John Marston

Study questions John Marston

Antonio’s Revenge

Antonio’s Revenge MCQs

The Dutch Courtesan

The Dutch Courtesan MCQs

Facts about John Marston

➾ Marston was a vigorous satirist of the Shakespearean era who frequently called himself a “barking satirist”.

➾ He composed his major works for a variety of children’s companies, which were groups of popular boy actors.

➾ His initial literary effort in 1598 was Pigmalion’s Image, an erotic poem written in the fashionable Ovidian style.

➾ Marston endured a brief, bitter literary feud with playwright Ben Jonson, commonly known as “the war of the theatres”.

➾ In the play Poetaster, Jonson satirically depicted Marston as Crispinus, possessing red hair and small legs.

➾ Antonio’s Revenge, his sàvage melodrama, was noted for blending political struggle with elements of parody and pure fantasy.

➾ His celebrated play, The Malcontent, vigorously rails against the perceived iniquities of a corrupt and lascivious court.

➾ Marston was imprisoned in 1605 after Eastward Ho offended King James I with its references to Scottish countrymen.

➾ He left his most erotic play, The Insatiate Countesse, unfinished after another imprisonment, presumably caused by libel.

➾ After quitting the stage in 1609, Marston entered the Church of England and married King James I’s chaplain’s daughter.

➾ In 1633, he dramatically insisted that his name be removed from the collected edition of six of his published plays.

John Marston MCQs

1. When was John Marston born?

A. Oct 7, 1576
B. June 25, 1634
C. 1598
D. 1604

A. Oct 7, 1576.
John Marston, the British dramatist, was baptised on October 7, 1576, which is generally cited as his birth date.

2. Where was John Marston born?

A. Oxfordshire, Eng.
B. London, Eng.
C. Middle Temple
D. Paris, France

A. Oxfordshire, Eng..
John Marston was born in Oxfordshire, England, where he was baptized in 1576.

3. What was John Marston’s primary profession?

A. Diplomat
B. Minister
C. Dramatist
D. Schoolmaster

C. Dramatist.
John Marston is primarily known as an English dramatist and vigorous satirist of the Shakespearean era.

4. When did John Marston die?

A. Oct 7, 1576
B. June 25, 1634
C. 1598
D. 1604

B. June 25, 1634.
John Marston died in London on June 25, 1634, after a career as a writer and clergyman.

5. Which institution provided Marston’s university education?

A. Cambridge
B. Oxford
C. Middle Temple
D. St Paul’s

B. Oxford.
Marston received his formal education at the University of Oxford before moving to London in 1595.

6. Where did Marston reside from 1595?

A. London
B. Oxford
C. Christchurch
D. Middle Temple

D. Middle Temple.
From 1595, Marston resided at the Middle Temple in London, a legal training institution.

7. What genre is Marston chiefly known for?

A. Comedy of manners
B. Erotic poem
C. Satire
D. Masque

C. Satire.
Marston is known as one of the most vigorous satirists during the Elizabethan and Jacobean eras.

8. What was Marston’s first published literary work?

A. The Malcontent
B. Pigmalion’s Image
C. The Scourge
D. Histrio-mastix

B. Pigmalion’s Image.
His literary career started in 1598 with The Metamorphosis of Pigmalion’s Image, an erotic poem.

9. What style was The Metamorphosis of Pigmalion’s Image written in?

A. Ovidian style
B. Satirical verse
C. Blank verse
D. Farcical style

A. Ovidian style.
This first work was an erotic poem written following the newly fashionable Ovidian style.

10. What was the title of Marston’s satirical verse collection (1598)?

A. Pigmalion’s Image
B. The Malcontent
C. The Scourge of Villanie
D. Antonio’s Revenge

C. The Scourge of Villanie.
In 1598, Marston published The Scourge of Villanie, known for its rough-hewn, satirical verses.

