Shakespearean Sibling Sets Trivia Quiz

Answer: King Lear

Goneril, Regan and Cordelia are the three daughters of King Lear in the play of the same name. In the opening scenes of this tragedy, Lear calls upon each of his daughters to declare how much they love him in return for being granted control of a portion of his kingdom. Goneril declares her father "dearer than eye-sight, space and liberty"; Regan pronounces that she is "an enemy to all other joys" and "alone felicitate in your dear highness' love"; and Cordelia simply states that "I love your majesty according to my bond; nor more nor less". Lear proves to be more impressed with his elder daughters' insincere flattery than the honest love of his youngest and duly disowns her - setting in motion a chain of events that leads to both of their deaths.

Answer: Measure for Measure

'Measure for Measure' is one of Shakespeare's so-called "problem plays" - one which doesn't fit neatly into the categorisation of a comedy, tragedy or history. It undoubtedly has comedic elements but also has plenty of dark moments - such as when Isabella (a chaste young woman who plans to become a nun) is forced to choose between having sex with the temporary ruler of Vienna or allowing her beloved brother Claudio to be sentenced to death. Fortunately for her, the real Duke of Vienna was secretly watching the actions of his replacement and returns in time to both orchestrate a plan to save her from her fate and offer her his hand in marriage.

Answer: As You Like It

Orlando de Bois is one of the main characters in 'As You Like It' and the love interest of its heroine, Rosalind. In the course of the plot he is persecuted by his eldest brother, Oliver, and leaves his home and place at the court of Duke Frederick to live rough in the Forest of Arden. Duke Frederick had usurped his position from Rosalind's father and she also ends up being banished from the court. She goes in disguise to live in the same forest as her lover, where they are eventually reunited.

Incidentally the middlr de Bois brother, Jaques, is only mentioned in passing - although the play's cast of character includes another Jaques who is a melancholy, but faithful lord in the service of Rosalind's father.

Answer: The Taming of the Shrew

'The Taming of the Shrew' is one of Shakespeare's earlier plays, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1592. Its comedic plot revolves around the idea that the eldest sister in a family should marry first, even if she isn't seen as a desirable catch and the younger has a string of admirers. Katherina and Bianca are the sisters in question - Katherina is opinionated and headstrong (the titular "shrew"), while Bianca is quiet and obedient. Bianca's suitors convince a fortune-seeking man by the name of Petruchio to convince Katherina to marry him in order to allow them to compete for her younger sister. Petruchio succeeds in his task and the remainder of the play focuses on the techniques he employs to "tame" his new wife - techniques that to the modern viewer look and sound very much like domestic abuse.

Answer: Twelfth Night

Sebastian and Viola are twins who lose touch with each other after being involved in a shipwreck off the coast of Illyria. Viola is washed ashore and disguises herself as a man in order to survive alone in the court of Duke Orsino. An awkward love triangle then ensues when Viola falls in love with Duke Orsino, who is in love with a countess named Olivia, who falls in love with Viola's alter ego, Cesario. Further confusion (and comedy) then occur when Sebastian eventually turns up and is mistaken for Cesario.

Answer: The Winter's Tale

Mamillius and Perdita are the son and daughter of King Leontes and Queen Hermione of Sicilia in 'The Winter's Tale'. Leontes has his pregnant wife arrested after his out of control jealousy leads him to believe that she is having an affair with his friend, King Polixenes of Bohemia.

When Hermione gives birth to a baby girl, Leontes orders that his newborn daughter be abandoned far away. He remains convinced he is right even when a message from the Oracle at Delphos declares his wife's innocence and brands him a "jealous tyrant" who will "live without an heir" until his daughter is recovered.

He only realises he is wrong when the Oracle's prophecy comes true and a messenger delivers the news that his son has died.

Answer: Cymbeline

'Cymbeline' is set in Britain during the Roman period and the title character is its king (albeit one controlled by Rome). His two sons Guiderius and Avirargus had been kidnapped twenty years before the events of the play, leaving him only his daughter Imogen to secure the succession of his throne.

He is also not helped by having an evil, conniving wife who is plotting to kill both him and his daughter, whose back-up plan of marrying off her stepdaughter to her own son Cloten is spoiled when Imogen falls in love and secretly marries a poor orphan named Posthumous.

As this play is more of a romantic comedy than a tragedy, the evil queen gets her comeuppance and the lost princes are eventually found.

Answer: Titus Andronicus

Lucius, Quintus, Martius, Mutius and Lavinia are the four named sons and one daughter of the titular Roman general in 'Titus Andronicus'. Titus also had other sons who perished in a war that had been fought shortly before the start of the play's events. 'Titus Andronicus' is one of Shakespeare's most violent and bloody plays, so it should come as no surprise that most of his children met unfortunate ends during the course of it. Quintus and Martius are sentenced to death and decapitated after being framed for murder; Mutius is killed by his own father in a fit of rage; and Lavinia is raped, mutilated and then later murdered by her father. Lucius is the only one able to escape his father's tyranny and ends the play as the new Emperor.

Answer: Macbeth

Malcolm and Donalbain are the two sons of King Duncan who are forced to flee for their lives when their father is murdered by Macbeth at the start of Act II of the 'Scottish Play'. Initially, because of the fact that they ran away, the brothers are also suspected of being involved in their father's demise.

While Donalbain headed to Ireland and makes no further appearance in the play, Malcolm flees to England where he is eventually able to raise an army to join forces with Macduff - who was the man not "of woman born" originally foretold by the Three Witches to be Macbeth's downfall.

After Macduff kills Macbeth, Malcolm is able to take his place as the rightful king.

Answer: Hamlet

Ophelia is the tragic heroine of 'Hamlet'. She and the titular prince fall in love, but their relationship is doomed by both the fact that her father does not approve of the match and Hamlet's own increasing obsession and madness following his interaction with his father's ghost. Unsurprisingly, the latter does little to convince Polonius, Ophelia's father, to change his mind and his position is probably justified when Hamlet stabs Polonius to death after mistaking him for King Claudius.

The death of her father causes Ophelia to descend into grief and commit suicide. Her brother, Laertes, then becomes involved in an intricate plot masterminded by Claudius and kills Hamlet with a poisoned fencing sword - but not before Laertes himself is also wounded by the same weapon.