Context, Speaker, and Addressee - AP English Literature and Composition
Card 0 of 250
… Come, my friends,
’T is not too late to seek a newer world.
Push off, and sitting well in order smite
The sounding furrows; for my purpose holds
To sail beyond the sunset, and the baths (5)
Of all the western stars, until I die.
It may be that the gulfs will wash us down:
It may be we shall touch the Happy Isles,
And see the great Achilles, whom we knew.
In lines 6-8, the narrator acknowledges what outcome for the explorers?
… Come, my friends,
’T is not too late to seek a newer world.
Push off, and sitting well in order smite
The sounding furrows; for my purpose holds
To sail beyond the sunset, and the baths (5)
Of all the western stars, until I die.
It may be that the gulfs will wash us down:
It may be we shall touch the Happy Isles,
And see the great Achilles, whom we knew.
In lines 6-8, the narrator acknowledges what outcome for the explorers?
Based on the previous lines, in which the narrator admits to his willingness to “sail beyond the sunset” until he dies, we can already begin to form conclusions about lines 6-8. We can also note the use of past tense in describing Achilles (“whom we knew”) and surmise that Achilles is a now-dead companion of the speaker. Lastly, close attention to tone will make it clear that “the gulfs will wash us down” is a euphemism for death and not smooth sailing.
Passage adapted from Alfred Lord Tennyson’s “Ulysses,” (1842).
Based on the previous lines, in which the narrator admits to his willingness to “sail beyond the sunset” until he dies, we can already begin to form conclusions about lines 6-8. We can also note the use of past tense in describing Achilles (“whom we knew”) and surmise that Achilles is a now-dead companion of the speaker. Lastly, close attention to tone will make it clear that “the gulfs will wash us down” is a euphemism for death and not smooth sailing.
Passage adapted from Alfred Lord Tennyson’s “Ulysses,” (1842).
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Passage adapted from Edna St. Vincent Millay's "Spring" (1921).
To what purpose, April, do you return again?
Beauty is not enough.
You can no longer quiet me with the redness
Of leaves opening stickily.
I know what I know. 5
The sun is hot on my neck as I observe
The spikes of the crocus.
The smell of the earth is good.
It is apparent that there is no death.
But what does that signify? 10
Not only under the ground are the brains of men
Eaten by maggots.
Life in itself
Is nothing,
An empty cup, a flight of uncarpeted stairs. 15
It is not enough that yearly, down this hill,
April
Comes like an idiot, babbling and strewing flowers.
The attitude of the speaker towards April can be described as .
Passage adapted from Edna St. Vincent Millay's "Spring" (1921).
To what purpose, April, do you return again?
Beauty is not enough.
You can no longer quiet me with the redness
Of leaves opening stickily.
I know what I know. 5
The sun is hot on my neck as I observe
The spikes of the crocus.
The smell of the earth is good.
It is apparent that there is no death.
But what does that signify? 10
Not only under the ground are the brains of men
Eaten by maggots.
Life in itself
Is nothing,
An empty cup, a flight of uncarpeted stairs. 15
It is not enough that yearly, down this hill,
April
Comes like an idiot, babbling and strewing flowers.
The attitude of the speaker towards April can be described as .
The attitude of the speaker towards the personification of April is confrontational because the speaker bluntly questions April and states that April can no longer quiet him or her. The assertion that "it is not enough" that April comes each year is spoken as a challenge to the month of April. The speaker's attitude is also condescending, since April is being described as "an idiot babbling and stewing flowers."
The attitude of the speaker towards the personification of April is confrontational because the speaker bluntly questions April and states that April can no longer quiet him or her. The assertion that "it is not enough" that April comes each year is spoken as a challenge to the month of April. The speaker's attitude is also condescending, since April is being described as "an idiot babbling and stewing flowers."
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1 In silent night when rest I took,
2 For sorrow near I did not look,
3 I wakened was with thund’ring noise
4 And piteous shrieks of dreadful voice.
5 That fearful sound of “fire” and “fire,”
6 Let no man know is my Desire.
7 I, starting up, the light did spy,
8 And to my God my heart did cry
9 To straighten me in my Distress
10 And not to leave me succourless.
11 Then, coming out, behold a space
12 The flame consume my dwelling place.
13 And when I could no longer look,
14 I blest His name that gave and took,
15 That laid my goods now in the dust.
16 Yea, so it was, and so ‘twas just.
17 It was his own, it was not mine,
18 Far be it that I should repine;
19 He might of all justly bereft
20 But yet sufficient for us left.
21 When by the ruins oft I past
22 My sorrowing eyes aside did cast
23 And here and there the places spy
24 Where oft I sate and long did lie.
25 Here stood that trunk, and there that chest,
26 There lay that store I counted best.
27 My pleasant things in ashes lie
28 And them behold no more shall I.
29 Under thy roof no guest shall sit,
30 Nor at thy Table eat a bit.
31 No pleasant talk shall ‘ere be told
32 Nor things recounted done of old.
33 No Candle e'er shall shine in Thee,
34 Nor bridegroom’s voice e'er heard shall be.
35 In silence ever shalt thou lie,
36 Adieu, Adieu, all’s vanity.
37 Then straight I ‘gin my heart to chide,
38 And did thy wealth on earth abide?
39 Didst fix thy hope on mould'ring dust?
40 The arm of flesh didst make thy trust?
41 Raise up thy thoughts above the sky
42 That dunghill mists away may fly.
43 Thou hast a house on high erect
44 Framed by that mighty Architect,
45 With glory richly furnished,
46 Stands permanent though this be fled.
47 It’s purchased and paid for too
48 By Him who hath enough to do.
49 A price so vast as is unknown,
50 Yet by His gift is made thine own;
51 There’s wealth enough, I need no more,
52 Farewell, my pelf, farewell, my store.
53 The world no longer let me love,
54 My hope and treasure lies above.
(1666)
What calamity has the speaker of the poem suffered?