11. How did Marston refer to himself in The Scourge of Villanie?

A. Master Pedant
B. Barking satirist
C. Translating scholar
D. Witty writer

B. Barking satirist.
Within The Scourge of Villanie, Marston explicitly referred to himself as a “barking satirist”.

12. When did Marston begin writing for the theatre?

A. 1598
B. 1599
C. 1604
D. 1608

B. 1599.
Marston transitioned from publishing poetry and satire to writing for the theatre starting in 1599.

13. What was Marston’s first produced play (published 1610)?

A. The Malcontent
B. Histrio-mastix
C. Antonio’s Revenge
D. Eastward Ho

B. Histrio-mastix.
Marston began writing for the stage in 1599, producing Histrio-mastix.

14. Where was Histrio-mastix likely performed?

A. Blackfriars
B. Paul’s
C. Middle Temple
D. Whitehall

C. Middle Temple.
Histrio-mastix, written in 1599, was probably performed at the Middle Temple.

15. Which literary figure was characterised as Chrisoganus in Histrio-mastix?

A. Ben Jonson
B. George Chapman
C. Thomas Dekker
D. James I

A. Ben Jonson.
In Histrio-mastix, the character Chrisoganus was recognised by the audience as a depiction of Ben Jonson.

16. What was the literary feud between Marston and Jonson called?

A. War of Wit
B. Poetaster Battle
C. War of the Theatres
D. Malcontent Feud

C. War of the Theatres.
A brief and bitter literary feud developed between Marston and Jonson, known as “the war of the theatres”.

17. What play did Jonson depict Marston as Crispinus?

A. Histrio-mastix
B. Poetaster
C. The Malcontent
D. Antonio and Mellida

B. Poetaster.
In his play Poetaster (1601), Jonson depicted Marston as the character Crispinus.

18. What physical characteristic defined Crispinus in Poetaster?

A. Large stature
B. Red hair
C. Master Pedant
D. Pretentious vocabulary

B. Red hair.
Jonson depicted Marston (as Crispinus) as having red hair and notably small legs.

19. Which theatre company did Marston first write major plays for?

A. Queen’s Revels
B. King’s Men
C. Children of Paul’s
D. Middle Temple

C. Children of Paul’s.
Marston wrote Antonio and Mellida and its sequel for the company called the Children of Paul’s.

20. What was the sequel to Antonio and Mellida?

A. The Malcontent
B. Antonio’s Revenge
C. What You Will
D. The Dutch Courtesan

B. Antonio’s Revenge.
Antonio’s Revenge (1601) is the recognised sequel to Antonio and Mellida (1600).

21. Which of Marston’s Children of Paul’s plays is the most memorable?

A. Antonio and Mellida
B. Antonio’s Revenge
C. What You Will
D. Histrio-mastix

B. Antonio’s Revenge.
Antonio’s Revenge is noted as being the most memorable of the plays written for the Children of Paul’s.

22. What genre characterises Antonio’s Revenge?

A. Farcical comedy
B. Sàvage melodrama
C. Revenge tragedy
D. Historical play

B. Sàvage melodrama.
The play is described as a sàvage melodrama focusing on a political power struggle.

23. Which play did Marston write in 1601, besides Antonio’s Revenge?

A. The Malcontent
B. What You Will
C. The Dutch Courtesan
D. Eastward Ho

B. What You Will.
Marston wrote What You Will (1601) for the Children of Paul’s theatre company.

24. What company did Marston transfer his allegiance to in 1604?

A. Children of Paul’s
B. Queen’s Revels
C. King’s Men
D. Middle Temple

B. Queen’s Revels.
In 1604, he moved to the boy company at Blackfriars Theatre, known as the Children of the Queen’s Revels.

