Lost in Haiku Trivia Quiz

Answer: Sonnet 18

The first line of William Shakespeare's "Sonnet 18" reads "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" It is possibly the best known of the 154 sonnets published in a quarto in 1609. It is one of the 126 addressed to a young man. It explorers enduring beauty and suggests that the poem's existence gives him immortality. There has been much speculation as to who the Fair Youth was. The dedication to Mr. W.H. supports the person being the young actor William Hughes who played female roles in Shakespearean plays, as was the norm in those days.

Answer: Macbeth

It is in Act V, Scene 1 of Shakespeare's play "Macbeth" that Lady Macbeth puts on her sleepwalking appearance and airs her dirty laundry. Here her strong will has given way to brooding guilt over past crimes and this emerges during this scene. The "damned spot" is the blood of King Duncan, who was killed by her husband Macbeth with her encouragement.

Answer: Richard III

The quote comes from the opening line of Shakespeare's play "Richard III". Far from complaining about Brussels sprouts, young Richard reflects on a 'glorious summer' brought about by his brother King Edward IV. Richard however does not welcome the coming of peace. Not made for courtly life, he plans to scheme.

Answer: Hamlet

In the play bearing his name, Hamlet is speaking to Ophelia who has just returned his letters and gifts. Already upset with what he sees as his mother's fickleness, he turns his ire on Ophelia. The "nunnery", being a convent, would place her out of society and therefore make her less likely to cause harm. It was also Elizabethan slang for a brothel.

Answer: Julius Caesar

Not so much an ice hockey game as a revenge speech. Marc Antony makes his speech in Act III, Scene 1 of Shakespeare's play "Julius Caesar" when he is alone with Julius Caesar's dead body. He is promising to get revenge on the conspirators and makes his "Cry 'Havoc'! and let slip the dogs of war" comment towards the end.

The image is of a commander ('Caesar's spirit'), having won the battle, releasing his soldiers ('dogs of war') to go plundering.

Answer: As You Like It

Globalisation was not the topic that Shakespeare had in mind. The line "All the world's a stage" is from Act II, Scene 7 of the play "As You Like It". It is the first line in a monologue sometimes called 'The Seven Ages of Man' in which Shakespeare's melancholy character Jaques outlines the life of an Elizabethan man in seven acts (or phases). He uses the theatre as a metaphor with a person playing several roles over the course of the play (or life).

Answer: The Tempest

More fully, the quote is "We are such stuff/ As dreams are made on, and our little life/ Is rounded with a sleep." The 'on' is often changed to an 'of' but basically the meaning is the same. Shakespeare's play "The Tempest" is possibly the last which he wrote alone. The main character, magician Prospero, gives two soliloquies which are sometimes referred to as the writer's retirement speeches. The quote comes from the "Our revels now are ended" speech and is a comment on the ephemeral nature of life.

Answer: King Lear

In Shakespeare's tragedy "King Lear" the king consistently misinterprets situations. Early in the play, with the king intending to divide his kingdom between his three daughters, he asks them each to tell him how much they love him. His two eldest flatter him with untrue words and are rewarded. His youngest, who truly loves him, is misunderstood and ends up being banished. The quote comes when he repeats back to Cordelia her initial answer of "nothing".

Answer: A Midsummer Night's Dream

In Act III, Scene 2 of "A Midsummer Night's Dream", the mischievous fairy Robin Goodfellow (or Puck) is speaking to his king, Oberon, commenting on four lovestruck Athenians (the foolish mortals). His own meddling is at least partly to blame for the chaos that they witness.

Answer: Much Ado About Nothing

The actual quote is "some cupid kills with arrows, some with traps". It comes from Act III, Scene 1 of the double love story "Much Ado About Nothing" and is a staged conversation between Hero and her attendant Ursula intended to be overheard by Beatrice to encourage a romance. In the other romance, Don John acts to prevent it.