Brush Up Your Shakespeare Trivia Quiz

Answer: Hamlet

The title of Stoppard's play is a direct quote from "Hamlet," Act V, Scene II. Hamlet has discovered the plot, arranged to have the spies killed, and escaped back to Denmark. In Stoppard's play, the two characters are spending time in the wings, waiting for their time onstage.

The play was first performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 1966. It had long runs in both London and on Broadway, and was a critical success. A film version, released in 1990, was directed by Stoppard and featured Gary Oldman, Tim Roth, Richard Dreyfuss, and Ian Richardson.

Answer: The Boys from Syracuse

The confusion is heightened because the twins were separated at birth, do not know about each other, and have the same name. Antipholus of Ephesus has a servant named Driomiio of Ephasus. His brother Antipholus of Syracuse has a servant named Dromio of Syracuse.

The musical premiered on Broadway in 1938 and was made into a film in 1940. One of the songs from the show, "This Can't Be Love," was a hit for Benny Goodman and recorded by stars such as Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Natalie Cole, and Diana Krall

Answer: The Tempest

The line is said by Miranda when she encounters some sailors who have been shipwrecked. Because Miranda grew up isolated on an island, these are the first humans she has seen, except for her elderly father. The quotation is ironic, because the men are stumbling around drunk and generally acting in ways that are not "beauteous." Thus, it is a good choice as the title for a dystopian novel.

Answer: The Killer Shrews

"The Killer Shrews" is a 1959 horror movie. All of the others are a riff on the story of a strong-willed female and the womanizer paid to court her. "10 Things I Hate About You" moves the tale to high school, where bad-boy Patrick Verona (Heath Ledger) is paid by new student Cameron James (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) to date feminist "Kat" Stratford (Julia Stiles), so he has a shot with Kat's younger sister.

In "Deliver Us from Eva," they pay a playboy (LL Cool J) to seduce her, so they can get a break from her meddling.

In Cole Porter's musical "Kiss Me Kate," egotistical director and star Fred Graham is directing his ex-wife, Lilli Vanessi, in a musical production of "The Taming of the Shrew." That musical contains many delightful songs, including "Brush Up Your Shakespeare".

Answer: King Lear

In Shakespeare's original, the two eldest daughters betray their father and commit both adultery and murder. Realizing he has misjudged his children, Lear goes insane...recovering just long enough to reconcile with his youngest daughter before she dies. "A Thousand Acres" also reveals dark truths about the family, including a history of incest and abuse.

The names of the characters are similar across the two: Lear is Larry, Goneril is Ginny, Regan is Rose, and Cordelia is Caroline.

Answer: Tony and Maria

The musical replaces the feuding Montague and Capulet families with rival gangs the Sharks and the Jets. In the film version, the lovers are played by Richard Beymer and Natalie Wood. Maria's brother, Bernardo, is played by George Chakiris. His girlfriend, Anita, is played by Rita Moreno.

Answer: She's the Man

In Shakespeare's original, Viola hides her sex to avoid being taken advantage of in a strange country after she is shipwrecked. She takes her brother's name because she believes he is drowned. In "She's the Man", Viola impersonates her brother in order to play soccer on the school's team. Duke is Sebastian's roommate and the team's star. Olivia is her lab partner.

The main characters are played by Amanda Bynes and Channing Tatum.

Answer: The Tempest

In "The Tempest", Prospero uses magic to control his world. "Forbidden Planet" uses a wish-fulfilling machine instead. Both works deal with a father and daughter living in isolation, a romantic sub-plot between the daughter and one of the crew, and the potential uses and abuses of great power.

Answer: Ran

According to Wikipedia, "Ran" means confused or uprising. This makes the word an appropriate title for a modern retelling of the Lear story: where a father's abdication leads to cruelty and madness. In the film version, the patriarch divides his land between his three sons, rather than three daughters. Released in 1985 with a budget of $12 million, "Ran" was the last epic film made by Kurosawa.

Answer: No Country for Old Men

The title of "No Country for Old Men" is taken from the William Butler Yeats poem, "Sailing to Byzantium". The other titles come from Hamlet's famous "To Be or Not to Be" monologue ("To sleep-- perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub, for in that sleep of death what dreams may come..."), "Julius Caesar" Act I Scene II ("Beware the Ides of March"), and "Macbeth" Act IV Scene I ("By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes").