Test yourself! Take this First Lines From Shakespeare Quiz | Shakespeare

Answer: Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet is one of Shakespeare's earliest works, estimated to have been written between 1591 and 1595, and first published in a quarto in 1597. It tells the tale of two "star-cross'd lovers" whose families, the Montagues and Capulets, are at war with each other.

It has been adapted many times, including 1950's "West Side Story", a musical which transplants the action to New York, and the 1996 film, which starred Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes, and updated the setting of the story, while still retaining Shakespeare's original dialogue.

Answer: A Midsummer Night's Dream

A comedy, this play is believed to have been written between 1594 and 1596. It tells the story of the events surrounding the upcoming nuptials of Theseus, Duke of Athens, and Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons. These include, famously, Bottom's head being transformed into that of a donkey! It has been produced as an opera, a ballet, and a 1935 film adaptation won two Oscars, for cinematography and editing.

Answer: The Rape of Lucrece

While not a play, the narrative poem written in 1594 draws from a story described in Ovid's "Fasti", where the son of the King of Rome, Sextus Tarquinius, rapes Lucretia, wife of one of the King's aristocratic supporters, sparking a full-scale revolt against the Tarquin family, and eventually establishing the Roman republic. Shakespeare later used some of the same ideas when he wrote "Cymbeline", around 1609.

Answer: The Comedy of Errors

This is Shakespeare's shortest play, and also one of only two that follow the classical theatrical structure (the other being "The Tempest"). Estimated to have been written 1592 and 1594, the play borders on farce, with much of the humour, as with "The Tempest", deriving from slapstick and mistaken identity, staples of the Italian "Commedia dell'Arte", which was at its peak during this time.

It has been adapted into a stage musical, and aspects of the story have been used in, amongst other things, an episode of "The X-Files", and the 1988 film "Big Business", starring Bette Middler.

Answer: Othello

Written in approximately 1603, this tragedy bears the full title of "Othello, the Moor of Venice", and is widely believed to be one of Shakespeare's plays that is still relevant today, due to its universal themes of racism, jealousy, and betrayal. Konstantin Stanislavski, the foremost practitioner of dramatic realism in the 20th century based his "manual", "An Actor's Work" on telling the story of a young actor approaching the title role.

It has been performed as an opera, a ballet, and several film versions have been made, most notably Orson Welles's 1952 effort, which won the Palm D'Or at that year's Cannes Film Festival.

Answer: Richard III

One of Shakespeare's greatest plays, and his second-longest after "Hamlet", the Machiavellian tale of King Richard III is believed to have been written in 1591. Rarely performed unabridged due to its length, it is sometimes grouped with the tragedies, despite it being based on true events (which, logically, would lend itself more to being a history).

The title role has been played by many great actors, including Laurence Olivier and Ian McKellen, and in adapted format by Al Pacino. The play includes one of Shakespeare's most famous lines, when Richard declares "A horse! a horse! my kingdom for a horse!".

Answer: Love's Labours Lost

Written around the same time as "Romeo and Juliet" and "A Midsummer Night's Dream", "Love's Labours Lost" is often thought of as one of Shakespeare's wittiest plays. It is full of puns, witticisms, and pastiches on poetic styles of the time. It was originally published in the 1598 quarto under the title "Loues Labors Lost", and does not appear with the modern spelling and punctuation until the third folio. Kenneth Branagh attempted to turn the play into a musical film in 2000, moving the setting to the 1930s, however the film was a critical and box office flop.

Answer: Pericles, Prince of Tyre

Despite doubts over the authorship of the play, it is commonly included in modern editions of Shakespeare's works, as the latter half of the play is generally accepted to have been penned by The Bard- the first two acts were probably written by an inferior collaborator, possibly George Wilkins, who earlier wrote a novel on the story of Pericles.

Initially not one of Shakespeare's more popular plays, it has risen in popularity since Tony Richardson's critically acclaimed 1958 staging of the play at the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon.

Answer: Julius Caesar

Written in approximately 1599, this is one of the only plays written by Shakespeare in which the title role is not the focus of the play- instead the play centres on the struggles of Marcus Brutus and the themes of friendship, betrayal, and patriotism.

It first appeared in the 1623 Folio of his work, but as it is similar textually to "Hamlet" and "As You Like It", it has been suggested that it was written much earlier. It is the only play in which the three Booth brothers (Three American actors, of which John Wilkes is notorious for assassinating Abraham Lincoln) appeared together, at the Winter Garden Theatre in New York, raising money for a statue of Shakespeare to be erected in Central Park, which still stands to this day.

Answer: Macbeth

The shortest of Shakespeare's tragedies, written sometime after 1603, tells the story of the conspiracy and murder of Duncan, King of Scotland by Macbeth and his wife, and the aftermath surrounding the events. The play is believedby threatre-folk to be cursed, and the name of it is never mentioned in the backstage area of a theatre, being referred to instead as "The Scottish Play".

