All for Love by John Dryden

General Context and Background

1. In which year was All for Love first performed and printed?

o A) 1660

o B) 1677

o C) 1700

o D) 1649

o Answer: B) 1677

2. What is the subtitle of All for Love?

o A) The Fall of Rome

o B) The World Well Lost

o C) A Tragedy of Passion

o D) The Last Stand

o Answer: B) The World Well Lost

3. To whom did Dryden dedicate All for Love?

o A) King Charles II

o B) The Earl of Danby

o C) William Shakespeare

o D) The Duke of York

o Answer: B) The Earl of Danby

4. Which Shakespearean play is All for Love an acknowledged imitation of?

o A) Julius Caesar

o B) Romeo and Juliet

o C) Antony and Cleopatra

o D) Macbeth

o Answer: C) Antony and Cleopatra

o A) Rhymed couplets

o B) Blank verse

o C) Free verse

o D) Sonnet form

o Answer: B) Blank verse

6. What literary period does All for Love belong to?

o A) Elizabethan

o B) Restoration

o C) Romantic

o D) Victorian

o Answer: B) Restoration

7. What was Dryden’s stated purpose in writing All for Love?

o A) To entertain the masses

o B) To reinvigorate serious drama

o C) To critique Shakespeare

o D) To promote comedy

o Answer: B) To reinvigorate serious drama

8. How does Dryden’s play differ from Shakespeare’s in terms of setting?

o A) It spans multiple countries

o B) It is confined to Alexandria

o C) It takes place entirely in Rome

o D) It includes scenes in Greece

o Answer: B) It is confined to Alexandria

9. What neoclassical principle does All for Love adhere to?

o A) Unity of time, place, and action

o C) Comic relief in tragedy

o D) Use of prose instead of verse

o Answer: A) Unity of time, place, and action

10. How many times was All for Love performed between 1700 and 1800?

o A) 50

o B) 75

o C) 123

o D) 200

o Answer: C) 123

Characters

11. Who is the protagonist of All for Love?

o A) Ventidius

o B) Marc Antony

o C) Octavius

o D) Alexas

o Answer: B) Marc Antony

12. Who plays the role of Antony’s loyal general and confidant?

o A) Dolabella

o B) Ventidius

o C) Serapion

o D) Alexas

o Answer: B) Ventidius

13. What is Cleopatra’s role in the play?

o A) A Roman senator
 o B) Queen of Egypt and Antony’s lover

o C) Antony’s wife

o D) A priestess of Isis

o Answer: B) Queen of Egypt and Antony’s lover

14. Who is Antony’s lawful wife in the play?

o A) Charmion

o B) Octavia

o C) Iras

o D) Cleopatra

o Answer: B) Octavia

15. Which character is Cleopatra’s eunuch and advisor?

o A) Ventidius

o B) Dolabella

o C) Alexas

o D) Serapion

o Answer: C) Alexas

16. Who is Antony’s friend who is in love with Cleopatra?

o A) Ventidius

o B) Dolabella

o C) Octavius

o D) Serapion

o Answer: B) Dolabella

17. Which character is a priest of Isis in the opening scene?

o A) Myris

o B) Serapion

o C) Alexas
 o D) Ventidius

o Answer: B) Serapion

18. Who brings Antony’s daughters to persuade him to return to Rome?

o A) Cleopatra

o B) Octavia

o C) Dolabella

o D) Ventidius

o Answer: B) Octavia

19. Which character attempts to make Antony jealous by flirting with Dolabella?

o A) Octavia

o B) Cleopatra

o C) Charmion

o D) Iras

o Answer: B) Cleopatra

20. Who ultimately dies by suicide alongside Antony and Cleopatra?

o A) Ventidius

o B) Dolabella

o C) Octavia

o D) Alexas

o Answer: A) Ventidius

Plot

21. Where does the play All for Love begin?

o A) The Temple of Isis

o B) Cleopatra’s palace

o C) The Roman Senate

o Answer: A) The Temple of Isis

22. What historical event precedes the action of the play?

o A) The assassination of Julius Caesar

o B) The Battle of Actium

o C) The fall of Rome

o D) The rise of Octavius

o Answer: B) The Battle of Actium

23. What gift does Cleopatra send to Antony via Alexas?

o A) A crown

o B) A ruby bracelet

o C) A sword

o D) A letter

o Answer: B) A ruby bracelet

24. What does Ventidius urge Antony to do?

o A) Marry Cleopatra

o B) Return to Rome and leave Cleopatra

o C) Surrender to Octavius

o D) Fight Cleopatra

o Answer: B) Return to Rome and leave Cleopatra

25. Why does Antony initially decide to leave Cleopatra?

o A) He discovers her infidelity

o B) Octavia and his daughters persuade him

o C) He loses a battle

o D) Ventidius threatens him

o Answer: B) Octavia and his daughters persuade him

o A) Octavius has died

o B) Cleopatra has died