25. What is Marston’s best-known work?

A. Antonio’s Revenge
B. Eastward Ho
C. The Malcontent
D. The Dutch Courtesan

C. The Malcontent.
Marston’s best-known play is The Malcontent, which was produced in 1604.

26. What is the main subject of satire in The Malcontent?

A. Political power
B. Incestuous love
C. Lascivious court
D. Scottish countrymen

C. Lascivious court.
The Malcontent satirises and rails at the iniquities of a lascivious court.

27. When was The Dutch Courtezan produced?

A. 1600
B. 1601
C. 1603–04
D. 1608

C. 1603–04.
The Dutch Courtezan was produced for the Blackfriars Theatre company between the years 1603 and 1604.

28. What critical opinion was held about The Dutch Courtezan?

A. Sàvage melodrama
B. Cleverest comedy
C. Most erotic
D. Minor work

B. Cleverest comedy.
The play, despite its coarse counterplot, was considered one of the cleverest comedies of its era.

29. What traditional dramatic device did Marston utilise in The Malcontent?

A. Comedy of manners
B. Revenge tragedy
C. Farcical counterplot
D. Heroic couplets

B. Revenge tragedy.
Marston utilised all the apparatus of contemporary revenge tragedy in The Malcontent.

30. How did the wronged hero in The Malcontent regain power?

A. Murdering tormentors
B. Sophisticated stratagems
C. Public confession
D. Using parody

B. Sophisticated stratagems.
The hero, Malevole, regains power using sophisticated Machiavellian stratagems, not murder.

31. With whom did Marston collaborate on Eastward Ho (1605)?

A. Ben Jonson/Chapman
B. Dekker/Rowley
C. Jonson/Dekker
D. Chapman/Rowley

A. Ben Jonson/Chapman.
In 1605, Marston collaborated with Ben Jonson and George Chapman on the comedy Eastward Ho.

32. What genre is Eastward Ho?

A. Revenge tragedy
B. Masque
C. Historical play
D. City comedy

D. City comedy.
Eastward Ho is explicitly described as a comedy that focuses on contrasts in city life.

33. Why were the authors of Eastward Ho imprisoned in 1605?

A. Debt
B. Political libel
C. Incestuous love
D. Royal displeasure

B. Political libel.
The play contained satirical references to opportunistic Scottish countrymen, which offended King James I.

34. What relationship did the authors have with King James I’s countrymen?

A. Sympathy
B. Satiric references
C. Diplomatic ties
D. Literary feud

B. Satiric references.
The play contained satiric references to the King’s Scottish countrymen, causing offence.

35. When was Marston’s second imprisonment?

A. 1605
B. 1608
C. 1609
D. 1633

B. 1608.
Marston suffered another imprisonment in 1608, presumably for libel.

36. What play did Marston leave unfinished in 1608?

A. The Malcontent
B. The Dutch Courtesan
C. The Insatiate Countesse
D. Antonio’s Revenge

C. The Insatiate Countesse.
He left The Insatiate Countesse unfinished after his 1608 imprisonment.

37. What is notable about The Insatiate Countesse?

A. Best known work
B. Most erotic play
C. Earliest play
D. Only comedy

B. Most erotic play.
The unfinished play, The Insatiate Countesse, is noted as Marston’s most erotic work.

38. What institution did Marston enter in 1608/1609?

A. Middle Temple
B. Parliament
C. Church of England
D. Queen’s Revels

C. Church of England.
Following his 1608 imprisonment, Marston entered the Church of England and took orders in 1609.

39. Whose daughter did John Marston marry?

A. King James I’s chaplain
B. George Chapman
C. Thomas Dekker
D. The Earl of Kildare

A. King James I’s chaplain.
Marston married the daughter of James I’s chaplain after entering the church.

40. When did Marston accept an ecclesiastical post in Hampshire?

A. 1609
B. 1616
C. 1633
D. 1634

B. 1616.
He accepted a position in Christchurch, Hampshire, holding an ecclesiastical post starting in 1616.

41. What was the title of the collected edition of Marston’s plays (1633)?

A. Tragedies and Comedies
B. Six New Plays
C. The Works of John Marston
D. The Malcontent

C. The Works of John Marston.
The 1633 collected edition of six of his plays was titled The Workes of John Marston.

42. What did Marston insist on regarding the 1633 collection?

A. Removal of plays
B. Anonymous publication
C. Removal of his name
D. Collaboration credit

C. Removal of his name.
In 1633, Marston apparently insisted upon the removal of his name from the collection of his plays.

