Borrowing from the Bard Trivia Quiz

Answer: Agatha Christie

"There is a Tide" (1948) was the original English title of Agatha Christie's novel. American publishers changed the title to "Taken at the Flood". Both titles come from Brutus's speech in Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar" (Act IV, Scene III): "There is a tide in the affairs of men / which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune".

This novel was written just after the end of World War II, and is set in 1946, so in addition to being a murder mystery, it is also an interesting portrayal of what life was like in England in the aftermath of the war.

Answer: Thomas Hardy

"Under the Greenwood Tree" (1872) is the first book in Thomas Hardy's series known as the Wessex novels. The title is taken from a song in Shakespeare's "As You Like It" (Act II, Scene V): "Under the greenwood tree / Who loves to lie with me / And turn his merry note / Unto the sweet bird's throat".

Answer: Frederick Forsyth

"The Dogs of War" (1974) is a war novel by Frederick Forsyth. The title comes from Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar" (Act III, Scene I): "Cry, 'Havoc!', and let slip the dogs of war". This line is spoken by Marc Anthony. At that time "Havoc" was a military command indicating that the soldiers were permitted to plunder and pillage.

Answer: Ray Bradbury

"Something Wicked This Way Comes" (1962) by Ray Bradbury is a fantasy/horror novel. The title was taken from Shakespeare's "Macbeth" (Act IV, Scene I): "By the pricking of my thumbs / Something wicked this way comes". This line is uttered by one of the witches immediately before Macbeth enters their cavern. Agatha Christie also borrowed the title of her novel "By the Pricking of My Thumbs" from the same quote.

Answer: William Faulkner

"The Sound and the Fury" (1929) is the saga of the decline of an aristocratic family, the Compsons. The title comes from Shakespeare's "Macbeth" (Act V, Scene V). It is taken from Macbeth's famous soliloquy: "Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player / That struts and frets his hour upon the stage / And then is heard no more: it is a tale / Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, / Signifying nothing".

Answer: Noel Coward

"Pomp and Circumstance" (1960) is the title of Noel Coward's only novel. It is a comedy about life on a tropical island as the inhabitants prepare for the royal visit of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip. The title comes from Shakespeare's "Othello" (Act III, Scene III) and is spoken by Othello: "Farewell the neighing steed, and the shrill trump / The spirit-stirring drum, the ear-piercing fife / The royal banner, and all quality / Pride, pomp and circumstance of glorious war!"

Answer: John Steinbeck

"The Winter of Our Discontent" (1961) was John Steinbeck's last novel. The title comes from the first line of Shakespeare's "Richard III" (Act I, Scene I): "Now is the winter of our discontent / Made glorious summer by this sun of York" and is spoken by Richard, Duke of Gloucester (later to become King Richard III).

The theme of Steinbeck's novel was the moral decline of America. Another well-known historical use of this phrase refers to the winter of 1978-79 in the United Kingdom, during which there were a number of strikes by various trade unions.

Answer: Isaac Asimov

"What's in a Name?" (1956) is a mystery short story by Isaac Asimov. It was originally published in a magazine, and was subsequently included in his anthology, "Asimov's Mysteries" (1968). The title is from Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" (Act II, Scene II) and is spoken by Juliet in reference to Romeo: "What's in a name? that which we call a rose / By any other name would smell as sweet".

Answer: H.E. Bates

"The Darling Buds of May" (1958) by Herbert Ernest Bates was the first in a series of five books about the Larkin family. The title is from the third line of Shakespeare's Sonnet 18: "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? / Thou art more lovely and more temperate: / Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, / And summer's lease hath all too short a date".

Answer: Aldous Huxley

"Brave New World" (1932) is a futuristic or dystopian novel - Huxley referred to his "brave new world" as a "negative utopia". It was originally conceived as a parody of the works of H.G. Wells but it evolved into a rather disturbing vision of the future.

The title is from Miranda's speech in Shakespeare's "The Tempest" (Act V, Scene I): "O wonder! / How many goodly creatures are there here! / How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world / That has such people in't".