? What is the chief pur- pose of Act V ? Does this play exhibit much variety of character? Is Shakespeare fair in his delineation of the French? Describe the personal appearance of the actors you should choose to take the parts of Pistol and of Nym. What lines summar- ize well Fluellen’s nature? Excepting Henry, which should you call the most important character? What are the ele- ments in Henry’s character that make him Shakespeare’s ideal king? Where in the drama is Henry’s character most thoroughly re vealed ? Does Shakespeare describe Henry as faultless? Which is the best of the King’s speeches, and why ? Compare Henry’s actions on the night before battle with those of Brutus at Philippi. ROMEO AND JULIET. How is rapidity of movement secured ? In what season of the year is the play represented as taking place? Why this special season ? Which is the best comic scene in the play? Select the three passages of greatest beauty in the drama. ^Compare the descriptions of nature with those of “A Midsummer-Night’s Dream.” Point out some of the many instances of dramatic foreshadowing. Illustrate Shake- speare’s unusually effective use of contrast in this play. Which scene is the most highly lyrical? JlWhat likenesses between this plot and that of an ordinary comedy materially weaken the former? What purpose is served by the brief scene between the servants of the Capulets and of the Mon- tagues? Show how Act III, Scene 1, exhibts in miniature the technique of the drama. What is the purpose of ending Act IV with a comic scene? What artistic reason for the brevity of Acts IV and V ? What reminiscences of “The Two Gentlememof Verona” do we find in “Romeo and Juliet? ” What dramatic reason is there for Mercutio’s death? How I I does Shakespeare succeed in surrounding Friar Laurence with an air of mysterious wonder? Point out some instances of good character-grouping. What character embodies most intensely the family hatred? What is the purpose of introducing Romeo’s love for Rosa- line? In the older version of the story, Romeo kills Tybalt in self-defense; why does Shakespeare change the story? Show how Romeo’s language becomes more simple as the play progresses. Indicate the development in the characters of Romeo and of Juliet. In which of the lovers is this de- velopment the greater? Whose love is the more unselfish? What purposes are served by the character of the nurse? Contrast the characters of Benvolio and Mercutio. •AS YOU LIKE IT. A Discuss the significance of the title? How is this signifi- cance emphasized in the epilogue? Show the variety of sources from which Shakespeare drew the names of the char- acters. Give several reasons why this is a good play for the modern stage. Is there any real suffering in the drama? What lines furnish the best epitome of the spirit of the play? What passages are introduced to meet some stage necessity? Are the songs introduced naturally? Does the comic ele- ment ever approach the farcical? Explain the different functions of the various short scenes in Act II. What scenes serve to strengthen the main ones by comparison and con- trast? Which serve principally as background scenes? Does each act end with a crucial point in the plot or in character revelation? Name some of the improbabilities of the play. What effect do they have on our appreciation of it? Which is the most successfully managed, — the setting, the plot de- velopment, or the character presentation? Why at the first of the drama does Orlando emphasize his gentle birth ? Discuss Hudson’s statement that “properly speaking the play has no hero.” What characters are not men- W* tioned in ActV? Dramatic reasons? Compare the range and variety of character with that in some other Shakespear- 9 the humor ot Rosalind S tLtS C f*' Touchstone. Why has Jail l ^ and with that of the Shakesperean conceptions WhT t faVOrite among characters? What elements 0 m Ir Ch "““t »< the stone? Compare the honor of T "^'' ‘hstoiemsli Touch- Launce. ° nor of Touchstone with that of TWELFTH NIGHT. S h.h“n° U co^i,:, 11 - tb « noting each word and action^ thlf Act . 1 carefull 3% future progress of the pl av e° lndlcate the indicate the possible lines of Hp 10ut furfc her reading, lines, may serJe as a What or good acting parts, “Twelfth Night” or “a!y““ ^ more What situations resemble th ACO • ^ ou ^ IKE It? ” pearean dramas/ Ai^tt first f? S ° me ° f the ° ther Shake- cessful presentation on the sho ^ for suc- different things accomplished by Act I m n ? ? mmanze the foreshadow the outcome of the comedy* Wh ^ 1? Act 11 ssssr ° nhed - i! «• •* - *• charge- Which is the most complex character ? Defe Z ^ Weakest? Which of the minor “personae” is th*)' + f your answer - What characters serve Is ZL ^, thebe «t Judge of character? «h.t is the womtZt in t *"""»* Describe the character of the Duke 2 wi ] ° 10 J The best ? tracts Antonio? Where does Oliva « iat 111 Sebastian at- for Viola? Describe, as y 0 » her Jove ance