Test Your Knowledge - Coriolanus and the Dressmaker

What is the primary cause of tension between Coriolanus and the Roman plebeians?

What role do the tribunes play in the political structure of the play?

What does Tilly’s final act of burning Dungatar represent thematically?

Which best describes Coriolanus’ hamartia (fatal flaw)?

Which of the following best describes Volumnia’s persuasive strategy?

How do both The Dressmaker and Coriolanus explore the theme of vengeance as a response to social rejection?

What does the final burning of Dungatar metaphorically suggest in The Dressmaker?

Why does Tilly return to Dungatar?

Which recurring imagery is used to contrast Coriolanus with the plebians?

What does Volumnia represent in Coriolanus’ life?

What is the tale of the belly in Act I Scene I?

Which of these best represents the tragic irony of Coriolanus?

Why is Coriolanus banished from Rome?

How do the historical and cultural contexts of Coriolanus and The Dressmaker influence their depictions of power?

Which theme is most closely tied with the characterisation of Caius Martius?

What drives Tilly’s transformation throughout the film?

Which best describes the genre of Coriolanus?

How do the maternal figures influence the protagonists in both texts?

Why does Tilly create couture garments for the women of Dungatar?

Why is Aufidius both an enemy and a mirror to Coriolanus?

How does the use of flashback function in the film?

POLL: Who is the villain?

In what way is gendered identity problematised differently in The Dressmaker and Coriolanus?

In which period was Coriolanus set?

What does fashion symbolise in the film?

How is the theme of memory manipulated throughout the film?

Which statement best reflects the parallel between Tilly Dunnage and Caius Martius Coriolanus as outcast figures?

Why do the plebians rebel at the beginning of the play?

What ultimately persuades Coriolanus not to attack Rome?

Why does Sergeant Farrat risk his reputation to support Tilly and Molly?

What does Molly’s eccentricity symbolise within the narrative?

How does the play depict the relationship between the rulers and the people?

What is ironic about Tilly’s role in the town’s transformation?

How does the town’s rejection of Tilly as a child influence her actions as an adult?

What is the significance of the townspeople performing Macbeth while Tilly burns down Dungatar?

How do both texts adhere to and subvert the conventions of tragedy?

Which genre best describes The Dressmaker?

Which words does Coriolanus use to describe the plebians?

How does the setting of Dungatar reflect post-war Australia?