43. What was the anonymous title of the 1633 reissue of his plays?

A. Six New Plays
B. Tragedies and Comedies
C. The Malcontent
D. The Scourge of Villanie

B. Tragedies and Comedies.
The collection was reissued anonymously the same year as Tragedies and Comedies.

44. Why is Marston known for / the reason for his fame?

A. Diplomatic loyalty
B. Creating tragedy
C. Vigorous satire
D. Legal expertise

C. Vigorous satire.
His fame stems from being one of the most vigorous satirists of the Shakespearean era.

45. What were the organised groups of boy actors called?

A. King’s Men
B. Children’s companies
C. Blackfriars
D. Middle Temple

B. Children’s companies.
Marston wrote for children’s companies, which were organised groups of boy actors popular then.

46. What characterises the verses of The Scourge of Villanie?

A. Erotic, Smooth
B. Rough-hewn
C. Pretending
D. Witty

B. Rough-hewn.
The verses of The Scourge of Villanie are described as being rough-hewn and somewhat obscure.

47. What term did Jonson use for Marston’s pretentious vocabulary?

A. Rough-hewn
B. Ovidian style
C. Disgorged pill
D. Barking satire

C. Disgorged pill.
Crispinus (Marston) was given a pill that forced him to disgorge a pretentious vocabulary.

48. What elements defined Antonio’s Revenge besides melodrama?

A. Fantasy/Parody
B. Revenge/Satire
C. Machiavellian/Erotic
D. Farcical/Witty

A. Fantasy/Parody.
Antonio’s Revenge contains elements of parody and fantasy, besides being a sàvage melodrama.

49. What element made The Dutch Courtezan coarse?

A. Political libel
B. Incestuous love
C. Farcical counterplot
D. Satiric references

C. Farcical counterplot.
The Dutch Courtezan included a coarse, farcical counterplot alongside its main action.

50. What distinguished the court setting of The Malcontent?

A. Iniquitous
B. Noble
C. Political
D. Humble

A. Iniquitous.
The play is centred on railing at the iniquities found within a lascivious court.

Antonio’s Revenge MCQs

1. How does Piero first enter the scene, carrying a bloody dagger and a torch?

A. Arms bare, unbraced
B. In black, reading
C. With a coffin
D. Wearing a crown

A. Arms bare, unbraced.
His clothing is loose and unfastened, revealing his bloody arms immediately after committing the terrible murder.

2. Where does Piero command Strotzo to bind Feliche’s dead body?

A. The castle vault
B. Mellida’s side
C. Andrugio’s hearse
D. A gibbet high

B. Mellida’s side.
This horrific act makes the corpse appear to be Mellida’s adulterous lover, furthering Piero’s wicked plot.

3. Piero says he avoided openly opposing Antonio’s marriage by giving what false assurance?

A. A forced curse
B. A fatal delay
C. A seeming grant
D. A rich dowry

C. A seeming grant.
Piero gave his false approval to Antonio and Mellida’s union before murdering Antonio’s father, Andrugio.

4. How did Piero kill Andrugio after their reconciliation dinner?

A. A drawn sword
B. Strong poison
C. Fatal stabbing
D. Drowning him

B. Strong poison.
Piero put slow-acting poison into the ceremonial bowl he drank from with his former enemy.

5. Piero vows he will destroy Mellida, turning the wedding day into what kind of night?

A. A feast of death
B. A Stygian night
C. An endless pain
D. A blood debt

B. A Stygian night.
Piero seeks to turn the glorious wedding morning into a night as dark as the classical river Styx.

6. What specific time of day is it when Maria first asks Lucio the age of the morning?

A. About six
B. About five
C. Twelve midnight
D. Nine o’clock

B. About five.
This precise time marking shows the play’s structural transition from night to morning daylight.

7. Maria states that the true adornments of a desirable wife are modesty and what other virtue?

A. Gold and silks
B. Modesty and chastity
C. Jewels and hair
D. Wealth and birth

B. Modesty and chastity.
She rejects outward finery, favouring these unblemished feminine qualities drawn from Stoic moralising philosophy.

8. What specific physical action does Antonio perform after quoting “Deus imperat astris”?

A. His nose straight bled
B. He drew his sword
C. Started to laugh
D. Fell on the ground

A. His nose straight bled.
His nose bleeding is an evil omen, confirming the dire prodigies he expects after his horrid dreams.

9. When the curtain is drawn in the church, Antonio expects to see who appears?

A. Piero the Duke
B. Andrugio’s ghost
C. Mellida, his bride
D. Pandulpho Feliche

C. Mellida, his bride.
He calls her the “trophy of triumphing excellence” just before discovering the shocking spectacle.

10. What shocking sight is revealed behind the curtain in the church scene?

A. A bloody trunk
B. Feliche’s hung body
C. Mellida weeping
D. A funeral bier

B. Feliche’s hung body.
The corpse, stabbed and hanging, serves as a bloody banner of humanity’s total ruin and disgrace.

