The Book of the Duchess and Other Poems Study Guide

1. What is a dream-vision poem?

• A poem in which the narrator recounts a dream
• A story within the overall poem
• An epic poem
• A lyric poem

2. How long has the narrator of The Book of the Duchess been unable to sleep?

• Eight years
• A year
• All night
• Eight nights

3. When the narrator cannot sleep, what games are options for his insomnia?

• Draughts or marbles
• Chess or tables (backgammon)
• Cards or dice
• Draughts or dice

4. The Book of the Duchess was written in what form?

• Octosyllabic couplets
• Villanelle
• Blank verse
• Iambic pentameter

5. For what person is The Book of the Duchess, perhaps, an elegy?

• The fictional Duchess of the Judgement of Wisdom in Love
• Blanche, Duchess of Lancaster
• Philippa, Duchess of Hainault
• Alcyone, Duchess of Troy

6. Who is Juno?

• A Roman goddess
• A lady the narrator loves
• A heroine of the Trojan war
• The wife of the Black Knight

7. What book does the narrator of The Book of the Duchess use to help his insomnia?

• Ovid's Metamorphoses
• Roman de la Rose
• The Bible
• The Tale of Seys and Alcyone

8. Of what rank are Seys and Alcyone?

• King and Queen
• Earl and Countess
• Lord and Lady
• Duke and Duchess

9. How does Seys die?

• A broken heart
• Lost in the forest
• Drowned in a shipwreck
• Killed in battle

10. What does Alcyone refuse to do until she has found out what happened to Seys?

• Remarry
• Eat bread
• Sleep
• Stop weeping