It is oft performed and adapted, with many famous actors and actresses having played the roles of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, including Laurence Olivier and Helen Mirren (though not in the same production!).

It is also the source material for my favourite play, entitle "Macbett" by Euguene Ionesco, which turns the play into a satire featuring the beheading of teddy bears, catching butterflies, and selling lemonade.

Answer: The Merry Wives of Windsor

Perhaps most famously known as an opera, "The Merry Wives of Windsor" was first published in 1602, and is believed to have been first performed before 1597. It features one of Shakespeare's great comedy characters, the fat knight Sir John Falstaff, who "jumps" plays, having previously appeared in the two parts of "Henry IV".

It is the only play of Shakespeare's to deal exclusively with the middle-class of the Elizabethan era, and it has been suggested that the play was written on specific request from Elizabeth I, who demanded that a play be written solely around the character of Falstaff. Four operas have been written based on the play, by Antonio Salieri, Carl Otto Nicolai, Giuseppe Verdi, and most recently, Ralph Vaughan Williams.

Answer: Henry VIII

"Henry VIII" is probably best known as the play that literally brought the house down, after a cannon used for special effects ignited the thatched roof of the Globe Theatre in 1613, burning it to the ground. Originally titled "All is True" (a somewhat misleading title given that events in the play are jumbled up, other facts avoided, and some changed almost beyond recognition), it was almost certainly a collaboration between Shakespeare and John Fletcher, the man who replaced him as principal playwright of the King's Men.

The play ends at Elizabeth's birth and christening.

Answer: Hamlet

"Hamlet" is one of Shakespeare's greatest plays, and the character of Hamlet himself is the largest single role in any of his works. It is the longest play in the collection, and also one of the most challenging for any actor, as it deals with such themes as madness, revenge, and corruption.

The year it was written is still disputed to this day, as different versions of the play appear in both the First and Second Quarto, as well as the First Folio, though it is generally accepted to have been penned sometime between 1599 and 1601.

It has been adapted many times, and as the setting is not defined by the text, productions have ranged from medieval to 19th Century England, and from modern Manhattan, to lions in Africa (Disney's "The Lion King" is loosely based on the play).

Answer: All's Well That Ends Well

First published in the First Folio in 1623, and believed to have been written between 1601 and 1608, critics and historians have argued about whether this play is a comedy or a tragedy. Based on Boccaccio's "The Decameron", the play is titled after the proverb, meaning that problems don't matter, as long as the outcome is good.

The play has been used mainly in modern times as a vehicle for mature actresses, such as Judi Dench and Peggy Ashcroft, the latter of whom won critical acclaim for her performance as the Countess in 1982.

Answer: Cymbeline

Produced as early as 1611, "Cymbeline" is a fictional tale based on the real-life British monarch Cunobelinus. Similar in theme to "Othello" and "Measure for Measure", it tells the tale of the King's daughter, Imogen, who has married Posthumus, a man of low birth but exceeding personal merit, and a bet that Imogen can be tempted to commit adultery, thus cuckolding Posthumus after he has been excommunicated.

It is not often performed, and a lack of adaptations for the screen (though a TV version of the play was made in 1983, starring Helen Mirren) has seen the play remain one of Shakespeare's more obscure works.

Answer: Titus Andronicus

Perhaps Shakespeare's earliest tragedy, and by far his bloodiest play, "Titus Andronicus" tells the story of a Roman General who is engaged in a cycle of revenge with Tamora, Queen of the Goths. It was first noted in the diary of Philip Henslowe in January of 1594 as a new play, which seems to suggest that it was completed sometime in late 1593.

The extreme amounts of violence saw it fall out of favour in the Victorian era, and has also lent itself to the thoughts that Shakespeare may not have written the play, or meant it as a parody of the violent plays being written by his contemporaries, most notably Christopher Marlowe.

The theatre critic S. Clark Hulse went as far as to count the atrocities, and calculated that there are an average of 5.2 per act, or one for every 97 lines spoken.

Answer: Antony and Cleopatra

Another play influenced heavily by the Romans, "Antony and Cleopatra" was written between 1601 and 1607, and first appeared in the First Folio of 1623. As is common with Shakespeare, it changes location frequently, though the shifts in locale are more dramatic in this play, alternating between Alexandria and Rome.

It tells the story of the romance between the two titular characters, starting with the Parthian War and ending, fittingly, with Cleopatra's suicide. An operatic version was made in by Samuel Barber in 1966, and has been adapted several times for TV and film, starring Charlton Heston and Hildegarde Neil (1972), Janet Suzman, Richard Johnson, and Sir Patrick Stewart (1974), and Timothy Dalton and Lynn Redgrave (1983).

