1. Thanks to the popular image of Romeo and
Juliet (not assigned, I know), Shakespeare
is often considered the “poet of love.” But
discuss the ways Shakespeare shows how
romantic love and sexual passion can be a
foolish, irrational, or even destructive force.

2. How can disguise, change of perspective,
and/or escape from normal be both a
creative way of discovering things about
yourself and others, or maybe also a
destructive force if not used properly?

3. How does Shakespeare show human pride
and the resulting self-delusion blind people
to the truth, or at least better behavior?

4. Discuss how Henry IV is a failed (or near-
failed) leader and how two other leaders
also fail their followers, and how. Are there
any successful leaders?

5. Do Shakespeare’s women conform to the
stereotype of passive femininity that we
might expect from stereotypes of that
time? If not, how do they not conform?

Sample Solution