1 In silent night when rest I took,
2 For sorrow near I did not look,
3 I wakened was with thund’ring noise
4 And piteous shrieks of dreadful voice.
5 That fearful sound of “fire” and “fire,”
6 Let no man know is my Desire.
7 I, starting up, the light did spy,
8 And to my God my heart did cry
9 To straighten me in my Distress
10 And not to leave me succourless.
11 Then, coming out, behold a space
12 The flame consume my dwelling place.
13 And when I could no longer look,
14 I blest His name that gave and took,
15 That laid my goods now in the dust.
16 Yea, so it was, and so ‘twas just.
17 It was his own, it was not mine,
18 Far be it that I should repine;
19 He might of all justly bereft
20 But yet sufficient for us left.
21 When by the ruins oft I past
22 My sorrowing eyes aside did cast
23 And here and there the places spy
24 Where oft I sate and long did lie.
25 Here stood that trunk, and there that chest,
26 There lay that store I counted best.
27 My pleasant things in ashes lie
28 And them behold no more shall I.
29 Under thy roof no guest shall sit,
30 Nor at thy Table eat a bit.
31 No pleasant talk shall ‘ere be told
32 Nor things recounted done of old.
33 No Candle e'er shall shine in Thee,
34 Nor bridegroom’s voice e'er heard shall be.
35 In silence ever shalt thou lie,
36 Adieu, Adieu, all’s vanity.
37 Then straight I ‘gin my heart to chide,
38 And did thy wealth on earth abide?
39 Didst fix thy hope on mould'ring dust?
40 The arm of flesh didst make thy trust?
41 Raise up thy thoughts above the sky
42 That dunghill mists away may fly.
43 Thou hast a house on high erect
44 Framed by that mighty Architect,
45 With glory richly furnished,
46 Stands permanent though this be fled.
47 It’s purchased and paid for too
48 By Him who hath enough to do.
49 A price so vast as is unknown,
50 Yet by His gift is made thine own;
51 There’s wealth enough, I need no more,
52 Farewell, my pelf, farewell, my store.
53 The world no longer let me love,
54 My hope and treasure lies above.
(1666)
What calamity has the speaker of the poem suffered?
Line 12, "The flame consume my dwelling place" clearly shows that her home suffered a fire. This was a question querying the test taker's literal comprehension of the content of the poem, and the ability to distinguish between metaphorical and literal language.
Passage adapted from Anne Bradstreet's "Upon the Burning of our House" (1666)
Line 12, "The flame consume my dwelling place" clearly shows that her home suffered a fire. This was a question querying the test taker's literal comprehension of the content of the poem, and the ability to distinguish between metaphorical and literal language.
Passage adapted from Anne Bradstreet's "Upon the Burning of our House" (1666)
Compare your answer with the correct one above
1 In silent night when rest I took,
2 For sorrow near I did not look,
3 I wakened was with thund’ring noise
4 And piteous shrieks of dreadful voice.
5 That fearful sound of “fire” and “fire,”
6 Let no man know is my Desire.
7 I, starting up, the light did spy,
8 And to my God my heart did cry
9 To straighten me in my Distress
10 And not to leave me succourless.
11 Then, coming out, behold a space
12 The flame consume my dwelling place.
13 And when I could no longer look,
14 I blest His name that gave and took,
15 That laid my goods now in the dust.
16 Yea, so it was, and so ‘twas just.
17 It was his own, it was not mine,
18 Far be it that I should repine;
19 He might of all justly bereft
20 But yet sufficient for us left.
21 When by the ruins oft I past
22 My sorrowing eyes aside did cast
23 And here and there the places spy
24 Where oft I sate and long did lie.
25 Here stood that trunk, and there that chest,
26 There lay that store I counted best.
27 My pleasant things in ashes lie
28 And them behold no more shall I.
29 Under thy roof no guest shall sit,
30 Nor at thy Table eat a bit.
31 No pleasant talk shall ‘ere be told
32 Nor things recounted done of old.
33 No Candle e'er shall shine in Thee,
34 Nor bridegroom’s voice e'er heard shall be.
35 In silence ever shalt thou lie,
36 Adieu, Adieu, all’s vanity.
37 Then straight I ‘gin my heart to chide,
38 And did thy wealth on earth abide?
39 Didst fix thy hope on mould'ring dust?
40 The arm of flesh didst make thy trust?
41 Raise up thy thoughts above the sky
42 That dunghill mists away may fly.
43 Thou hast a house on high erect
44 Framed by that mighty Architect,
45 With glory richly furnished,
46 Stands permanent though this be fled.
47 It’s purchased and paid for too
48 By Him who hath enough to do.
49 A price so vast as is unknown,
50 Yet by His gift is made thine own;
51 There’s wealth enough, I need no more,
52 Farewell, my pelf, farewell, my store.
53 The world no longer let me love,
54 My hope and treasure lies above.
(1666)
The speaker’s attitude toward the event goes from .
1 In silent night when rest I took,
2 For sorrow near I did not look,
3 I wakened was with thund’ring noise
4 And piteous shrieks of dreadful voice.
5 That fearful sound of “fire” and “fire,”
6 Let no man know is my Desire.
7 I, starting up, the light did spy,
8 And to my God my heart did cry
9 To straighten me in my Distress
10 And not to leave me succourless.
11 Then, coming out, behold a space
12 The flame consume my dwelling place.
13 And when I could no longer look,
14 I blest His name that gave and took,
15 That laid my goods now in the dust.
16 Yea, so it was, and so ‘twas just.
17 It was his own, it was not mine,
18 Far be it that I should repine;
19 He might of all justly bereft
20 But yet sufficient for us left.
21 When by the ruins oft I past
22 My sorrowing eyes aside did cast
23 And here and there the places spy
24 Where oft I sate and long did lie.
25 Here stood that trunk, and there that chest,
26 There lay that store I counted best.
27 My pleasant things in ashes lie
28 And them behold no more shall I.
29 Under thy roof no guest shall sit,
30 Nor at thy Table eat a bit.
31 No pleasant talk shall ‘ere be told
32 Nor things recounted done of old.
33 No Candle e'er shall shine in Thee,
34 Nor bridegroom’s voice e'er heard shall be.
35 In silence ever shalt thou lie,
36 Adieu, Adieu, all’s vanity.
37 Then straight I ‘gin my heart to chide,
38 And did thy wealth on earth abide?
39 Didst fix thy hope on mould'ring dust?
40 The arm of flesh didst make thy trust?
41 Raise up thy thoughts above the sky
42 That dunghill mists away may fly.
43 Thou hast a house on high erect
44 Framed by that mighty Architect,
45 With glory richly furnished,
46 Stands permanent though this be fled.
47 It’s purchased and paid for too
48 By Him who hath enough to do.
49 A price so vast as is unknown,
50 Yet by His gift is made thine own;
51 There’s wealth enough, I need no more,
52 Farewell, my pelf, farewell, my store.
53 The world no longer let me love,
54 My hope and treasure lies above.
(1666)
The speaker’s attitude toward the event goes from .
