Short Essay Question - Act 1, Scene 1, Part 1

Short Essay Question - Act 1, Scene 1, Part 1 1. What is happening in the beginning of the play? What does Bertozzo want from the Maniac?

2. What do the police records show regarding the Maniac's history? How does he respond to these allegations?

3. What is the Maniac's justification for his "crimes" in Act 1, Scene 1?

4. What does the Maniac tell Bertozzo about the actors he performs with?

5. What does the Maniac say he thinks about judges?

6. How does the Maniac say he "trained" for his work as a psychiatrist?

7. What does the Maniac tell Bertozzo about grammar in Act 1, Scene 1?

8. How does the Maniac react when Bertozzo says if he will just sign the statement, he will let him go? Act 1, Scene 1, Part 2 9. What does the Maniac return for in Act 1, Scene 1? What does he find?

10. What does the Maniac do with the documents he finds while in the office alone?

11. What does the Maniac do when the phone rings in the office in Act 1, Scene 1?

12. What is the phone call regarding which the Maniac takes in Act 1, Scene 1?

13. What does the Maniac tell the person on the phone about his message in Act 1, Scene 1?

14. How does the Maniac feel after taking the phone call in Act 1, Scene 1? Why?

15. How does the Maniac "prepare" after his phone call in Act 1, Scene 1?

16. Who does the Maniac encounter when leaving the office the second time in Act 1, Scene 1? What does this character do?

Act 1, Scene 2, Part 1 17. What is the Maniac doing in the beginning of Act 1, Scene 2?

18. In what state is the Superintendent when he enters in Act 1, Scene 2? Why? 19. What does the Superintendent's report claim the Anarchist suffered? What is this?

20. What does the Maniac want to determine regarding the Anarchist's emotional state? How does he proceed?

21. What do Sports Jacket and the Superintendent do at the Maniac's request for recreating the scene?

22. How does the Maniac trip up the Superintendent on his story?

23. What is the Superintendent and Sports Jacket's reaction to the Maniac's accusations of harsh interrogation?

24. What is the Maniac's suggestion to the Superintendent and Sports Jacket, considering their situation of desperation in Act 1, Scene 2?

Act 1, Scene 2, Part 2 25. What does the Maniac do when the Constable comes into the office in Act 1, Scene 2?

26. Who/what does the Superintendent say pushed him toward the "raptus?" How does the Maniac reply?

27. How is the Maniac's treatment of the Superintendent and Sports Jacket a recreation of their statement about the Anarchist?

28. What is described differently in the "second report?"

29. What does the time difference in the "raptus" versus the suicide seem to indicate to the Maniac? 30. What does the Maniac realize is missing from the second version of the story?

31. How does the Maniac offer to help out the Superintendent and Sports Jacket with their second version?

32. How does the Maniac convince Sports Jacket and the Superintendent to go along with his plan at the end of Act 1, Scene 2?

What happens at the end of this act?

Act 2, Scene 1, Part 1 33. How does the Maniac react to the "second version" of the statement about the Anarchist? What question remains?

34. What does the Maniac joke about regarding the "laughter" in the interrogation with the Anarchist?

35. What is implied with the Maniac's joke regarding the "laughter" in the interrogation? 36. What does the Maniac ask regarding the window during the Anarchist's interrogation? What is the reply?

37. How does the Maniac respond to the Superintendent's excuse about the window? What is the Superintendent's concern inthis exchange?

38. What is the Maniac's reaction to the explanations behind the Anarchist's jump?

39. What information is learned from the phone call during the meeting of the Maniac and the police officers? What reaction does this cause? 40. What does the Maniac re-costume himself as before the reporter arrives? What do the others say?

Act 2, Scene 1, Part 2 41. What is the Maniac's costume comprised of in Act 2?

42. What does the journalist ask the Superintendent first in her interview?

43. What evidence does the journalist produce regarding the Anarchist's jump?

44. What does the journalist suggest regarding the Anarchist's alibi?

45. How does the Maniac respond to the journalist's questioning? How do the others?

46. What happens with the Maniac's "glass eye" during Act 2, Scene 1?

47. What does the journalist say about the Anarchist's death being an accident? What is she implying?

48. What does the Maniac argue regarding the alibi witnesses? How does the journalist respond to this argument?

Act 2, Scene 1, Part 3 49. What is Bertozzo's reaction to meeting the "Forensics Expert" from Rome?

50. What do the Superintendent and Sports Jacket do regarding Bertozzo's protestations regarding the Maniac?

51. What does the journalist ask Bertozzo about the bomb when he enters? What is his reply?

52. What does Bertozzo slip out regarding the bomb to the journalist? What do the others do? 53. What does the journalist remark regarding the situation with the bomb which Bertozzo relayed?

54. What does the journalist ask about the police interaction with the bomber? How does the Superintendent reply?

Act 2, Scene 1, Part 4 55. What documentation does the journalist present regarding recent bombings?

56. What does the Maniac say to the journalist about scandal?

57. What "new character" does the Maniac reveal himself to be in Act 2, Scene 1? How do the others react?

58. Who does the Maniac quote regarding scandal? What does this quote say?

59. What does Bertozzo do in the climax of the play in Act 2? How does he regain control of the room?

60. What does the outcome presented by the Maniac mean to those involved? What will be their outcome granted the evidence?