Ma. Angela G. Reyes

Published on December 22,2009

Essay Questions


Sample Essay Questions

skill builders 6
for efficient reading

Read the story of Cleopatra. Then answer the question. Write your answer on the pad. (2pt each)

Cleopatra (69-30) was a queen of Egypt. At the age of 17 she was made ruler with her brother, but her brother’s supporters soon drove her from the throne. When Julius Caesar visited Egypt, he fell in love with Cleopatra and helped her become queen again. Cleopatra followed Caesar back to Rome and lived his housed until he was murdered in 44 B.C then she went back to Egypt.

Three years later, Cleopatra met Mark Anthony who ruled the Roman Empire with Octavian. Anthony also fell in love with Cleopatra and left his wife, the sister of Octavian, to live with her. Octavian did not trust Cleopatra or Anthony and started a war with them. He defeated them in a naval battle at actium in Greece in 31 B.C

Cleopatra and Anthony fled to Alexandria in Egypt. They were followed their by Octavian and his army. Cleopatra began to realize that she could never beat the Romans. She and Anthony decided to kill them stabbed himself first and died in Cleopatra’s arms. Cleopatra held a poisonous snake to her breast and she died from its bite

1. Cleopatra was a queen. Why was she driven from her throne?

2.How did Cleopatra become a queen again?

3.When did Cleopatra and Anthony meet?

4.What was the effect of octavian’s distrust for Cleopatra and Anthony?

5.give two effects of the extreme desire for power of Anthony and Cleopatra.


Shakespeare Essay Questions


1."who is the more evil, Macbeth or Lady Macbeth?'

2.‘Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is about passion, about violence as much as love.’ Discuss this statement with close reference the text.

3.Consider the idea that Shakespeare’s Henry V embodies the idea of Shakespeare’s ideal king

4.‘Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar is as much about Elizabethan politics as it is about those of ancient Rome.’ Consider this statement by focusing on close analysis of the speeches of Brutus and Antony following Caesar’s assassination.

5. Choose ONE soliloquy from Shakespeare’s Hamlet and say how it reflects the major themes of the play

6.‘When Malvolio falls, he invites pity not laughter.’ How far do you consider this to be applicable to the nature of the comedy in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night.

7. Consider the gender specific emphasis in Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing

8. Do you consider Richard of Gloucester to be wholly evil as presented in Shakespeare’s Richard III?

9.‘Othello is the agent of his own downfall.’ How far do you agree with this statement?

10.Choose TWO of Shakespeare’s sonnets and consider how the idea of love is presented in each.

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