The speaker mourns the loss of her home and possessions, as suggested by the lines 21-22, but ultimately accepts the fact that the material world is not meant to be permanent.
Passage adapted from Anne Bradstreet's "Upon the Burning of our House" (1666)
The speaker mourns the loss of her home and possessions, as suggested by the lines 21-22, but ultimately accepts the fact that the material world is not meant to be permanent.
Passage adapted from Anne Bradstreet's "Upon the Burning of our House" (1666)
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1 Those lines that I before have writ do lie,
Even those that said I could not love you dearer;
Yet then my judgment knew no reason why
My most full flame should afterwards burn clearer.
5 But reckoning Time, whose million'd accidents
Creep in 'twixt vows and change decrees of kings,
Tan sacred beauty, blunt the sharp'st intents,
Divert strong minds to the course of altering things;
9 Alas, why, fearing of Time's tyranny,
Might I not then say 'Now I love you best,'
When I was certain o'er incertainty,
Crowning the present, doubting of the rest?
13 Love is a babe; then might I not say so,
To give full growth to that which still doth grow?
(1609)
The speaker of the poem is addressing .
1 Those lines that I before have writ do lie,
Even those that said I could not love you dearer;
Yet then my judgment knew no reason why
My most full flame should afterwards burn clearer.
5 But reckoning Time, whose million'd accidents
Creep in 'twixt vows and change decrees of kings,
Tan sacred beauty, blunt the sharp'st intents,
Divert strong minds to the course of altering things;
9 Alas, why, fearing of Time's tyranny,
Might I not then say 'Now I love you best,'
When I was certain o'er incertainty,
Crowning the present, doubting of the rest?
13 Love is a babe; then might I not say so,
To give full growth to that which still doth grow?
(1609)
The speaker of the poem is addressing .
The poet is addressing a beloved for whom he has written poetry before, and whom he continues to love. Lines 1-2 make it clear that the addressee is the subject of previous poems. By referring to love as "that which still doth grow" in line 14, the poet makes it clear that he still loves the addressee, and indeed, continues to love this person more and more as time passes.
Passage adapted from Shakespeare's "Sonnet 115" (1609)
The poet is addressing a beloved for whom he has written poetry before, and whom he continues to love. Lines 1-2 make it clear that the addressee is the subject of previous poems. By referring to love as "that which still doth grow" in line 14, the poet makes it clear that he still loves the addressee, and indeed, continues to love this person more and more as time passes.
Passage adapted from Shakespeare's "Sonnet 115" (1609)
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1 They are not long, the weeping and the laughter,
2 Love and desire and hate:
3 I think they have no portion in us after
4 We pass the gate.
5 They are not long, the days of wine and roses:
6 Out of a misty dream
7 Our path emerges for a while, then closes
8 Within a dream.
(1896)
"Us" (line 3), "we" (line 4), and "our" (line 7) refer to whom?
1 They are not long, the weeping and the laughter,
2 Love and desire and hate:
3 I think they have no portion in us after
4 We pass the gate.
5 They are not long, the days of wine and roses:
6 Out of a misty dream
7 Our path emerges for a while, then closes
8 Within a dream.
(1896)
"Us" (line 3), "we" (line 4), and "our" (line 7) refer to whom?
This poem is a meditation on the briefness of not one specific human life, but human life in general. It discusses the common experience of all people that life is "not long" (lines 1, 5). Thus, when the poet mentions "us" or "we," he is referring not to any specific people, but to all of humankind, of which he is a part.
Passage adapted from "They are not long" by Ernest Dowson (1896)
This poem is a meditation on the briefness of not one specific human life, but human life in general. It discusses the common experience of all people that life is "not long" (lines 1, 5). Thus, when the poet mentions "us" or "we," he is referring not to any specific people, but to all of humankind, of which he is a part.
Passage adapted from "They are not long" by Ernest Dowson (1896)
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Of arms I sing, and of the man, whom Fate
First drove from Troy to the Lavinian shore.
Full many an evil, through the mindful hate
Of cruel Juno, from the gods he bore,
Much tost on earth and ocean, yea, and more (5)
In war enduring, ere he built a home,
And his loved household-deities brought o’er
To Latium, whence the Latin people come,
Whence rose the Alban sires, and walls of lofty Rome.
In line 3, what does “Full many an evil” refer to?
Of arms I sing, and of the man, whom Fate
First drove from Troy to the Lavinian shore.
Full many an evil, through the mindful hate
Of cruel Juno, from the gods he bore,
Much tost on earth and ocean, yea, and more (5)
In war enduring, ere he built a home,
And his loved household-deities brought o’er
To Latium, whence the Latin people come,
Whence rose the Alban sires, and walls of lofty Rome.
In line 3, what does “Full many an evil” refer to?
Read with line 4, we get the phrase “Full many an evil… he bore,” which answers the question easily. The phrase in line 3 thus describes the narrator’s many travails in his journey to found Rome.
Passage adapted from Virgil’s Aeneid, trans. E. Fairfax Taylor. (1907)
Read with line 4, we get the phrase “Full many an evil… he bore,” which answers the question easily. The phrase in line 3 thus describes the narrator’s many travails in his journey to found Rome.
Passage adapted from Virgil’s Aeneid, trans. E. Fairfax Taylor. (1907)
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… It is morning. I stand by the mirror
And tie my tie once more.
While waves far off in a pale rose twilight
Crash on a white sand shore.
I stand by a mirror and comb my hair:(5)
How small and white my face!—
The green earth tilts through a sphere of air
And bathes in a flame of space.
There are houses hanging above the stars
And stars hung under a sea... (10)
And a sun far off in a shell of silence
Dapples my walls for me....
(1919)
Based on context, the narrator likely sees himself as which of the following?
… It is morning. I stand by the mirror
And tie my tie once more.
While waves far off in a pale rose twilight
Crash on a white sand shore.
I stand by a mirror and comb my hair:(5)
How small and white my face!—
The green earth tilts through a sphere of air
And bathes in a flame of space.