Answer: The Taming of the Shrew

One of Shakespeare's early comedies, "The Taming of the Shrew" is one of his more controversial works, due to the heavy misogynistic content. Nonetheless, it remains ever popular with modern audiences, possibly due to its incarnations as the Cole Porter musical "Kiss Me Kate", and the film "10 Things I Hate About You".

It was probably written between 1590 and 1594, and features the character of Petruchio, trying to "tame" his bride-to-be, Katherina, who up until this point has been headstrong and obdurate.

Many famous actors have performed in this play, including Peter O'Toole, Timothy Dalton, Morgan Freeman, and Jonathan Pryce.

Answer: The Winter's Tale

Another of Shakespeare's "problem plays" because it is difficult to classify as a comedy or a romance. First published n 1623, it was not particularly popular during Shakespeare's lifetime, however enjoyed a successful revival, under the title "Florizel and Perdita", made popular by the legendary 18th century actor David Garrick.

The play contains one of Shakespeare's most famous stage directions: "Exit, pursued by a bear", which precedes the death of Antigonus. It is possible that during the original production that a real bear was used, however it is equally possible that it was an actor in a bear costume.

It has been adapted into a film twice, once for a silent film in 1910, and again in 1967, and the BBC created an "orthodox" version in 1981. An obscure musical version was also created by Howard Goodall, of "The Hired Man" fame, with lyrics by Tim Rice.

Answer: King Lear

The quarto of 1608 lists the title of this play as "The True Chronicle of the History of the Life and Death of King Lear and his Three Daughters", one of the longest titles that Shakespeare ever wrote, so it is little wonder that it is shortened to "King Lear"! It was written between 1603 and 1606, and is regarded as one of Shakespeare's greatest works, and one of the most challenging roles for a mature actor.

As such, many of the world's most accomplished thespians have taken on the challenge of playing Lear, including Laurence Olivier, Patrick Stewart, Brian Blessed, and Ian McKellen.

It has been praised most notably due to how it deals with the universal themes of suffering and kinship.

Answer: Troilus and Cressida

This is one of Shakespeare's most confusing works. Set against the backdrop of the Trojan War, "Troilus and Cressida" is not a conventional tragedy, as the protagonist does not die, and the characters and dialogue shifts, almost erratically, between gloomy tragedy and bawdy comedy, and audiences have frequently been confused as to how to react to the characters, and the constant questioning of hierarchy and honour has been viewed as being distinctly modern.

It has never been particularly popular for the reasons already described, and was rewritten several times in the 18th and 19th centuries, before it was performed in its original format again in the early 20th century.

Answer: Henry V

This play tells the story of Henry V around the time of the Battle of Agincourt, during the Hundred Years War. It is believed to have been written in 1599, and is the final instalment of a series of plays (the others being "Richard II", "Henry IV Part I" and "Henry IV Part II"), and the title character appears in the two "Henry IV" plays as a young and wild lad called Prince Hal, however in this play he has matured, and is attempting to conquer France.

In the prelude to the play, the chorus, usually played by a single man, explains that the audience must use their imaginations to make up for the lack of scenery that there would have been in the original production.

As with most Shakespeare plays, the part of Henry has been played by many established actors, including Ivor Novello, Laurence Olivier, and Kenneth Branagh.

Answer: Much Ado About Nothing

This comedy tells the story of two pairs of lovers- Claudio and Hero and Benedick and Beatrice- and the first recorded performance of this play was in 1612, however it is believed to have been written in around 1598. Claudio and Hero fall in love instantly, however Benedick and Beatrice both profess their scorn for love, and each other, and need some help from the other characters, through eavesdropping and trickery, to eventually fall in love at the end of the play.

A very popular play during Shakespeare's lifetime, so popular in fact that after the restoration the characters of Benedick and Beatrice were inserted into an adaptation of "Measure for Measure", it has been somewhat overlooked in modern times, however it was a favourite of John Gielgud, who made Benedick one of his signature roles between 1931 and 1959.

Answer: Venus and Adonis

Based on Ovid's "Metamorphoses", this extended poem was written between 1592-3, and is one of Shakespeare's more complex works- it constantly shifts tone and perspective to reflect the changing nature of love. It has been suggested that Shakespeare took inspiration for the poem from Titian's painting, which shows Adonis refusing to accept Venus's embraces, which also occurs in the poem, however Shakespeare had already shown a liking for strong heroines, as in "Two Gentlemen of Verona".

Answer: Two Gentlemen of Verona

This is considered by some scholars to have been Shakespeare's first play, having been possibly written as early as 1590, and it lays out some of the ideas that he would use in his later plays- for example this is the first play that a woman disguises herself as a man.

The play also features a dog, which has been noted as the "most-stealing non-speaking cameo in the canon". More popular in Europe than in the English-speaking world in the 20th century, and as such has only been produced sporadically, and the only cinematic version of the play is a 1931 Chinese silent film, who's translated name is "A Spray of Plum Blossoms".