11. Antonio’s first response when Piero insults Mellida as unchaste is to do what?

A. Draws rapier
B. Weeps aloud
C. Quotes Seneca
D. Falls prostrate

A. Draws rapier.
His initial impulse is immediate violence, attempting to stab Piero, but Maria physically restrains him.

12. Piero says all sparks of reason are raked up in what specific condition?

A. Ashy beastliness
B. Moral conflict
C. Political treason
D. Human frailty

A. Ashy beastliness.
Piero asserts he has no reason to act justly because all reason is buried in brute human nature.

13. Strotzo claims Andrugio died because sudden joy unmanned what internal defence?

A. Inner citadel is unmanned
B. His soul fled
C. Cold body part
D. Brain to choke

A. Inner citadel is unmanned.
The joy overwhelmed him, making his internal defence mechanisms suddenly succumb to cold death.

14. How does Pandulpho first react when confronted with his son Feliche’s corpse hanging?

A. Weeps profoundly
B. Calls for music
C. Sighs sadly
D. Laughs bitterly

D. Laughs bitterly.
This ironic laughter signals his adoption of Stoic distance from suffering, rejecting emotional display immediately.

15. Pandulpho dismisses weeping, raging, and running over grief as what kind of behaviour?

A. Emotional release
B. Apish action
C. Noble response
D. Rational choice

B. Apish action.
He criticises such exaggerated emotional displays as unintelligent imitation, stating it is “player-like histrionics.”

16. Piero commands Andrugio’s cerecloth (winding sheet) to perform what action?

A. Fly to heaven
B. Rot there
C. Burn brightly
D. Be honoured

B. Rot there.
Piero expresses his intense hatred by commanding the winding sheet of his loathed foe to decompose.

17. What specific detail of Balurdo’s appearance is wrong when he enters to talk to Piero?

A. Torn jersey
B. Beard half off
C. No shoes
D. Bloody hands

B. Beard half off.
Balurdo blames the inefficient “tiring man” for not properly glueing on his knightly beard fast enough.

18. Piero orders Balurdo to take his daughter, Mellida, and imprison her where?

A. Castle vault
B. Newgate prison
C. Abandoned church
D. A deep well

A. Castle vault.
Piero orders her confined there until her innocence is supposedly proven or she dies in despair.

19. Pandulpho argues that where a king is free to do more than noble deeds, his state becomes what?

A. An empire
B. A tyranny
C. A beggary
D. A tragedy

B. A tyranny.
This philosophical challenge uses Senecan maxims against the Duke’s arbitrary actions and abuse of power.

20. When Pandulpho is banished, he compares his inner self to the safe walls of what legendary city?

A. Rome
B. Troy
C. Babylon
D. Venice

C. Babylon.
Pandulpho boasts he is safe from Piero inside his own soul, comparing it to the city’s triple walls.

21. Antonio shows Alberto a philosophical text, saying he is using it as a form of “physic” for his grief?

A. A French tract
B. Here’s philosophy
C. A love poem
D. Tullies Offices

B. Here’s philosophy.
He is reading Seneca, but finds its cold Stoic counsel useless when dealing with real human tragedy.

22. When Antonio finds Mellida imprisoned in the vault, what does she immediately beg him to do?

A. For God’s sake, kill me
B. Vow revenge
C. Leave quickly
D. Fetch a priest

A. For God sake, kill me.
She wishes to die because she has been slandered and cannot endure the malicious injury done to her.

23. Antonio tells Piero, “Good night,” resolving to fight the Duke with what means?

A. Dissemblance fight
B. Pure reason
C. Deadly poison
D. Open defiance

A. Dissemblance fight.
He decides to fight through cunning and deceit, since he lacks the power for direct conflict.

24. Piero instructs Strotzo to claim that Antonio bribed him with what to kill Andrugio?

A. His large bounty
B. Gold carcanets
C. A finger ring
D. Mulligrub’s goblets

A. His large bounty.
Strotzo must pretend the murder was done for Antonio, to achieve his “thirsty hope” of the throne.

25. Piero exclaims, “Tragoedia Cothurnata mounts,” announcing the rise of what dramatic mode?

A. Comic plot
B. Buskined tragedy
C. Stoic resolve
D. Holy prayer

B. Buskined tragedy.
He announces that the serious and formal dramatic action of tragedy is now fully beginning.

26. Piero says wise statesmen should use men as what specific tool until the tough trunk is split?

A. Use men like wedges
B. Blunt axes
C. Sharp knives
D. Soft clay

A. Use men like wedges.
This Machiavellian imagery justifies using Strotzo to destroy Antonio, then promptly discarding the villain.