There are houses hanging above the stars
And stars hung under a sea... (10)
And a sun far off in a shell of silence
Dapples my walls for me....
(1919)
Based on context, the narrator likely sees himself as which of the following?
In line 6, the narrator exclaims: “How small and white my face!” This exclamation, coupled with the narrator’s reverence for the enormous world around him, indicates that diminutive (small) is the best choice. Chary (cautious, wary) and quizzical (puzzled) have no textual support. Similarly, pugnacious (aggressive) and ageless cannot be supported by the text.
Passage adapted from Conrad Aiken’s “Morning Song From ‘Senlin.’” Modern American Poetry, ed.Louis Untermeyer. (1919)
In line 6, the narrator exclaims: “How small and white my face!” This exclamation, coupled with the narrator’s reverence for the enormous world around him, indicates that diminutive (small) is the best choice. Chary (cautious, wary) and quizzical (puzzled) have no textual support. Similarly, pugnacious (aggressive) and ageless cannot be supported by the text.
Passage adapted from Conrad Aiken’s “Morning Song From ‘Senlin.’” Modern American Poetry, ed.Louis Untermeyer. (1919)
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Adapted from Coriolanus by William Shakespeare (III.iii.152-167)
You common cry of curs! whose breath I hate
As reek o' the rotten fens, whose loves I prize
As the dead carcasses of unburied men
That do corrupt my air, I banish you;
And here remain with your uncertainty!
Let every feeble rumor shake your hearts!
Your enemies, with nodding of their plumes,
Fan you into despair! Have the power still
To banish your defenders; till at length
Your ignorance, which finds not till it feels,
Making not reservations of yourselves,
Still your own foes, deliver you as most
Abated captives to some nation
That won you without blows! Despising,
For you, the city, thus I turn my back:
There is a world elsewhere.
What is the speaker's primary purpose in making this speech?
Adapted from Coriolanus by William Shakespeare (III.iii.152-167)
You common cry of curs! whose breath I hate
As reek o' the rotten fens, whose loves I prize
As the dead carcasses of unburied men
That do corrupt my air, I banish you;
And here remain with your uncertainty!
Let every feeble rumor shake your hearts!
Your enemies, with nodding of their plumes,
Fan you into despair! Have the power still
To banish your defenders; till at length
Your ignorance, which finds not till it feels,
Making not reservations of yourselves,
Still your own foes, deliver you as most
Abated captives to some nation
That won you without blows! Despising,
For you, the city, thus I turn my back:
There is a world elsewhere.
What is the speaker's primary purpose in making this speech?
The main purpose of the speech is to announce is his departure, and to curse those who banished him. His "banishing" of the listeners is a metaphorical banishment to uncertainty and a lack of safety after he leaves, evidenced by his statement "I banish you;/ And here remain with your uncertainty."
"Have the power still/ to banish your defenders" reveals explicitly that the speaker is the one being banished, and "For you, the city, thus I turn my back: There is a world elsewhere" announces his intention to leave.
The main purpose of the speech is to announce is his departure, and to curse those who banished him. His "banishing" of the listeners is a metaphorical banishment to uncertainty and a lack of safety after he leaves, evidenced by his statement "I banish you;/ And here remain with your uncertainty."
"Have the power still/ to banish your defenders" reveals explicitly that the speaker is the one being banished, and "For you, the city, thus I turn my back: There is a world elsewhere" announces his intention to leave.
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Adapted from Coriolanus by William Shakespeare (III.iii.152-167)
You common cry of curs! whose breath I hate
As reek o' the rotten fens, whose loves I prize
As the dead carcasses of unburied men
That do corrupt my air, I banish you;
And here remain with your uncertainty!
Let every feeble rumor shake your hearts!
Your enemies, with nodding of their plumes,
Fan you into despair! Have the power still
To banish your defenders; till at length
Your ignorance, which finds not till it feels,
Making not reservations of yourselves,
Still your own foes, deliver you as most
Abated captives to some nation
That won you without blows! Despising,
For you, the city, thus I turn my back:
There is a world elsewhere.
The speaker's tone could best be described as .
Adapted from Coriolanus by William Shakespeare (III.iii.152-167)
You common cry of curs! whose breath I hate
As reek o' the rotten fens, whose loves I prize
As the dead carcasses of unburied men
That do corrupt my air, I banish you;
And here remain with your uncertainty!
Let every feeble rumor shake your hearts!
Your enemies, with nodding of their plumes,
Fan you into despair! Have the power still
To banish your defenders; till at length
Your ignorance, which finds not till it feels,
Making not reservations of yourselves,
Still your own foes, deliver you as most
Abated captives to some nation
That won you without blows! Despising,
For you, the city, thus I turn my back:
There is a world elsewhere.
The speaker's tone could best be described as .
The best description of the speaker's tone is "angry and disgruntled." His cursing and aggressive insulting of the listeners show his anger. His resentment of his banishment reveals him to be specifically disgruntled with what has been done to him.
He is in no way complimentary, he does not express disbelief or sadness at the banishment, only anger, and his tone is more aggressive than it is alarmed.
The best description of the speaker's tone is "angry and disgruntled." His cursing and aggressive insulting of the listeners show his anger. His resentment of his banishment reveals him to be specifically disgruntled with what has been done to him.
He is in no way complimentary, he does not express disbelief or sadness at the banishment, only anger, and his tone is more aggressive than it is alarmed.
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Adapted from Coriolanus by William Shakespeare (III.iii.152-167)
You common cry of curs! whose breath I hate
As reek o' the rotten fens, whose loves I prize
As the dead carcasses of unburied men
That do corrupt my air, I banish you;
And here remain with your uncertainty!
Let every feeble rumor shake your hearts!
Your enemies, with nodding of their plumes,
Fan you into despair! Have the power still
To banish your defenders; till at length
Your ignorance, which finds not till it feels,
Making not reservations of yourselves,
Still your own foes, deliver you as most
Abated captives to some nation
That won you without blows! Despising,
For you, the city, thus I turn my back:
There is a world elsewhere.
What does the passage imply about the speaker's relationship to his addressees?
Adapted from Coriolanus by William Shakespeare (III.iii.152-167)
You common cry of curs! whose breath I hate
As reek o' the rotten fens, whose loves I prize
As the dead carcasses of unburied men
That do corrupt my air, I banish you;
And here remain with your uncertainty!
Let every feeble rumor shake your hearts!