of either Viola or Olivia wl v' ! pei ; sonal a PPear- Duke before assuming her disguise/ ww love with the and what differences between Viola a nd S.tSSwS / 10 line b* i— «- «%£ * Yi0h '* C0 ’"' pare Julia, Rosalind, and Viola. king LEAR. Why has Lear been call ®^^ s Statement that “the Lear peare’s tragedies? Disc *f 5 J d „ Has the tragedy in any of Shakespeare cannot be actec wfay hag Shakespeare part of the play been authorities that Lears changed the statement found in humor with that of/ army was victorious? W e very greatly th<^ “Richard III” floes any character number 0 f lines as- course of the action in ^5^^ tic ^son for the ill-treat- signed to that part? W h ^ td d J es the least to advance ment of Kent in Act II? Whmh any promlse o{ re - the progress of the drama? Do stored order? „ d the mos t pathetic of all Why has the Fool he ° nC 7 What „ the last scene m of Shakespeare’s mmorcharacter^ account for his non- which the Fool appears? How ^ ^ drama? Discuss the aDnearance in the latt P ^ a grown man. I s statement that “the 1F00 bad? Iu the first scene of Edmund represented allegiance primarily to the King the play does Kent sho ^ 4 !’s S taten!ent that Kent is too or to Cordelia? Discus 0 re repulsive, Gonenl 01 rough to be a hero. Which ' is of Goner il an d Regan Regan, and why ? Does re Goner il with Lady Macbeth ever seem justifiable . 0 r de li a ’s action in the very first Should you chavacteriz C. dramaticaUy necessary that Cor- scene as willful? Why do you imagine Leai. delia should die? How old weakness in h is char- What scene best reveal b inning 0 f the play? Show acter? Is Lear insane at the begin 8 wit h him. 11 COKIOLANUS. ■«» * Why has the aristocratic life furnisheu better themes for poetry than has the democratic? What was Shake- speare’s attitude toward the common people as shown in this drama? What scenes serve especially to prepare for the de- cisive one? Is there any break in the interest of the play? Are there any scenes serving rather for the development of character than for the furthering of the plot? Can you sug- gest a better arrangement for some parts of the drama? Make an outline showing just what each scene contributes to the play. W^hat are the strongest situations? Note some passages where a great deal is crowded into a few words. Compare the amount of prose with that in “Richard III.” Point out a number of bold metaphors. Are we given any glimpses of restored order? What dramatic objection to developing more fully the figures of the Tribunes? How are we prepared for the im- portant part played by Volumnia? How does Shakespeare differentiate the characters of Volumnia and of Virgilia? Does the dramatist take pains to evoke our sympathy with Coriolanus? What is the nature of his character as it is first portrayed? Trace its development. Point out the resem- blances between the character of Coriolanus and that of his mother. Does Coriolanus ever accuse others of weaknesses characteristic of himself? Does he show himself able to dissemble? What term of reproach most thoroughly arouses^ him? Is he consistent in accepting a subordinate command under Cominius? Which of the other characters best under- stands Coriolanus? - THE TEMPEST. What different reasons for beginning the play with a storm? Does any one line sum up the spirit of the whole drama? What gives the play its greatest charm? Where is Prospero’s island supposed to be located? What, in modern times, supplies the place of the prologue? Show how “The 12 Tempest” is organically one of the most compact of Shake speare’s plays. What is the effect of the large number of weak endings we find in this play? Select some passages that illustrate Shakepeare’s use of run-on verse. How many rhyming coup- lets are there in the play? Compare as works of fancy “The Tempest” with “A Mid- summer-Night’s Dream.” How does the spirit of this play differ from that of Shakespeare’s earlier comedies? Compare the use of nature in this drama with that in “King Lear.” Contrast the use of the supernatural in “The Tempest” with that of “A Midsummer-Night’s Dream.” How does the treat- ment of the love element differ from that in some of his earlier works? What change do we note in the nature of the humor of Shakespeare’s later comedies? Compare the epilogue with that of “As You Like It.” What resemblances and differences do you note between “Twelfth Night” and “The Tempest?” Compare the plot of Caliban and Stephano with that of Antonio and Sebastian. Why were not Stephano and Trin- culo more severely punished? Note all the adjectives ap- plied to Ariel, and determine what are the chief qualities of his nature. Compare Ariel with Puck. Compare the sim- plicity of Juliet with that of Miranda. How is the character of Prospero, the magician, softened and humanized? Dis- cuss the belief that in representing Prospero as abandoning his magic Shakeaspeare means to show his own determina- tion to give up his magic art.