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Christopher Marlowe Trivia

Christopher Marlowe Trivia Quizzes

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The Elizabethan playwright Christopher Marlowe, who may or may not have been a spy, died in mysterious circumstances at the age of 29. Before that, he was considered the greatest tragedian of his day. He is probably best known now for his 'Doctor Faustus', the first dramatisation of the German legend.
4 Christopher Marlowe quizzes and 55 Christopher Marlowe trivia questions.
1.
  "Edward II" - Marlowe's Classic History Play   great trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 25 Qns
Sex, violence, horror, power, tragedy - these are all at the core of Christopher Marlowe's most "finished" play. These questions are on the action and the characters of the drama.
Tough, 25 Qns, Philian, Feb 15 04
Tough
Philian
595 plays
2.
  The Life and Works of Christopher Marlowe    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
10 multiple-choice questions on England's first great playwright.
Average, 10 Qns, Pantscat, Apr 13 07
Average
Pantscat
951 plays
3.
  Christopher Marlowe's "Dr Faustus"    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Give yourself a break from Shakespeare and have a try at one of his contemporaries' most famous plays.
Average, 10 Qns, Plumbus, Feb 14 07
Average
Plumbus gold member
876 plays
4.
  Dr. Faustus    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
I hope you enjoy this quiz on a play that I find extremely fascinating! Please note that there are two main versions of this play: a concise A text and a more detailed B text. Some of the events referred to in this quiz may not be in the A text.
Average, 10 Qns, Lucay, Feb 25 06
Average
Lucay
1266 plays
trivia question Quick Question
From whom does the King's niece receive a love letter?

From Quiz ""Edward II" - Marlowe's Classic History Play"




Related Topics
  Literature Before 1900 [Literature] (50 quizzes)

  Plays [Literature] (60 quizzes)


Christopher Marlowe Trivia Questions
1. One of Marlowe's earliest published works was his translation of the epic poem 'Pharsalia', written by which Roman poet?

From Quiz The Life and Works of Christopher Marlowe

Answer: Lucan

Like many other writers of his day, Marlowe's early works consisted largely of translations of the classics; perhaps his most famous early work was his magnificent translation of Ovid's 'Elegies'.

2. Fausus sells his soul in exchange for a period of service from the devil. What is this period of time?

From Quiz Dr. Faustus

Answer: Twenty four years

"So he will spare him four and twenty years" (Act I, scene 3, line 88). Faustus is likely already in his mid to late twenties and lives a full twenty four years from the time he sells his soul. This is actually a reasonable age for a man to die in the Medieval period, which is when this play was written. Faustus is not punished by a premature death, he is punished by an eternity in hell.

3. In what country is 'Dr Faustus' based?

From Quiz Christopher Marlowe's "Dr Faustus"

Answer: Germany

'Dr Faustus' was based on a semi-factual story emanating from Germany in the mid-16th Century.

4. From whom has Gaveston received a letter that he reads aloud at the beginning of the play?

From Quiz "Edward II" - Marlowe's Classic History Play

Answer: Edward II

The letter is from the newly-crowned king who invites his old "favourite" Gaveston to "share the kingdom" with him. We soon learn that Gaveston had been banished from the country by Edward I for being a bad influence on his son. The word "share" is not used lightly by Edward II as he soon demonstrates.

5. Marlowe's poem 'The Passionate Shepherd to His Love' begins with the line "Come live with me and be my love"; which other English author wrote a famous poem beginning with this line?

From Quiz The Life and Works of Christopher Marlowe

Answer: John Donne

Donne wrote his poem, 'The Bait', as a tip of the hat to Marlowe.

6. Faustus signs this contract with the devil in blood. What problem does he encounter?

From Quiz Dr. Faustus

Answer: His blood congeals

"My blood congeals and I can write no more" (Act II, scene 1, line 63). Mephostophilis fetches him a chafer of fire to loosen the blood and Faustus continues on to finish the contract.