Your enemies, with nodding of their plumes,
Fan you into despair! Have the power still
To banish your defenders; till at length
Your ignorance, which finds not till it feels,
Making not reservations of yourselves,
Still your own foes, deliver you as most
Abated captives to some nation
That won you without blows! Despising,
For you, the city, thus I turn my back:
There is a world elsewhere.
What does the passage imply about the speaker's relationship to his addressees?
The speaker has in the past been charged with protecting the city; this is implied by his references to them being vulnerable in his absence. He has also fallen out of favor; this is made clear by the fact that he has been banished.
The speaker's power is obviously not equal to his addressees' because they have the power to banish him. He does not seem concerned about their welfare since his is cursing them and wishing them ill. His implication that they will be vulnerable without him implies that he has been helping the city rather than being its avowed enemy. His vitriol in addressing his listeners implies that their relationship has not been particularly positive.
The speaker has in the past been charged with protecting the city; this is implied by his references to them being vulnerable in his absence. He has also fallen out of favor; this is made clear by the fact that he has been banished.
The speaker's power is obviously not equal to his addressees' because they have the power to banish him. He does not seem concerned about their welfare since his is cursing them and wishing them ill. His implication that they will be vulnerable without him implies that he has been helping the city rather than being its avowed enemy. His vitriol in addressing his listeners implies that their relationship has not been particularly positive.
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Adapted from Coriolanus by William Shakespeare (III.iii.152-167)
You common cry of curs! whose breath I hate
As reek o' the rotten fens, whose loves I prize
As the dead carcasses of unburied men
That do corrupt my air, I banish you;
And here remain with your uncertainty!
Let every feeble rumor shake your hearts!
Your enemies, with nodding of their plumes,
Fan you into despair! Have the power still
To banish your defenders; till at length
Your ignorance, which finds not till it feels,
Making not reservations of yourselves,
Still your own foes, deliver you as most
Abated captives to some nation
That won you without blows! Despising,
For you, the city, thus I turn my back:
There is a world elsewhere.
Which of the following most accurately conveys the meaning of the underlined section, "Despising, / For you, the city, thus I turn my back: / There is a world elsewhere"?
Adapted from Coriolanus by William Shakespeare (III.iii.152-167)
You common cry of curs! whose breath I hate
As reek o' the rotten fens, whose loves I prize
As the dead carcasses of unburied men
That do corrupt my air, I banish you;
And here remain with your uncertainty!
Let every feeble rumor shake your hearts!
Your enemies, with nodding of their plumes,
Fan you into despair! Have the power still
To banish your defenders; till at length
Your ignorance, which finds not till it feels,
Making not reservations of yourselves,
Still your own foes, deliver you as most
Abated captives to some nation
That won you without blows! Despising,
For you, the city, thus I turn my back:
There is a world elsewhere.
Which of the following most accurately conveys the meaning of the underlined section, "Despising, / For you, the city, thus I turn my back: / There is a world elsewhere"?
The speaker, partially out of his hatred for his listeners and partially in acquiescence to their request, has decided to leave the city, and is no longer loyal to its citizens or government. In the underlined passage, the speaker is emphasizing both that he is deciding to leave of his own accord, and has also been banished by his "despise\[d\]" listeners (in his opinion, foolishly). His decision to "turn his back" is both literal and metaphorical, as he is physically leaving the city and discarding his loyalty to his "despised" banishers.
In the indicated excerpt, he does not express any shame about his actions, nor does he reference a direct, literal betrayal; the earlier description of foreign invaders was hypothetical. While he references "corrupt" air and smells earlier in the passage, it is hardly his main grievance. His "despising" is outwardly directed towards his listeners, and he is hardly apologetic.
The speaker, partially out of his hatred for his listeners and partially in acquiescence to their request, has decided to leave the city, and is no longer loyal to its citizens or government. In the underlined passage, the speaker is emphasizing both that he is deciding to leave of his own accord, and has also been banished by his "despise\[d\]" listeners (in his opinion, foolishly). His decision to "turn his back" is both literal and metaphorical, as he is physically leaving the city and discarding his loyalty to his "despised" banishers.
In the indicated excerpt, he does not express any shame about his actions, nor does he reference a direct, literal betrayal; the earlier description of foreign invaders was hypothetical. While he references "corrupt" air and smells earlier in the passage, it is hardly his main grievance. His "despising" is outwardly directed towards his listeners, and he is hardly apologetic.
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Adapted from Coriolanus by William Shakespeare (III.iii.152-167)
You common cry of curs! whose breath I hate
As reek o' the rotten fens, whose loves I prize
As the dead carcasses of unburied men
That do corrupt my air, I banish you;
And here remain with your uncertainty!
Let every feeble rumor shake your hearts!
Your enemies, with nodding of their plumes,
Fan you into despair! Have the power still
To banish your defenders; till at length
Your ignorance, which finds not till it feels,
Making not reservations of yourselves,
Still your own foes, deliver you as most
Abated captives to some nation
That won you without blows! Despising,
For you, the city, thus I turn my back:
There is a world elsewhere.
According to the speaker, what is his main motivation for leaving the city?
Adapted from Coriolanus by William Shakespeare (III.iii.152-167)
You common cry of curs! whose breath I hate
As reek o' the rotten fens, whose loves I prize
As the dead carcasses of unburied men
That do corrupt my air, I banish you;
And here remain with your uncertainty!
Let every feeble rumor shake your hearts!
Your enemies, with nodding of their plumes,
Fan you into despair! Have the power still
To banish your defenders; till at length
Your ignorance, which finds not till it feels,
Making not reservations of yourselves,
Still your own foes, deliver you as most
Abated captives to some nation
That won you without blows! Despising,
For you, the city, thus I turn my back:
There is a world elsewhere.
According to the speaker, what is his main motivation for leaving the city?
The speaker frames his desire to leave as primarily derived from his hatred of the people who banished him.
The key phrase in the question is "According to the speaker." While his being banished could possibly be the biggest factor in his leaving, in his speech the speaker frames his decision to leave as his accepting the banishment, and himself banishing the people left in the city to uncertainty and fear in his absence. This implies that his own motivation was more important than the externally imposed banishment.
He refers often to a hypothetical foreign invasion after he leaves, but does not express fear about it. He does not mention meeting new people, nor going abroad to help prisoners of war; rather, he claims that after he leaves the listeners will become prisoners.