27. What precise sound marks the beginning of Antonio’s night vigil in the church?

A. A gentle dirge
B. Clock strikes twelve
C. Howling dogs
D. Loud cornets

B. Clock strikes twelve.
This auditory mark establishes the “stark dead night” setting for the crucial appearance of the Ghost.

28. What specific action does the Ghost of Andrugio command Antonio to execute?

A. Antonio, revenge
B. Weep no tears
C. Be a Stoic
D. Kill the Senate

A. Antonio, revenge.
The ghost explicitly confirms the murder and demands immediate, mandatory vengeance from his faithful son.

29. Antonio curses himself that if he fails in his plot, he should be destroyed by what?

A. Blasted with heaven
B. Left to age
C. A common player
D. Forget his father

A. Blasted with heaven.
This sacred oath underscores his commitment, stating he must act or suffer eternal spiritual damnation.

30. Antonio observes that man, striving to be more than human, inevitably proves himself to be what?

A. More than devil
B. A fool only
C. A wretched soul
D. Ashy beastliness

A. More than devil.
Man’s arrogance leads to “hell-strained juice,” resulting in murder, lust, and other heinous vices.

31. Young Julio confirms his tragic trust in Antonio by saying he loves him more than whom?

A. The Senators
B. Mellida, his sister
C. Than my father
D. Matzagente

C. Than my father.
This innocent statement tragically highlights the horrible irony of Antonio’s imminent act of murderous sacrifice.

32. Where does Antonio commit the murder of young Julio?

A. At Piero’s gate
B. Andrugio’s hearse
C. The riverbank
D. Maria’s bed

B. Andrugio’s hearse.
Antonio sacrifices the boy, who is Piero’s blood, directly onto his murdered father’s tomb as incense.

33. Antonio holds up Julio’s body and sprinkles warm blood to satisfy revenge on what object?

A. Thy black eyes
B. His own hands
C. Feliche’s wounds
D. Piero’s breast

A. Thy black eyes.
He sprinkles the blood upon his father’s hearse, fulfilling a classical ritual of vengeful sacrifice.

34. Nutriche claims that the choice of linen makes clean bodies, and a variety of husbands makes what?

A. Perfect wives
B. Rich ladies
C. Wise minds
D. Good mothers

A. Perfect wives.
This pragmatic, bawdy view of marriage contrasts sharply with Maria’s high-minded virtue and deep grief.

35. Nutriche claims her views on marriage are supported by reading which specific classical book?

A. Senecan Tragedy
B. Tullies Offices
C. Aristotle’s Problems
D. Ovid’s Art

C. Aristotle’s Problems.
This popular science chap-book supposedly confirms that women receive “perfection by the man.”

36. The Ghost commands Maria to maintain a false appearance of affection for Piero until when?

A. When Antonio escapes
B. Vengeance absolute
C. Dawn breaks
D. She marries him

B. Vengeance absolute.
She must deceive the tyrant and maintain a false love in order to ensure the execution of the revenge plot’s execution.

37. Antonio adopts what specific disguise when returning to Piero’s court?

A. Puritan’s gown
B. Fool’s habit
C. Jeweller’s cloak
D. Scholar’s robes

B. Fool’s habit.
He notes that a fool has a “patent of immunities” allowing him free and unpunished speech.

38. Antonio quotes Machiavell, saying the sagacious person should strive to seem like what?

A. To seem foolish
B. A wise man
C. A good friend
D. A great warrior

A. To seem foolish.
This Machiavellian tactic grants him liberty of speech and crucial access to secrets at Piero’s court.

39. Antonio performs what specific action and laughs at it while sparring with Balurdo?

A. Blowing bubbles
B. Drawing his sword
C. Singing loudly
D. Writing notes

A. Blowing bubbles.
He compares the bubbles to the world, laughing that the flimsy creations are full of nothing but wind.