7. When, is it estimated, was 'Dr Faustus' first performed?

From Quiz Christopher Marlowe's "Dr Faustus"

Answer: 1594

The earliest evidence of a performance dates it approximately a year after Marlowe's death in 1593.

8. Which sorts of men does Gaveston plan to use to make the "pliant" king do anything that he (Gaveston) wants?

From Quiz "Edward II" - Marlowe's Classic History Play

Answer: poets and musicians

From his first long speech we learn that Gaveston has a deep understanding of what pleases the king and he intends to arrange these things to maintain and develop his influence with Edward. Included on the list of what Edward will like are nearly naked boys carrying olive branches to hide their private parts.

9. In Marlowe's play, what was the name of the Jew of Malta?

From Quiz The Life and Works of Christopher Marlowe

Answer: Barabas

Shylock was Jewish money-lender in Shakespeare's 'The Merchant of Venice' and, like Shakespeare, Marlowe is sometimes accused of anti-Semitism.

10. At what famous university is Faustus a scholar?

From Quiz Christopher Marlowe's "Dr Faustus"

Answer: Wittenburg

Coincidentally, Wittenburg is the same university that features in Shakespeare's 'Hamlet'.

11. What relation are the Younger Mortimer and the Elder Mortimer to each other?

From Quiz "Edward II" - Marlowe's Classic History Play

Answer: nephew and uncle

The Younger Mortimer proves to be the most formidable of the nobles at Edward's court. This does not mirror history for at the beginning of Edward's reign the real Younger Mortimer was of no importance. Marlowe deliberately made him important early on so that his later actions should spring from a well-established background.

12. How many years of happiness was Dr Faustus promised by the Devil?

From Quiz The Life and Works of Christopher Marlowe

Answer: 24

Dr Faustus sold his soul to the Devil in return for those 24 happy years.

13. Faustus' servant shares his name with a famous German composer. Who?

From Quiz Christopher Marlowe's "Dr Faustus"

Answer: Wagner

Wagner plays an important role in the play, providing a commentary and occasionally light relief.

14. What pet-name for the King does Gaveston use in his aside to the audience?

From Quiz "Edward II" - Marlowe's Classic History Play

Answer: Ned

"Well done, Ned" is what Gaveston says when he secretly applauds Edward for the way in which he argues with the nobles. In an age when ritual, ceremony and respect were a part of the "awe" that surrounded a monarch that one word "Ned" would reveal to the audience the extent of the two men's intimacy.

15. What reason does Mephostophilis give for not answering the question about the nature of the world?

From Quiz Dr. Faustus

Answer: It is against their kingdom

Faustus: "Villain, have not I bound thee to tell me anything?" Mephostophilis: "Ay, that is not against our kingdom. This is." (Act II, scene 2, lines 73-74)

16. Faustus asks two magicians to aid him in summoning the devil. What are their names?

From Quiz Christopher Marlowe's "Dr Faustus"

Answer: Valdes and Cornelius

Again, a connection with 'Hamlet': the similarly named Valtemand and Cornelius appear as ambassadors in Shakespeare's play.

17. Who is the only noble to speak out on the King's side in this first confrontation at the beginning of the play?

From Quiz "Edward II" - Marlowe's Classic History Play

Answer: Edmund of Kent, Edward's half-brother

Kent is a very important character in this play. Again historically he (and the Prince of Wales) would be too young to take part in such a scene. Marlowe invests him with age and authority so that the audience can watch his several changes of allegiance during the course of the play. For the audience he often represents "the good of the country".

18. One of Marlowe's most famous poems was an account of which lovers?

From Quiz The Life and Works of Christopher Marlowe

Answer: Hero and Leander

Hero and Leander were doomed lovers of Greek myth.

19. Through his magic, Faustus is visited first by which of the devil's angels?

From Quiz Christopher Marlowe's "Dr Faustus"

Answer: Mephastophilis & Mephistopheles & Mephostphilis & Mephistophelis & Mephastofilis & Mephistopholis

Mephastophilis becomes Faustus' servant and guide.