The speaker frames his desire to leave as primarily derived from his hatred of the people who banished him.
The key phrase in the question is "According to the speaker." While his being banished could possibly be the biggest factor in his leaving, in his speech the speaker frames his decision to leave as his accepting the banishment, and himself banishing the people left in the city to uncertainty and fear in his absence. This implies that his own motivation was more important than the externally imposed banishment.
He refers often to a hypothetical foreign invasion after he leaves, but does not express fear about it. He does not mention meeting new people, nor going abroad to help prisoners of war; rather, he claims that after he leaves the listeners will become prisoners.
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Hear the mellow wedding bells,
Golden bells!
What a world of happiness their harmony foretells!
Through the balmy air of night
How they ring out their delight!(5)
From the molten golden-notes,
And all in tune,
What a liquid ditty floats
To the turtle-dove that listens, while she gloats
On the moon!(10)
Oh, from out the sounding cells,
What a gush of euphony voluminously wells!
Which word in this passage best encapsulates what the poet is trying to imitate?
Hear the mellow wedding bells,
Golden bells!
What a world of happiness their harmony foretells!
Through the balmy air of night
How they ring out their delight!(5)
From the molten golden-notes,
And all in tune,
What a liquid ditty floats
To the turtle-dove that listens, while she gloats
On the moon!(10)
Oh, from out the sounding cells,
What a gush of euphony voluminously wells!
Which word in this passage best encapsulates what the poet is trying to imitate?
Through his use of lush imagery, pleasing rhymes, and careful diction, Poe is depicting the harmonious, dulcet sound of bells. “Euphony,” which means a harmonious sound or collection of sounds, is the best description of Poe’s accomplishment. While “sounding cells” also alludes to the auditory nature of the passage, it is a neutral and therefore less optimal choice.
Passage adapted from "The Bells" by Edgar Allen Poe (1850)
Through his use of lush imagery, pleasing rhymes, and careful diction, Poe is depicting the harmonious, dulcet sound of bells. “Euphony,” which means a harmonious sound or collection of sounds, is the best description of Poe’s accomplishment. While “sounding cells” also alludes to the auditory nature of the passage, it is a neutral and therefore less optimal choice.
Passage adapted from "The Bells" by Edgar Allen Poe (1850)
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Adapted from Act 1, Scene 1, ln. 78-119 of The Tragical History of Dr. Faustus by Christopher Marlowe (1604) in Vol. XIX, Part 2 of The Harvard Classics (1909-1914)
FAUSTUS**:** How am I glutted with conceit of this!
Shall I make spirits fetch me what I please,
Resolve me of all ambiguities,
Perform what desperate enterprise I will?
I’ll have them fly to India for gold,
Ransack the ocean for orient pearl,
And search all corners of the new-found world
For pleasant fruits and princely delicates;
I’ll have them read me strange philosophy
And tell the secrets of all foreign kings;
I’ll have them wall all Germany with brass,
And make swift Rhine circle fair Wittenberg;
I’ll have them fill the public schools with silk,
Wherewith the students shall be bravely clad;
I’ll levy soldiers with the coin they bring,
And chase the Prince of Parma from our land,
And reign sole king of all the provinces;
Yea, stranger engines for the brunt of war
Than was the fiery keel at Antwerp’s bridge,
I’ll make my servile spirits to invent.
\[Enter VALDES and CORNELIUS\]
Come, German Valdes and Cornelius,
And make me blest with your sage conference.
Valdes, sweet Valdes, and Cornelius,
Know that your words have won me at the last
To practice magic and concealed arts:
Yet not your words only, but mine own fantasy
That will receive no object, for my head
But ruminates on necromantic skill.
Philosophy is odious and obscure,
Both law and physic are for petty wits;
Divinity is basest of the three,
Unpleasant, harsh, contemptible, and vile:
’Tis magic, magic, that hath ravish’d me.
Then, gentle friends, aid me in this attempt;
And I that have with concise syllogisms
Gravell’d the pastors of the German church,
And made the flowering pride of Wittenberg
Swarm to my problems, as the infernal spirits
On sweet Musaeigus, when he came to hell,
Will be as cunning as Agrippa was,
Whose shadows made all Europe honor him.
What is main difference in content between the first half of the passage, before the arrival of Valdes and Cornelius, and the second, after their arrival?
Adapted from Act 1, Scene 1, ln. 78-119 of The Tragical History of Dr. Faustus by Christopher Marlowe (1604) in Vol. XIX, Part 2 of The Harvard Classics (1909-1914)
FAUSTUS**:** How am I glutted with conceit of this!
Shall I make spirits fetch me what I please,
Resolve me of all ambiguities,
Perform what desperate enterprise I will?
I’ll have them fly to India for gold,
Ransack the ocean for orient pearl,
And search all corners of the new-found world
For pleasant fruits and princely delicates;
I’ll have them read me strange philosophy
And tell the secrets of all foreign kings;
I’ll have them wall all Germany with brass,
And make swift Rhine circle fair Wittenberg;
I’ll have them fill the public schools with silk,
Wherewith the students shall be bravely clad;
I’ll levy soldiers with the coin they bring,
And chase the Prince of Parma from our land,
And reign sole king of all the provinces;
Yea, stranger engines for the brunt of war
Than was the fiery keel at Antwerp’s bridge,
I’ll make my servile spirits to invent.
\[Enter VALDES and CORNELIUS\]
Come, German Valdes and Cornelius,
And make me blest with your sage conference.
Valdes, sweet Valdes, and Cornelius,
Know that your words have won me at the last
To practice magic and concealed arts:
Yet not your words only, but mine own fantasy
That will receive no object, for my head
But ruminates on necromantic skill.
Philosophy is odious and obscure,
Both law and physic are for petty wits;
Divinity is basest of the three,
Unpleasant, harsh, contemptible, and vile:
’Tis magic, magic, that hath ravish’d me.
Then, gentle friends, aid me in this attempt;
And I that have with concise syllogisms
Gravell’d the pastors of the German church,
And made the flowering pride of Wittenberg
Swarm to my problems, as the infernal spirits
On sweet Musaeigus, when he came to hell,
Will be as cunning as Agrippa was,
Whose shadows made all Europe honor him.
What is main difference in content between the first half of the passage, before the arrival of Valdes and Cornelius, and the second, after their arrival?
