Famous Shakespearean Quotes Trivia Quiz

Answer: Hamlet

This famous Shakespearean quote is taken from "The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark", Act I, Scene III. Written some time between 1599 and 1602, "Hamlet" unfolds the tragedy of the young Prince of Denmark who loses all, including his own life, in his quest to avenge the murder of his father, and the hasty re-marriage of his mother to the murderer.

This quote by Polonius, father of Ophelia and Laertes, is from his fatherly advice to Laertes, who is about to embark on a journey to France. It could be summed up as "Be careful".

Answer: Merchant of Venice

This quote can be found in Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice", Act III, Scene I. Written in the period between 1596-1598, this play tells the woeful but sometimes comical tale of a young nobleman from Venice who has borrowed a large sum of money from a Jewish moneylender.

This wily character demands, if the loan cannot be repaid, the payment of a pound of flesh from the loan's guarantor. That guarantor is Antonio, the merchant in this tale, and a man whom Shylock, the moneylender, detests. He has been a long-time and constant thorn in Shylock's side, both financially and emotionally. Shylock makes the above quote when he is reciting all the wrongs Antonio has done him.

Answer: Julius Caesar

Taken from Act III, Scene I of "The Tragedy of Julius Caesar", this play, based on real life events, was written in 1599 by Shakespeare. It traces the period of Caesar's life from his victory at the Battle of Munda, the lead up to his assassination by a group of his enemies and false friends, and its aftermath.

The above extract is taken from Marc Antony's pledge to the murdered body of Caesar that he will be avenged.

Answer: A Midsummer Night's Dream

Taken from Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream", Act I, Scene I, this play was written some time between 1590 and 1597. It is a comedy that relates the tale of the wedding of the Duke of Athens and the Queen of the Amazons, plus convoluted romances between several other couples, and a group of six actors who are preparing to put on a play to celebrate the royal wedding.

In a parallel plot, Oberon and Titania, the quarrelling king and queen of the fairies, become involved in the human goings on behind the scenes, and hilarious mayhem subsequently breaks out as a result. Lysander, one of the other romantic swains in this play, gives us the above quote during his conversation with his love, Hermia, while asking her why she looks so troubled.

Answer: King Lear

A tragedy if ever there was one, Shakespeare's "King Lear", first performed in 1606, is based on the tale of an ageing king, who, tired of the responsibilities of kingship, decides to split his kingdom up between his three daughters and abdicate the throne.

His ego is such, however, that he bases the best parts of division of that kingdom on the daughter who can flatter him the most. When Cordelia, his youngest and most loved, refuses to be part of this, the tragedy - and a tragedy it is - unfolds from there.

The above quote, taken from Act I, Scene I, is his warning to Cordelia when she refuses to give in to his vanity.

Answer: Macbeth

Act V, Scene I of Shakespeare's "The Tragedy of Macbeth" sees Lady Macbeth slowly going insane for her part in the murder of the King of Scotland whose throne the Macbeths coveted. In this scene, she is trying to wash imaginary stains of blood from her hands. Written between 1599 and 1606, "Macbeth" is the Bard's shortest tragedy.

As with all Shakespeare's tragedies, the play presents a great figure brought undone by one fatal character flaw. Macbeth's was his "vaulting ambition".

Answer: Othello

"The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice" was written by Shakespeare in 1603. The great character flaw which brings the mighty Othello undone is his inability to control the waves of jealousy that the villainous Iago has awoken in him regarding Desdemona, his completely innocent wife.

This play is completely relentless. It never gives us reprieve at all, but builds and builds to its terrible climax - the murder of that sacrificial lamb. The above quote in Act III of this play is spoken by the evil whispering voice of Iago as he relentlessly poisons Othello's mind with his fabrications.

Answer: Taming of the Shrew

Taken from Act III, Scene II of "The Taming of the Shrew" by Shakespeare, an hilarious play which was written between 1590 and 1592. It tells of the courtship of the very feisty, sharp-tongued Katherina by Petruchio, in order for her marriage, as the eldest of two daughters, to free up the younger girl to marry.

It's very, very funny, with Petruchio proving more than a match for his fiery mistress all the way along the line. It is Katherina who speaks the above quote when she is initially doubting Petruchio's intention to go through with the marriage.

Answer: The Tempest

Considered to be his last play, the 1610-11 work "The Tempest" is set on a magical island where Prospero, the rightful Duke of Milan, has been marooned for years, along with his daughter, Miranda. When an opportunity to return to his homeland presents itself, he plans to reclaim his lands and title for Miranda, and see her safely married off into the bargain.

The element of the supernatural echoes throughout this work, much of which is manipulated by the powerful Prospero himself. Alongside is the secondary theme of the struggle between good and evil. Ariel, an imprisoned spirit who was released by Prospero, but who is now in the service of the Duke, speaks the above quote in delight at the conclusion of the play in Act V, Scene I, when he finally achieves his long desired freedom.

Answer: Richard III

Act I, Scene I of Shakespeare's "The Tragedy of King Richard III" sees Richard, the Duke of York, expressing his dissatisfaction at how far from the throne of England he is, and elaborating his plans to take that throne by whatever means possible. Written in 1592, when the Tudors were well and truly ensconced on the English throne, Shakespeare certainly wasn't going to be painting a pleasant picture of Richard, a man who had fought Elizabeth I's grandfather for the throne of that country - and so painted him as black as possible. Quite ridiculously so in fact. Perhaps, in his heart of hearts, Shakespeare was really quite sympathetic towards the much maligned Richard, and disapproved of the very dubious claims of the Tudors to that distant throne.