1) The writing in The Peony Pavilion is incredibly dense and filled with imagery, which serves a number of different functions besides just describing how things look and what the characters on stage are seeing. Choose one of the assigned scenes from the play and explain what the dominant images are in it. Why are these images important for readers to be aware of? What does awareness of these images and their significance add to our understanding of the scene?
(Note: Example of a rough thesis statement for a paper on this: "In Scene 15, imagery about birds might be dismissed as just scenery description, but by focusing on their relationship within the scene overall, we instead see how they add to our sense of sadness and impending doom." I made this thesis up, I haven’t attempted to find evidence for it and I don’t know if it’s provable, but do you see how explaining and defending a claim like that would fit into what the prompt is asking for?)
2) In Tang Xianzu’s introduction to The Peony Pavilion, he writes that "To be as Bridal Du [Du Liniang] is truly to have known love." (Birch, ix). In this play, the romance between Du Liniang and Liu Mengmei finally ends happily, but they face many situations along the way that call into question both "truth" and "love." Analyze one or two scenes, in the context of the play overall, that particularly center on the issues of truth/falseness (or reality/illusion) and the nature of love, and explain what you think they mean in relation to Tang’s claim about his protagonist. As ever, be specific.