Before Valdes and Cornelius' arrival, Faustus fantasizes about the earthly pleasures he will gain from his occult powers; after their arrival, he justifies his fascination with the occult in intellectual terms. The first section of the speech is focused almost exclusively on "pleasant fruits and princely delicates," and other luxuries like "silk." It is only after the arrival of Valdes and Cornelius that Faustus begins to discuss his dissatisfaction with conventional academics in favor of the "concealed arts."
It is difficult to characterize Faustus' tone as "begging" at any point. While he fantasizes about traveling, he never makes a plan and thus does not reverse it and decide to stay in Wittenberg.
Before Valdes and Cornelius' arrival, Faustus fantasizes about the earthly pleasures he will gain from his occult powers; after their arrival, he justifies his fascination with the occult in intellectual terms. The first section of the speech is focused almost exclusively on "pleasant fruits and princely delicates," and other luxuries like "silk." It is only after the arrival of Valdes and Cornelius that Faustus begins to discuss his dissatisfaction with conventional academics in favor of the "concealed arts."
It is difficult to characterize Faustus' tone as "begging" at any point. While he fantasizes about traveling, he never makes a plan and thus does not reverse it and decide to stay in Wittenberg.
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1 Two households, both alike in dignity,
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.
5 From forth the fatal loins of these two foes
A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life;
Whose misadventured piteous overthrows
Do with their death bury their parents' strife.
9 The fearful passage of their death-mark'd love,
And the continuance of their parents' rage,
Which, but their children's end, nought could remove,
Is now the two hours' traffic of our stage;
13 The which if you with patient ears attend,
What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.
(1595)
Whom is the speaker addressing in this passage?
1 Two households, both alike in dignity,
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.
5 From forth the fatal loins of these two foes
A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life;
Whose misadventured piteous overthrows
Do with their death bury their parents' strife.
9 The fearful passage of their death-mark'd love,
And the continuance of their parents' rage,
Which, but their children's end, nought could remove,
Is now the two hours' traffic of our stage;
13 The which if you with patient ears attend,
What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.
(1595)
Whom is the speaker addressing in this passage?
The last two lines make it clear that the speaker is addressing his audience: "The which if you with patient ears attend, / What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend" (lines 13-14). "You" refers to the people listening--listening with "patient ears" (line 13). Furthermore, line 12 makes it clear that the plot summary of lines 1-11 comes in the context of a play that is about to be performed; the mention of a "stage" is a key to knowing it is a play, in addition to "two-hours' traffic," since that is about how long plays tend to be (line 12). Thanks to these contextual clues, it is possible to determine that the speaker is indeed addressing the audience of the play.
Passage adapted from William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet (1595).
The last two lines make it clear that the speaker is addressing his audience: "The which if you with patient ears attend, / What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend" (lines 13-14). "You" refers to the people listening--listening with "patient ears" (line 13). Furthermore, line 12 makes it clear that the plot summary of lines 1-11 comes in the context of a play that is about to be performed; the mention of a "stage" is a key to knowing it is a play, in addition to "two-hours' traffic," since that is about how long plays tend to be (line 12). Thanks to these contextual clues, it is possible to determine that the speaker is indeed addressing the audience of the play.
Passage adapted from William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet (1595).
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HENRY V: And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remember'd;
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he today that sheds his blood with me (5)
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition:
And gentlemen in England now a-bed
Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks (10)
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.
(1600)
According to the passage, what will happen on “Crispin Crispian” (line 1, e.g. St. Crispin’s Day)?
HENRY V: And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remember'd;
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he today that sheds his blood with me (5)
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition:
And gentlemen in England now a-bed
Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks (10)
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.
(1600)
According to the passage, what will happen on “Crispin Crispian” (line 1, e.g. St. Crispin’s Day)?
Lines 2-3 give us the answer to this question. “From this day to the ending of the world, / But we in it shall be remember'd” means that on the annual celebration of St. Crispin’s Day the soldiers will be remembered. The implication, of course, is that they will be remembered in a positive light for their heroism.
Passage adapted from William Shakespeare’s Henry V (1600)
Lines 2-3 give us the answer to this question. “From this day to the ending of the world, / But we in it shall be remember'd” means that on the annual celebration of St. Crispin’s Day the soldiers will be remembered. The implication, of course, is that they will be remembered in a positive light for their heroism.
Passage adapted from William Shakespeare’s Henry V (1600)
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PROSPERO:
- Ye elves of hills, brooks, standing lakes and groves,
- And ye that on the sands with printless foot
- Do chase the ebbing Neptune and do fly him
- When he comes back; you demi-puppets that
- By moonshine do the green sour ringlets make,
- Whereof the ewe not bites, and you whose pastime
- Is to make midnight mushrooms, that rejoice
- To hear the solemn curfew; by whose aid,
- Weak masters though ye be, I have bedimm'd
- The noontide sun, call'd forth the mutinous winds,
- And 'twixt the green sea and the azured vault
- Set roaring war: to the dread rattling thunder
- Have I given fire and rifted Jove's stout oak
- With his own bolt; the strong-based promontory
- Have I made shake and by the spurs pluck'd up
- The pine and cedar: graves at my command
- Have waked their sleepers, oped, and let 'em forth
- By my so potent art. But this rough magic
- I here abjure, and, when I have required
- Some heavenly music, which even now I do,
- To work mine end upon their senses that
- This airy charm is for, I'll break my staff,
- Bury it certain fathoms in the earth,
- And deeper than did ever plummet sound
- I'll drown my book.
Prospero is most likely speaking to .
PROSPERO:
- Ye elves of hills, brooks, standing lakes and groves,
- And ye that on the sands with printless foot
- Do chase the ebbing Neptune and do fly him
- When he comes back; you demi-puppets that
- By moonshine do the green sour ringlets make,
- Whereof the ewe not bites, and you whose pastime
- Is to make midnight mushrooms, that rejoice
- To hear the solemn curfew; by whose aid,
- Weak masters though ye be, I have bedimm'd
- The noontide sun, call'd forth the mutinous winds,
- And 'twixt the green sea and the azured vault
- Set roaring war: to the dread rattling thunder
- Have I given fire and rifted Jove's stout oak
- With his own bolt; the strong-based promontory
- Have I made shake and by the spurs pluck'd up
- The pine and cedar: graves at my command
- Have waked their sleepers, oped, and let 'em forth
- By my so potent art. But this rough magic
- I here abjure, and, when I have required
- Some heavenly music, which even now I do,
- To work mine end upon their senses that
- This airy charm is for, I'll break my staff,
- Bury it certain fathoms in the earth,
- And deeper than did ever plummet sound
- I'll drown my book.