40. Piero fears vinegar-tart spirits are too piercing in the unglued joints of what?

A. Shaken wits
B. Royal bodies
C. Vengeful hearts
D. Wise statesmen

A. Shaken wits.
He fears those who are too clever will easily expose the weak spots of his own unstable mind.

41. Mellida claims her defence against slander is her total lack of deception, called what?

A. Gentle favour
B. Inner virtue
C. Unnooked simplicity
D. God’s grace

C. Unnooked simplicity.
Her lack of deception or hidden motives, described as “unnooked,” is her only defense against slander.

42. Whose “screeching voice” temporarily calls Mellida’s fleeting soul back to her body?

A. The Ladies
B. My fool
C. Sir Lionell
D. Maria’s curse

B. My fool.
The shock of Balurdo’s loud screeching temporarily calls her fleeting soul back to her body.

43. Antonio, in despair over Mellida’s death, adopts a theatrical posture where he does what?

A. Lieth upon back
B. Sits in a chair
C. Stands on head
D. Raves wildly

A. Lieth upon the back.
He turns his breast to heaven, boasting that his “Herculean woe” surpasses all other human suffering.

44. Pandulpho admits that his previous Stoic calm was just him imitating what figure?

A. Some boy
B. A Roman Emperor
C. Old Hieronimo
D. His enemy Piero

A. Some boy.
He realises that his philosophical restraint was just an affected performance and that “Man will break out.”

45. Antonio and Pandulpho swear their vengeance vow upon what figurative knot of love?

A. Golden braid
B. Iron band
C. Gordian knot
D. Holy rope

C. Gordian knot.
This symbolises they must use violence (the sword) to solve their current complicated and tragic conflict.

46. The conspirators dig Feliche’s grave using what specific item?

A. Shovels
B. Their daggers
C. A spade
D. An axe

B. Their daggers.
They strike the stage with their daggers, causing the grave (trap) to open for the burial.

47. What Latin word, meaning ‘Revenge’, serves as the unifying rallying cry for Antonio and the other conspirators?

A. Venit dies
B. Scelera non
C. Vindicta
D. Ne plus ultra

C. Vindicta.
This word, borrowed from The Spanish Tragedy, is their serious, collective call to immediate action.

48. Antonio says that the night brings what personified figure, whose forelock they must quickly seize?

A. Opportunity
B. Grim Nemesis
C. Blind Fortune
D. Black Night

A. Opportunity.
This refers to the classical image of Occasion, which must be taken swiftly before it passes by.

49. What is the first act of physical mutilation the conspirators inflict on Piero during the masque?

A. Pluck out the tongue
B. Stab his heart
C. Tear his clothes
D. Stab his foot

A. Pluck out tongue.
This prevents Piero from crying for mercy or revealing the crime to the assembled court.

50. Maria, Antonio, and Pandulpho vow to spend the rest of their lives in which place as an act of penance?

A. Religious order
B. The castle vault
C. Genoa’s court
D. A foreign land

A. Religious order.
This lifelong commitment to prayer and penance is for their necessary, but bloody, act of assassination.

Brief Overview

Antonio’s Revenge was published by John Marston in 1999. It is a quintessential Elizabethan and Jacobean revenge tragedy. The play centers on dark and complex themes of betrayal, murder, and the psychological cost of vengeance.

The conflict starts with Piero Sforza, the Duke of Venice, who hated Antonio and his father, Andrugio. Piero secretly murdered Andrugio by mixing strong poison in a ceremonial bowl.

Piero also killed Antonio’s friend, Feliche, and hung his dead body near Piero’s daughter, Mellida. Piero lied, claiming Mellida was tainted and unchaste. Mellida was disgraced and then imprisoned in a castle vault.

Antonio, Andrugio’s son, learned the brutal truth from his father’s ghost. The ghost explicitly commanded Antonio to get revenge. Antonio decided to fight the Duke through cunning deceit, disguising himself as a fool to spy on the court.

To begin his bloody revenge, Antonio murdered Piero’s young son, Julio. He sprinkled the boy’s blood onto his father’s tomb.

Mellida soon died from the overwhelming grief and slander. Antonio and others formed a serious plot for vengeance. During a masque, the conspirators seized Piero.

They first tore out his tongue so he could not cry out. They then forced him to look at the remains of his own child, Julio. After killing the Duke, the avengers vowed to live the rest of their lives in a holy religious order as penance.