20. Lancaster leaves the court in defiance telling Edward he must either change his mind or expect to see something floating in blood. What is it that will "float in blood"?

From Quiz "Edward II" - Marlowe's Classic History Play

Answer: the throne

In reality Thomas of Lancaster was the greatest of Edward's opponents. He was the greatest landowner in the country and had a strong power base in the north. Marlowe makes full use of these historical facts but sometimes falsely transfers the leadership of the nobles to the Younger Mortimer.

21. Marlowe's play 'Tamburlaine the Great' was based loosely on the life of which Asian ruler?

From Quiz The Life and Works of Christopher Marlowe

Answer: Timur

Timur was a late 14th and early 15th Century ruler and founder of the Timurid Empire.

22. What does Faustus do to Carter, the Horse-Courser, Dick, Robin and the Hostess?

From Quiz Dr. Faustus

Answer: Strikes them dumb

This can be found in Act IV, scene 7. As each of them begin to harp on Faustus, he charms them such that they cannot speak. Faustus only conjures horns on the head of Benvolio.

23. What does Faustus promise to the devil in exchange for great knowledge, riches and power for a period of 24 years?

From Quiz Christopher Marlowe's "Dr Faustus"

Answer: his soul

The original faustian pact...

24. Which clergyman do Gaveston and the King throw into the gutter?

From Quiz "Edward II" - Marlowe's Classic History Play

Answer: Bishop of Coventry

This produces a tremendous piece of onstage violence. Not only do they knock him to the ground they also go through a mock christening with gutter water. To attack a priest in this way would be regarded as not just violent but also sacrilegious. The Bishop of Coventry was one of the men who had urged that Gaveston should be banished.

25. What was the title of the play by Marlowe that portrayed the events surrounding the Saint Bartholomew's Day Massacre in 1572?

From Quiz The Life and Works of Christopher Marlowe

Answer: The Massacre at Paris

"The Massacre at Paris" portrays the events of The St. Bartholomew's Day massacre, a wave of Catholic mob violence against the Huguenots instigated by Catherine de' Medici.

26. At the very end of the play, who is last to beg Faustus to repent?

From Quiz Dr. Faustus

Answer: The Old Man

The Old Man says his speech in Act V, scene 1. Faustus considers repenting but Mephostophilis conjures the image of Helen of Troy for Faustus. He essentially seals his soul to the devil by kissing Helen.

27. Amongst the titles that Edward II showers on Gaveston are Lord High Chamberlain, Chief Secretary to the State, King and Lord of Man. Which important earldom does he also give to Gaveston?

From Quiz "Edward II" - Marlowe's Classic History Play

Answer: Cornwall

A lot of a medieval king's power lay in the patronage that he controlled. Lands and titles were his to bestow in order to build up support. In his eagerness to give presents to his friend Edward ignores common sense and erodes his own power base. Kent points out that Gaveston doesn't really deserve such honours.

28. In the title of Marlowe's play, of where was Dido the Queen?

From Quiz The Life and Works of Christopher Marlowe

Answer: Carthage

The full title of the play is 'Dido, Queen of Carthage'. According to Greek myth Dido was the founder and first Queen of Carthage.

29. Which powerful figure does Faustus ridicule with his new-found powers?

From Quiz Christopher Marlowe's "Dr Faustus"

Answer: The Pope

Marlowe's lampooning of the papal court leaves the sixteenth century Protestant English audience with no comfortable allegiances. Parodies of the Pope were a common feature of English street theatre at the time but, equally, Faustus' challenge to this symbol of God's power on earth was clearly the work of the devil.

30. With which of the nobles does the Queen seem to find the most sympathy?

From Quiz "Edward II" - Marlowe's Classic History Play

Answer: Mortimer

From the very beginning of her complaints against Gaveston it is to the Younger Mortimer that Queen Isabella first turns. Marlowe obviously wanted to develop the idea of their illicit relationship beginning gradually very early on in Edward's reign.

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