Prospero is most likely speaking to .
Prospero the magician tells us right away who he’s addressing: “Ye elves… demi-puppets…” of various types associated with different places in nature. They seem to be supernatural spirits who have been giving Prospero help with his magic (line 8-9.) We can be pretty sure they’re incorporeal, because they can run over sand without leaving footprints (lines 2-3.) We hear that some of them (at least) “rejoice/ To hear the solemn curfew”: that is, they’re happy when night falls because then they can come out and play their tricks.
Though Prospero mentions raising the dead, he is not speaking to them here. Nor is he addressing the audience directly (as he does in the epilogue to the play.) There is no mention of birds or animals in this speech. Prospero is not talking to his daughter.
Passage adapted from William Shakespeare's The Tempest (1611)
Prospero the magician tells us right away who he’s addressing: “Ye elves… demi-puppets…” of various types associated with different places in nature. They seem to be supernatural spirits who have been giving Prospero help with his magic (line 8-9.) We can be pretty sure they’re incorporeal, because they can run over sand without leaving footprints (lines 2-3.) We hear that some of them (at least) “rejoice/ To hear the solemn curfew”: that is, they’re happy when night falls because then they can come out and play their tricks.
Though Prospero mentions raising the dead, he is not speaking to them here. Nor is he addressing the audience directly (as he does in the epilogue to the play.) There is no mention of birds or animals in this speech. Prospero is not talking to his daughter.
Passage adapted from William Shakespeare's The Tempest (1611)
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1 Farewell, thou child of my right hand, and joy;
2 My sin was too much hope of thee, loved boy.
3 Seven years thou wert lent to me, and I thee pay,
4 Exacted by thy fate, on the just day.
5 Oh, could I lose all father now! For why
6 Will man lament the state he should envy?
7 To have so soon 'scaped world's and flesh's rage,
8 And if no other misery, yet age!
9 Rest in soft peace, and, asked, say, "Here doth lie
10 Ben Jonson his best piece of poetry,
11 For whose sake, henceforth, all his vows be such
12 As what he loves may never like too much."
Who is the speaker of this poem?
1 Farewell, thou child of my right hand, and joy;
2 My sin was too much hope of thee, loved boy.
3 Seven years thou wert lent to me, and I thee pay,
4 Exacted by thy fate, on the just day.
5 Oh, could I lose all father now! For why
6 Will man lament the state he should envy?
7 To have so soon 'scaped world's and flesh's rage,
8 And if no other misery, yet age!
9 Rest in soft peace, and, asked, say, "Here doth lie
10 Ben Jonson his best piece of poetry,
11 For whose sake, henceforth, all his vows be such
12 As what he loves may never like too much."
Who is the speaker of this poem?
The speaker of this poem is the grieving father and poet, Ben Jonson. "Here doth lie / Ben Jonson his best piece of poetry," (Lines 9–10)
The speaker of this poem is the grieving father and poet, Ben Jonson. "Here doth lie / Ben Jonson his best piece of poetry," (Lines 9–10)
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Then, I confess,
Here on my knee, before high heaven and you
That before you, and next unto high heaven,
I love your son.
My friends were poor, but honest; so's my love:
Be not offended, for it hurts not him
That he is lov'd of me: I follow him not
By any token of presumptuous suit;
Nor would I have him till I do deserve him;
Yet never know how that desert should be.
I know I love in vain, strive against hope;
Yet, in this captious and intenible sieve
I still pour in the waters of my love,
And lack not to lose still. Thus, Indian-like,
Religious in mine error, I adore
The sun, that looks upon his worshipper,
But knows of him no more. My dearest madam,
Let not your hate encounter with my love
For loving where you do: but, if yourself,
Whose aged honour cites a virtuous youth,
Did ever in so true a flame of liking
Wish chastely and love dearly, that your Dian
Was both herself and Love; O! then, give pity
To her, whose state is such that cannot choose
But lend and give where she is sure to lose;
That seeks not to find that her search implies,
But, riddle-like, lives sweetly where she dies.
(1605)
In the given passage, who is the speaker most likely addressing?
Then, I confess,
Here on my knee, before high heaven and you
That before you, and next unto high heaven,
I love your son.
My friends were poor, but honest; so's my love:
Be not offended, for it hurts not him
That he is lov'd of me: I follow him not
By any token of presumptuous suit;
Nor would I have him till I do deserve him;
Yet never know how that desert should be.
I know I love in vain, strive against hope;
Yet, in this captious and intenible sieve
I still pour in the waters of my love,
And lack not to lose still. Thus, Indian-like,
Religious in mine error, I adore
The sun, that looks upon his worshipper,
But knows of him no more. My dearest madam,
Let not your hate encounter with my love
For loving where you do: but, if yourself,
Whose aged honour cites a virtuous youth,
Did ever in so true a flame of liking
Wish chastely and love dearly, that your Dian
Was both herself and Love; O! then, give pity
To her, whose state is such that cannot choose
But lend and give where she is sure to lose;
That seeks not to find that her search implies,
But, riddle-like, lives sweetly where she dies.
(1605)
In the given passage, who is the speaker most likely addressing?
Without any background knowledge of the play All's Well That Ends Well, we can still infer that the speaker is addressing the mother of the man who she loves. The lines that help us to infer this include "I love your son," which lead us to know that the speaker is addressing either both or one of his parents, and we can then note that the speaker later calls the addressee "my dearest madam" which lets us know that the speaker is addressing a female parent, which would be the mother of the man who she loves.
Passage adapted from William Shakespeare's All's Well that Ends Well (1605)
Without any background knowledge of the play All's Well That Ends Well, we can still infer that the speaker is addressing the mother of the man who she loves. The lines that help us to infer this include "I love your son," which lead us to know that the speaker is addressing either both or one of his parents, and we can then note that the speaker later calls the addressee "my dearest madam" which lets us know that the speaker is addressing a female parent, which would be the mother of the man who she loves.
Passage adapted from William Shakespeare's All's Well that Ends Well (1605)
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