the greatest of writers? Can you explain why
Shakespeare's plays are still acted, while other plays of his age are
rarely seen? If you have seen any of Shakespeare's plays on the stage, how
do they compare in interest with a modern play?

9. What are Ben Jonson's chief plays? In what important respects did they
differ from those of Shakespeare? Tell the story of "The Alchemist" or "The
Silent Woman." Name other contemporaries and successors of Shakespeare.
Give some reasons for the preeminence of the Elizabethan drama. What causes
led to its decline?

10. Tell briefly the story of Bacon's life. What is his chief literary
work? his chief educational work? Why is he called a pioneer of modern
science? Can you explain what is meant by the inductive method of learning?
What subjects are considered in Bacon's _Essays_? What is the central idea
of the essay you like best? What are the literary qualities of these
essays? Do they appeal to the intellect or the emotions? What is meant by
the word "essay," and how does Bacon illustrate the definition? Make a
comparison between Bacon's essays and those of some more recent writer,
such as Addison, Lamb, Carlyle, Emerson, or Stevenson, having in mind the
subjects, style, and interest of both essayists.

11. Who are the minor prose writers of the Elizabethan Age? What did they
write? Comment upon any work of theirs which you have read. What is the
literary value of North's Plutarch? What is the chief defect in Elizabethan
prose as a whole? What is meant by euphuism? Explain why Elizabethan poetry
is superior to the prose.

CHRONOLOGY
_Last Half of the Sixteenth and First Half of the Seventeenth Centuries_
============================================================================
HISTORY | LITERATURE
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
1558. Elizabeth (_d_. 1603) | 1559. John Knox in Edinburgh
| 1562(?). Gammer Gurton's Needle.
| Gorboduc
| 1564. Birth of Shakespeare
1571. Rise of English Puritans | 1576. First Theater
1577. Drake's Voyage around the | 1579. Spenser's Shepherd's Calendar.
World | Lyly's Euphues. North's Plutarch.
|