The Night Circus Essay Questions

The book frequently references Shakespeare plays, like Romeo and Juliet, The Tempest, and As You Like It. Analyze these allusions and the roles they play in the narrative.

The names Prospero and Miranda are shared by characters from The Tempest. Prospero is a great magician, while his daughter, Miranda, is a sweet romantic who ultimately defies her father and falls in love with an outsider. Celia's father, Hector, takes on Prospero's name in order to emulate the character's power and attempts to rename his daughter in order to keep with the Shakespearian theme. Celia, however, refuses the name, although she does keep with Miranda's character arc, defying her own father and falling in love with a man who works for her father's enemy, just like Miranda. Celia's true namesake is a character from As You Like It, another headstrong girl who runs from her cruel father in search of love and a new life. Celia and Marco's love story perfectly parallels Romeo and Juliet: they, too, are lovers from opposite sides of a bitter, hateful rivalry. They're very aware of the death that looms over their relationship, knowing that this story must be a tragedy, just like Romeo and Juliet's, but they are determined to find a happy ending anyway.

Time is fluid within the novel, with perspectives shifting from past to present. Analyze the role of time in this narrative.

The shifting timeframes play a major role in explaining the conflict, allowing people from different generations and places to provide perspective and showing the cyclical nature of this competition. Because of the fluid sense of time, the reader is able to see how the circus affects all sorts of people, as does the competition.

Performers don't age at the circus, giving it a sense of timelessness. This absence of time shows that the circus is somehow outside of reality, rather like a dream, and places importance on the idea that magic is interwoven into the real world.

The twins have the ability to see the past and future, which makes it possible for the circus to continue after Celia is gone. They are the reason the circus can bring its story into the present, reinforcing the idea that it exists outside of time.

Hector and Mr. A. H. are both mentors to their competitors, with varying effects on each. Explain the impact each man has had on his respective competitor.

Hector is Celia's biological father, and though she loves him, he's hardly a loving figure. He is strict, unforgiving, and sometimes cruel to his daughter, ignoring her tears and restricting her freedom. Even after he loses his physical form, Hector haunts his daughter, lecturing her even as an adult. Though she learns well from him, she has a tendency to defy his wishes, especially when it comes to Marco.

Mr. A.H. has an entirely different approach when educating Marco, letting him study alone in an isolated room. Marco later calls Mr. A.H. a father figure, which seems strange given their physical separation. He, too, will later defy his mysterious mentor's wishes by falling in love and changing the course of the competition.

What role does Bailey play in the text?

Bailey is introduced as a perfectly normal boy. His main concerns are his bratty sister and what his fate entails—college, or taking over the family farm? However, a chance encounter with a mysterious young girl at the newly-arrived circus shifts Bailey's understanding of who he is and what his life might be. His willingness to trust his instincts is rewarded, for he becomes the caretaker of the circus after Celia and Marco end their competition. But Bailey's normality is never ignored, for even up to the moment he decides to take over the circus, he is concerned that he is not "special" and Celia confirms that, in terms of being able to do magic, he really is "not special." By doing this, Morgenstern suggests to her readers that everyone can be special if they follow their passions and find their niche: they don't have to be born with any particular gift or privilege.

What is Tsukiko's role in the circus?

At first, it seems like Tsukiko is merely an enigmatic contortionist employed by the circus. However, she knows more and sees more than she lets on, and eventually, the narrator reveals that Tsukiko is A.H.'s past winner. Why Tsukiko stays on with the circus long after her initial curiosity wanes is a sad story, for she is entranced by the powerful love letters Celia and Marco write to each other within the tents. She also understands what the circus means to not merely herself but rather everyone who comes there, and she is not willing to let Marco and Celia's stubbornness mess that up. At times, she seems a bit harsh or frustrating, but this is because Marco and Celia themselves are not as important as the circus. She is not their enemy, and when a solution arises that will give everyone what they want, she is willing to let that proceed.