Why do Fools Fall in Love? Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Merchant of Venice

The play focuses on the love between Bassanio and Portia. Jessica is Shylock's daughter who elopes with Lorenzo and converts to Christianity, much to her father's dismay. One of the things I remember about this play is the poem in the gold casket which begins "All that glisters is not gold." The first time I read this, I immediately thought of Aragorn's poem in "The Lord of the Rings" which begins "All that is gold does not glitter."

Answer: A Midsummer Night's Dream

"A Midsummer Night's Dream" follows several couples, some of whom are in love with their partners while others are in love with a member of another couple. The fairies help out a little so that everyone ends up as part of a loving couple. Like other Shakespeare plays, most notably "Hamlet", there is a play within the play, although in this case the actors are controlled by the fairies.

Answer: The Taming of the Shrew

"The Taming of the Shrew" is unusual in the fact that the main character pursues a woman no one else wants to marry and who doesn't really like him. What is common with other stories is that the woman has a younger sister pursued by just about every Tom, Dick, and Harry. The play served as the basis for Cole Porter's 20th century musical "Kiss Me Kate".

Answer: Twelfth Night

The name "Twelfth Night" refers to the twelfth night of Christmas (think "and a partridge in a pear tree"). The play itself has nothing to do with Christmas but was first performed at the end of the Christmas season. "Twelfth Night" is the second comedy (after "The Comedy of Errors") that uses twins as a key part of the plot.

Answer: Much Ado About Nothing

"Much Ado About Nothing" starts off very similarly to "Othello" where the villain, in this case the brother of the Prince of Aragon, convinces the protagonist that his faithful lover is cheating on him. However, in this case instead of killing his fiancée, Claudio just denounces her on their wedding day and leaves. Later when it is proved to him that he fell for the villain's lies, he's able to reconcile with his bride-to-be and get married.

Answer: The Two Noble Kinsmen

This play is considered a comedy but has tragic elements as well. The two cousins are great friends until they both decide to pursue the same woman. They fight for her and eventually have a tournament where the winner gets the girl. Arcite wins the tournament which should win him the girl, but he is thrown from his horse and killed.

Answer: Troilus and Cressida

This play is primarily about the Trojan War but features a romantic subplot between the title characters. Although both are from Troy, Cressida's father was on the side of the Greeks. She was exchanged for a Greek prisoner of war and the two were separated. While he remained true to her, she did not return the favor but instead became involved with one of the Greeks.

Answer: Julius Caesar

Historically, Calpurnia was Caesar's third wife. They had been married for about 15 years at the time of Caesar's death. She never remarried.

Answer: The Tempest

Ferdinand and Miranda are introduced by Miranda's father and fell in love. Of course, they don't get married until the end of the play. Miranda is the only human female in the play so there were a limited number of romances that could have happened. The only other females were goddesses, but there were no gods in the play so their prospects were limited as well.

Answer: Montague and Capulet

"Romeo and Juliet" is the tale of the children of feuding families falling in love. Similar tales have played out in real life, such as the Hatfields and the McCoys, as well as in theater, such as "West Side Story". Unlike most of Shakespeare's tragedies, neither Romeo nor Juliet is royal, a general, or the like. They are more like ordinary people.