Exam 2 Tuesday Nov. 12, 2002

Sonnets you should know for the exam:

You may find IDs that ask about the contents of these particular sonnets (or the sequences they appear in). Key lines from these sonnets may show up as IDs. There will also be a sonnet you have not seen before (yes, there are some). I will ask you to mark out its rhyme scheme, identify its formal structure (e.g. Italian, Spenserian), and answer one or two questions about its meaning.

Review session will be Monday at 7 pm in KIN 211. I invite you to stay after the review for the 8 pm poetry reading by Dannye Powell in 207 KIN; that reading is a cultural event.


Terms we have covered this time:

soliloquy, blank verse, unities, epic simile, catalog, in medias res, enjambment, sonnet, conceit, Petrarchan, Elizabethan, Spenserian, octave, sestet, quatrain, couplet, sprezzatura, Protevangelium, humanism, Renaissance, hamartia, climax, imagery, symbolism, tragedy, ethnography, catharsis, pastoral, parody, protagonist, antagonist, doubling/twins/mirroring.


Essay Questions

Who is the protagonist and antagonist within Othello, there can be several possibilities, support and defend your choice through examples. 

How does the "individual" relate to power and authority in Othello? 

During class we discussed six different disputed climaxes for Othello. Choose one and give concrete evidence why it is your choice as the climax. 

How does Eve in "Paradise Lost" identify with the traditional roles of women during Milton's time? 

Why did it take courage for Desdemona to marry Othello?  Would their society have looked upon their relationship in the same way if Othello was not a great warrior in the Venetian military? Why? 

Who is the hero in Paradise Lost? Explain. 

Discuss Othello and Desdemona/s relationship.  Explain why it is that Othello does not need proof for her betrayal, or investigate Iago's accusations. 

Give examples of how Emilia acted outside the stereotypes of a woman's character in "Othello".

Explain the significance of what Milton means to examine the Fall all over again in the Paradise Lost.  Give critical examples to support your answer.

Describe 3 possible climatic parts in "Othello" and give crucial supporting evidence to support your idea.

Who is the antagonist in Shakespeare's Othello.  List some examples of the character’s actions that would support your claim.

What "social/moral" point was Shakespeare trying to make in the story of Othello. What was he trying to do? How did he make this point?

List some of the couples from "Othello" that we discussed in class and explain why those people are couples.

Compare and contrast the different types of sonnets.  Include rhyme scheme, conceit types, and stanza patterns.  Use explicit examples. 

Discuss the role of women in Othello. 

Use examples to show how the concept of individual and society is present in Othello.

What is the theme of Othello? Use examples to support your answer.

What do you consider to be the climax of Othello?  Explain your answer. 

Why did the writers in this time pick the drama or the sonnet to express their thoughts and ideas. What did those kinds of forms let them do that other forms would not allow.

Define the three types of sonnets we talked about in class. Tell what qualities and elements characterize each different form. Describe the two different kinds of conceits common in a sonnet. 

What did this period think a courtier should behave like and how is that seen in Othello? 

Compare Eve and Desdemona.

Discuss the roles of government and self-government in Paradise Lost.