Shakespeare For Dummies Trivia Quiz

Answer: Stratford-upon-Avon

Stratford-upon-Avon, in Warwickshire, was the scene of Shakespeare's birth, and his death in 1616. He spent much of his working life in London, however. The town is now home to the Royal Shakespeare Company and Royal Shakespeare Theatre.

Answer: Charles I

Charles the First did not ascend the throne of England until 1625, nine years after the Bard's death, therefore he would not have written a play about him! King John, nicknamed "Lackland", sealed the Magna Carta in 1215, limiting the power of the monarchy. Henry VIII is famous for his six wives, two of whom he had beheaded. Richard III was the last English king to die in battle, at Bosworth Field in 1485.

King John, Henry VIII and Richard III are all titles of plays written by Shakespeare.

Answer: Verona

"The Two Gentlemen of Verona" is a comedy, penned by Shakespeare around 1590. Many historians believe it to be the very first play written by the Bard. The two people referred to in the title are Valentine and Proteus. Silvia and Julia are the respective lovers of the two men.

Answer: Anne Hathaway

Hathaway was eight years older than Shakespeare. They remained married for the rest of his life, and in his will he bequested Anne his second-best bed!

Mary Arden was Shakespeare's mother. Jane Seymour was one of the six wives of Henry VIII. Nell Gwynn was a mistress of King Charles II.

Answer: Macbeth

Macbeth was an 11th century King of Scotland. Shakespeare is purported to have used the spells of real witches in the text, thus the superstition surrounding it - performers refuse to mention it by name in case it brings them bad luck!
In the play itself, Macbeth murders King Duncan at the instigation of his wife, Lady Macbeth. Macbeth himself is beheaded by Macduff, Thane of Fife.

Answer: Romeo and Juliet

Set in the Italian city of Verona, "Romeo and Juliet" is a tragedy that tells of the love affair between Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet. The families of the two lovers have been enemies for years. The play ends with Romeo committing suicide because he falsely believed that Juliet had drunk poison. Juliet herself then stabs herself to death!

Answer: Sonnets

The sonnets are dedicated to a Mr W.H., whose identity remains a mystery to this day. 126 of the sonnets are addressed to a "Fair Youth", whilst others are addressed to a "Dark Lady" and a "Rival Poet". Whilst two of his sonnets were published in 1599, the other 152 were all published a decade later in 1609.

Answer: Othello

"Othello" is a tragedy, written around 1603. It tells the story of the title character, who is a General in the army of Venice. Othello, accompanied by his wife, Desdemona, and his treacherous ensign, Iago, sets off to Cyprus to battle the Turks. Iago manages to convince Othello that Desdemona is an adulteress, which leads to the title character smothering her after waking her from her sleep.

After establishing the truth of the matter, Othello commits suicide, while Iago is led away to face probable execution.

Answer: A Midsummer Night's Dream

"A Midsummer Night's Dream" is a comedy which revolves around the wedding of Duke Theseus of Athens to Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons. There are three interlocking plots taking place throughout the play, which is set in woods outside of Athens. Oberon and Titania are the respective King and Queen of the fairies. Peaseblossom and Mustardseed are fairy servants of Titania.

The play ends with Oberon's servant, Puck, telling the audience that the whole play was in fact just a dream.

Answer: Charles Dickens

Dickens wasn't born until until 1812, nearly 200 years after the death of Shakespeare.

Marlowe was a contemporary of Shakespeare who was accused of being a spy. He was stabbed to death in 1593, but some scholars believe he faked his own death and continued to write under the "Shakespeare" moniker to hide his true identity.

Those scholars who proposed Bacon as the true author pointed to certain "codes" and "ciphers" inserted into his plays which only Bacon could have done.

Edward de Vere, Earl of Oxford, was another writer purported to have included ciphers and crytpograms in the plays accredited to Shakespeare.