Shakespeare in Other Words Trivia Quiz

Answer: Lear

"King Lear" tells the tragic tale of an elderly king who decides to give up his throne and divide his kingdom between his three daughters. Before that, however, he calls all three before him and requests they declare how much they love and admire him.

His two older daughters, with no affection for their father in their hearts, overwhelm him with flowery phrases of love and devotion. Hig youngest and dearest daughter, Cordelia, who genuinely loves her father, refuses to take part in this charade, and as a result, he disowns her. From here, as if in punishment for giving up his divine right to rule, one tragedy after another befalls King Lear and all around him.

The play culminates in a scene of raw sorrow and sadness as he tries to revive his subsequently murdered, and most loved child, before he himself dies of a broken heart.

This is one of the most moving scenes ever depicted on stage if it is performed by a competent cast.

Answer: Hamlet

"Hamlet" tells the sorry tale of the prince of Denmark who feigns madness to avenge his father's death at the hands of his father's brother, who has subsequently married Hamlet's mother. Part of this play incorporates an acted out play which is a test to see if Hamlet's uncle really is guilty, so it is a play within a play.

Another duality in this work is Hamlet's feigned madness contrasted against his sweetheart's genuine madness, so it is madness within madness as well. As with all Shakespeare's great tragedies, almost everyone is killed by the play's conclusion and "Hamlet" is no exception.

It concludes with an entree of a cup of poison, followed by a rousing sword fight to round things off. The great danger with anyone putting on any of Shakespeare's tragedies is that unless the cast is truly competent, the acting and action on the stage can see an audience helpless with laughter instead.

Answer: Tempest

"The Tempest" is set on an island where Prospero, the true Duke of Milan, and his daughter Miranda, have found refuge after being set adift by Prospero's scheming brother many years ago. Fortunately Prospero happens to be a magician and after some years, casts a spell which sees his brother, and assorted company, shipwrecked by a tempest onto the very same island.

This island is a mystical place, inhabited by various unearthly beings. Throw in a touch of romance between Miranda and the son of the King of Naples, and few of Shakespeare's typical plot twists and turns, and the story ends to the satisfaction of all concerned.

This play, however, lacks the meaty substance for which Shakespeare's other works are noted.

Answer: Night

In "Twelfth Night" we are presented with another shipwrecked heroine, Viola, who has made it to shore by the help of a sea captain. There, believing her twin brother Sebastian is dead, she disguises herself as a young man, and sets off to work for the nearby Duke Orsino. Orsino is besotted with a young woman known as Olivia who has vowed to steer clear of romance for seven years.

The Duke consequentially hires Viola, in her disguise as Cesario, to act on his behalf in the role of intermediary. Olivia unfortunately, and comically so, falls in love with Viola/Cesario instead.

This is a very funny play, with various equally amusing sub-plots. It concludes with Olivia marrying Viola's twin brother Sebastian (conveniently returned from the dead), and the Duke and Viola tying the knot as well.

Answer: Nothing

"Much ado about Nothing" tells the story of two couples. The first pair, Hero and Claudio, are the ideal lovers, overcome with love and adoration for each other. The second couple however, Beatrice and Benedick, are the exact opposite, and the perfect comedic force in the play.

They declare they detest each other, argue non-stop, and declare to all and sundry their scorn for the state of marriage and romance in general. Of course Shakespeare isn't going to let either couple get away with these two extremes of the games of love.

This is an extremely funny play and was presented excellently in the 1993 film of the same names, starring the great Emma Thomson and Kenneth Branagh in the lead roles of Beatrice and Benedick.

Answer: Caesar

"Julius Caesar", not surprisingly, tells the story of the lead-up to the assassination of Julius Caesar, and the resulting fate of the conspirators who carried out the foul deed. Based on the actual historic event that took place in 44 BC, this play is replete with excellent and stirring speeches, nobility of purpose, self-delusion, sacrifice, and, might one add, the failure to listen to the advice of the little woman, who warned the great man to stay away from work on the day the deed was carried out.

Answer: John

"King John" is another of the ten plays Shakespeare wrote that were based loosely on historical fact. It should be pointed out that most of these events were handled with a great deal of poetic licence by the Bard. "King John" well and truly fits into that category. Shakespeare's interpretation of this king, who ruled England from 1199 until 1216, is a rollicking good yarn, but definitely not meant to be taught to history students as fact.

Answer: Venice

"The Merchant of Venice" fits into the genre known as a tragic-comedy as it incorporates both elements of humour and drama. The story revolves around a merchant of Venice who borrows money from a Jewish moneylender in order to help out a friend with his courtship of a lady fair. Unfortunately the Jewish moneylender in question, one wicked Shylock, secretly hates the merchant, and loans the money on the terms that if the merchant cannot pay back the money, then he, Shylock, is entitled to a pound of the merchant's flesh.

When the deadline for repayment has passed, Shylock demands that pound of flesh in the form of the merchant's heart - and the story builds to its climax and resolution from there.

Answer: Errors

"The Comedy of Errors" must have delighted the hearts of Shakespearian audiences who weren't exactly noted for their appreciation of the finer qualities of drama. It's a slapstick comedy featuring physical humour, word plays, identical twins, mistaken identities, would be abductions and seductions, accusations of theft and adultery - the works. Everything but the kitchen sink in fact. One has to be in the right frame of mind to appreciate this play, but presented by a polished and dedicated cast, it's a right good old chuckle.

Answer: Shrew

"The Taming of the Shrew" tells the story of the rough courtship and wooing by Petruchio of the vixenish and feisty Katherina until he has won and tamed the lady in question. It's an extremely entertaining work, but would make more than a few eyebrows raise today if carried out in reality.

A dual theme to this tale, as with many of Shakespeare's works, is the courtship of Kate's gentle and sweet-natured sister, Bianca, by several suitors as well. This cannot be allowed to come to fruition by the father of the two girls until his older daughter, Katherina is safely married off first, a task that would seem impossible until Petruchio happens along.