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Shakespeare and More Trivia Quiz

Here are a few questions about appearances of the Bard's works in today's world, as well as some tidbits about some lesser-known plays and sonnets. Enjoy!

A multiple-choice quiz by GypsyQueen. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
GypsyQueen

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
12,646

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Tough

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
1245

Awards
Top 35% Quiz

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Which of these Shakespearean plays was NOT made into a movie between 1990 and 2000? Hint

King John

Othello

Hamlet

A Midsummer Night's Dream

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Question 2 of 10

2. The rock-opera musical 'Hair' may seem an unusual place to find Shakespeare, but near the end of the second act, two cast members recite a passage from the Bard. Which play is it from? Hint

Macbeth

It's not a from a play; it's a sonnet

As You Like it

Hamlet

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Question 3 of 10

3. Which play was 'West Side Story' based on? Hint

King Lear

Macbeth

The Taming of the Shrew

Romeo and Juliet

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Question 4 of 10

4. Which of the following was a method used to treat sexually transmitted diseases in Shakespeare's day (yes, they had syphilis back then, too)? Hint

Quarantine

Innoculations

The sweating-tub

The laying-on of hands

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Question 5 of 10

5. Which of these lines is NOT from a sonnet? Hint

'Music to hear, why hear'st thou music sadly'

'My mistess' eyes are nothing like the sun'

'Then let thy love be yonger than thyself'

'Love is my sin, and thy dear virtue hate'

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Question 6 of 10

6. Name the source of this quote: 'Our doubts are traitors, and makes us lose the good we oft might win by fearing to attempt.' Hint

Horatio, 'Hamlet'

Lucio, 'Measure for Measure'

Paulina, 'The Winter's Tale'

Iras, 'Antony and Cleopatra'

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Question 7 of 10

7. How many lines are in a Shakespearean sonnet? Hint

Twelve

Ten

Fourteen

Sixteen

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Question 8 of 10

8. Who wrote the famous song, 'Greensleeves'? Hint

William Shakespeare

No one knows for sure

Ben Jonson

Christopher Marlowe

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Question 9 of 10

9. Which of Henry VIII's wives appear in Shakespeare's play, 'Henry VIII'? Hint

Catherine of Aragon and Catherine Parr

Jane Seymour and Catherine Howard

Catherine of Aragon and Anna of Cleves

Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn

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Question 10 of 10

10. Which is NOT one of the 'Great Tragedies' of Shakespeare? Hint

'Cymbeline'

'Macbeth'

'King Lear'

'Othello'

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Which of these Shakespearean plays was NOT made into a movie between 1990 and 2000?

Answer: King John

One version of 'Hamlet' (2000) stars Ethan Hawke, 'Othello' (1995) stars Laurence Fishburne and Kenneth Branagh (gotta love him!), 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' (1990) stars Rupert Everett, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Callista Flockhart, and the wildly popular 'Romeo + Juliet' (1996) features Claire Danes (no longer the gawkish Angela from 'My So-Called Life) and Leonardo DiCaprio.

'Life and Death of King John' was filmed for television in 1984.

2. The rock-opera musical 'Hair' may seem an unusual place to find Shakespeare, but near the end of the second act, two cast members recite a passage from the Bard. Which play is it from?

Answer: Hamlet

'What a piece of work is a man, how noble in reason!' This passage can be found in 'Hamlet', Act II, scene II, when the young prince is speaking to his 'friends' Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.

3. Which play was 'West Side Story' based on?

Answer: Romeo and Juliet

This 1961 remake of Shakespeare's most famous play featured warring street gangs. Originally, the conflict was to be over religion, not race. Maria was supposed to be Roman Catholic and Tony Jewish. But the producers and directors considered the religious conflict too trite and it was changed to a racial issue. Which is a little like 'Othello', I guess!

4. Which of the following was a method used to treat sexually transmitted diseases in Shakespeare's day (yes, they had syphilis back then, too)?

Answer: The sweating-tub

In 'Measure for Measure', most of the characters frequent or work in brothels. Lucio, a snooty young man, asks Pompey, a bartender, about their mutual 'friend' Mistress Overdone, the town madam, and Pompey is forced to admit that 'She hath eaten up all her beef and she herself is in the tub,' meaning (possibly) that all her prostitutes are gone and she is currrently being treated for illness (Act III; scene II).

5. Which of these lines is NOT from a sonnet?

Answer: 'Then let thy love be yonger than thyself'

Yeah, this was a hard one. I'll admit {it;} I'm mean. The quote is from 'Twelfth Night', spoken by the Duke in Act II, scene IV.

6. Name the source of this quote: 'Our doubts are traitors, and makes us lose the good we oft might win by fearing to attempt.'

Answer: Lucio, 'Measure for Measure'

One of my favorite quotes of all time! It can be found at the very end of Act {I;} scene IV. Funny that such truth comes from such a deceitful character!

7. How many lines are in a Shakespearean sonnet?

Answer: Fourteen

A Shakespearean sonnet contains fourteen lines of ten syllables each, written in iambic pentameter. The last two lines are a couplet. Shakespeare wrote well over a hundred sonnets.

8. Who wrote the famous song, 'Greensleeves'?

Answer: No one knows for sure

Though occasionally accredited to the Bard, and more often to King Henry VIII of England, 'Greensleeves' was penned by an unknown author.

9. Which of Henry VIII's wives appear in Shakespeare's play, 'Henry VIII'?

Answer: Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn

The play is only about Henry's first two wives. This is the order in which he married and divorced: Catherine of Aragon (his brother's widow, divorced), Anne Boleyn (the mother of Elizabeth I, beheaded), Jane Seymour (gave him a son, died shortly after), Anna of Cleves (divorced), Catherine Howard (beheaded), Catherine Parr (survived her horny husband).

There. Recite THOSE and show everyone how smart you are!

10. Which is NOT one of the 'Great Tragedies' of Shakespeare?

Answer: 'Cymbeline'

'Cymbeline' is not considered a great tragedy, probably because it doesn't have the depth and richness of his other plays. It is one of the plays currently classified as Late Romances, along with 'Pericles', 'The Tempest' and 'The Winter's Tale'.

Source: Author GypsyQueen

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor MotherGoose before going online.
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