o C) Dolabella has betrayed him

o D) Rome has fallen

o Answer: B) Cleopatra has died

27. Who spreads the false rumor of Cleopatra’s death?

o A) Ventidius

o B) Alexas

o C) Dolabella

o D) Octavia

o Answer: B) Alexas

28. How does Antony die in All for Love?

o A) Poisoned by Cleopatra

o B) Suicide with a sword

o C) Killed in battle

o D) Executed by Octavius

o Answer: B) Suicide with a sword

29. What does Cleopatra use to end her life?

o A) A dagger

o B) An asp

o C) Poison

o D) Drowning

o Answer: B) An asp

30. What is the final outcome for Antony and Cleopatra in the play?

o A) They escape to Rome

o C) They die together in mutual suicide

o D) They are captured and executed

o Answer: C) They die together in mutual suicide

Themes

31. What is the central conflict in All for Love?

o A) Love versus honor

o B) Power versus weakness

o C) Loyalty versus betrayal

o D) Freedom versus slavery

o Answer: A) Love versus honor

32. Which theme is emphasized by Antony’s struggle between Cleopatra and Octavia?

o A) Political ambition

o B) Duty versus passion

o C) Revenge versus forgiveness

o D) Wealth versus poverty

o Answer: B) Duty versus passion

33. What does the title All for Love suggest about the play’s message?

o A) Love conquers all obstacles

o B) Sacrificing everything for love leads to ruin

o C) Love is a minor theme

o D) Love is always rewarded

o Answer: B) Sacrificing everything for love leads to ruin

34. How does Dryden portray love in the play?

o A) As a purely noble force

o C) As a political tool

o D) As a comedic element

o Answer: B) As a destructive passion

35. Which theme reflects Dryden’s commentary on Restoration England?

o A) The power of nature

o B) The fragility of political alliances

o C) The joy of romantic love

o D) The triumph of reason

o Answer: B) The fragility of political alliances

Literary Style and Significance

36. What distinguishes All for Love as a heroic drama?

o A) Its use of humor

o B) Its focus on superhuman qualities of characters

o C) Its avoidance of tragedy

o D) Its reliance on prose

o Answer: B) Its focus on superhuman qualities of characters

37. How does Dryden’s play differ from Shakespeare’s in tone?

o A) It is more comedic

o B) It is more sentimental and focused on love

o C) It avoids emotional depth

o D) It emphasizes military strategy

o Answer: B) It is more sentimental and focused on love

38. What is a key feature of Dryden’s use of blank verse in the play?

o A) It is rigid and unexpressive

o C) It mimics Shakespeare’s rhyme

o D) It avoids iambic pentameter

o Answer: B) It is flowing but controlled

39. Why did All for Love overshadow Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra in the 18th
century?

o A) It was shorter

o B) It adhered to neoclassical ideals

o C) It was written in prose

o D) It avoided tragedy

o Answer: B) It adhered to neoclassical ideals

40. What does Dryden’s preface to the play defend?

o A) His use of comedy

o B) His deviations from historical accuracy

o C) His rejection of Shakespeare

o D) His choice of prose over verse

o Answer: B) His deviations from historical accuracy

Specific Scenes and Quotes

41. What do the priests Serapion and Myris discuss in Act 1?

o A) Antony’s military victories

o B) Omens foretelling doom

o C) Cleopatra’s beauty

o D) Octavius’s plans

o Answer: B) Omens foretelling doom

42. What does Ventidius say to Antony to convince him to leave Cleopatra?
 o A) “Cleopatra betrayed you at Actium”

o B) “Virtue’s his path, but sometimes it’s too narrow”

o C) “Rome will fall without you”

o D) “Love is a noble madness”

o Answer: B) “Virtue’s his path, but sometimes it’s too narrow”

43. What does Cleopatra say to express her love’s intensity?

o A) “My love is a noble madness”

o B) “I am queen above all else”

o C) “Antony is my only duty”

o D) “Rome cannot hold us”

o Answer: A) “My love is a noble madness”

44. In which act does Octavia confront Cleopatra?

o A) Act 1

o B) Act 2

o C) Act 3

o D) Act 4

o Answer: C) Act 3

45. What does Antony mistakenly believe in Act 5, leading to his suicide?

o A) Octavia has died

o B) Cleopatra has betrayed him with Dolabella

o C) Ventidius has turned against him

o D) Rome has surrendered

o Answer: B) Cleopatra has betrayed him with Dolabella