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Study Questions

Anne Hathaway Questions

  1. Does Anne Hathaway succeed in her goal to explain the rationale behind Shakespeare's will?
  2. What is the relationship between writing and sex in the poem?
  3. Does Anne just copy her husband's poetry, or can her poem stand alone without the influence of Shakespeare's sonnets?
  4. What is the relationship between poetry and prose in the poem?
  5. Why does Duffy reference so many of the tools of poetry (rhyme, assonance, etc.)?
  6. According to this poem, what is Anne's relationship with Shakespeare like?
  7. How does the author, Carol Ann Duffy, fit in here? Does she identify with Anne, or is she completely distant from the poem's emotion?
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