Ruddigore Trivia Quiz

Answer: Gilbert and Sullivan

The pre-eminent duo of Victorian operettas were prolific in their endeavors. Among their many other compositions are "The Pirates of Penzance", "The Yeomen of the Guard", and, probably their most popular, "The Mikado".

Answer: "The Witch's Curse"

Sir Rupert Murgatroyd, the First Baronet of Ruddigore, was wickedness personified. He spent time and money in persecuting those he believed to be witches. Until the day that he was cursed by an old hag he had burned at the stake...

"The Red-Headed League" happens to be Victorian, but it's a Sherlock Holmes mystery by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

"The Curse of the Undead" is a vampire western, circa 1959, starring Eric Fleming.

"The Merryman and his Maid" actually IS a G&S subtitle, but it belongs to "The Yeomen of the Guard".

Answer: That each Lord of Ruddigore must commit a crime each day.

If he attempts to avoid committing a crime, no matter how insignificant, on that day in agony he will die. At the time the play is set, there have been no less than 21 Baronets, the portraits of which hang in the gallery of Ruddigore Castle.

Answer: Dame Hannah

We find this out when Zorah and her group of professional bridesmaids are lamenting the fact that it has been a good six months since they had been required. She points out to Dame Hannah that she could wed, even at her advanced age. Dame Hannah then chronicles her sad tale, that she had loved someone madly, passionately, who wooed her under an alias. On the day they were to wed, she discovered his true identity as Sir Roderic Murgatroyd, and in her own words, "As a son of that accursed race he was no husband for an honest girl, so, madly as I loved him, I left him then and there." (Act 1, lines 48-50)

Answer: Both of these

At the beginning of the play, Robin is wooing Rose, and she reciprocates his love, believing him to be a Young Farmer, not knowing his true identity. When Sir Ruthven's foster brother - "a Man o' War's man" - Richard Dauntless, comes home from the sea, things begin to fall apart, and Rose turns away from Robin/Ruthven to become betrothed to Richard.

Answer: Sir Despard Murgatroyd

And yet another Murgatroyd? Indeed. She loves Despard, and he loves her. And she knows he lives beneath the curse. What she doesn't know is that Despard is the YOUNGER brother of Ruthven, and what he doesn't realize is that the curse doesn't really have any bearing on him, even though he's been carefully committing some crime each day.

Answer: The gallery of ghosts

Portraits of the previous 21 accursed Baronets hang in a gallery of Ruddigore Castle. If a current living Baronet is remiss in quickly completing a crime, the ghosts step out of their portraits, and proceed to give a taste of the coming agony to him.

Answer: True

Richard felt it would be wrong of him not to pass on the information that Ruthven was masquerading as the Young Farmer Robin Oakapple. Despard realizes that if he calls Ruthven out, and charges him with deceit, he could transfer the curse to him, and thus be "Free to live a blameless life, and to die beloved and regretted by all who knew me!" (Act 1, lines 822-823)

Answer: Suicide

Clever lad, he. If he were to not commit a crime, he would in essence be committing suicide - which is a crime! At that, the curse was broken, Sir Roderic was practically alive, and he and Dame Hannah embraced.

Answer: It was a town, and a calming word when Mad Margaret was going mad.

So, the curse is broken, Robin/Ruthven and Rose are again together, Margaret and Despard are wed, Richard and Zorah (remember her?) are betrothed, and we can assume the professional bridesmaids will be actively employed. Oh, and Despard no longer needed to calm Margaret, so, they "shall toddle off to-morrow, From this scene of sin and sorrow, For to settle in the town of Basingstoke!" (Act II, lines 622-624)