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Quiz about Upstart Crow A Groats Worth of Wit

"Upstart Crow" - A Groat's Worth of Wit Quiz

"Upstart Crow" follows the life of the up-and-coming Will Shakespeare, from the PoV of Ben Elton. How well do you know his take on the Bard?

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

Author
Red_John

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
386,287

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
7 / 10

Plays
129

Awards
Top 20% Quiz

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. In Will's London lodgings, Kate is often seen helping in various ways, but how does she come to be there? Hint

She is the Landlady's daughter

She is a devoted fan of Will's

She owns the lodging house

She is married to Will's servant

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. Robert Greene instructs Will to "look after" Greene's nephew Florian before he goes to Cambridge University. Why does Greene want an eye kept on his nephew? Hint

Florian is an alcoholic

Florian is a compulsive gambler

Florian wants to attend Oxford University

To prevent Florian from engaging in an unsuitable marriage

NEXT>

Question 3 of 10

3. Will's servant is neither learned nor literate, but is full of worldly wisdom and good advice, which Will rarely takes. Which famous character is he named after? Hint

Belch

Bastard

Bolingbroke

Bottom

NEXT>

Question 4 of 10

4. Will's wife, Anne, is the matriarch and keeper of his home in Stratford. She is played by the daughter of a famous British entertainer, but what is her name? Hint

Tracy O'Connor

Emma Corbett

Liza Tarbuck

Gail Morecambe

NEXT>

Question 5 of 10

5. Will and Anne have three children - the surly teenage Susanna is the eldest, but what are the names of the younger twins? Hint

Ritus and Ruth

Macseth and Esther

Hamnet and Judith

Ophello and Mary

6. Will's father John Shakespeare is routinely scathing about his son's choice of profession, style of writing and the duration of his plays. What idea does he put forth to improve Will's career prospects? Hint

Becoming a lawyer

Starting a father/son double act

Writing shorter plays

Doing more acting than writing

NEXT>

Question 7 of 10

7. In Will's time, women were barred by law from appearing on stage. As a consequence, female roles were all played by men. In the theatre company of which Will is a part, who regularly plays the female roles that Will writes? Hint

Thomas Pope

Edward Alleyn

Henry Condell

Gabriel Spenser

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. The actor Will Kempe constantly refers to the sophistication of comedy he has done overseas compared to the style performed in England, but in which country did he learn his craft? Hint

France

Italy

Spain

Portugal

NEXT>

Question 9 of 10

9. When Will decides to invest in a new theatre with Burbage, he decides that, because all contracts are drawn up in Latin, he needs a Latin speaker, and takes Kate disguised as a man. How does she accidentally give away her gender? Hint

She cries at the thought of bear baiting

She goes to the wrong privy

She brings a salad to eat

Her puffling pants fall down

NEXT>

Question 10 of 10

10. Amongst others, Christopher Marlowe is sometimes believed to have penned a number of Shakespeare's works. "Upstart Crow" flips this theory by suggesting that Will has written a number of Kit Marlowe's most famous plays. Which play in the series does Will "give" to Marlowe? Hint

The Jew of Malta

The Massacre of Paris

Edward II

Dido, Queen of Carthage

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. In Will's London lodgings, Kate is often seen helping in various ways, but how does she come to be there?

Answer: She is the Landlady's daughter

As well as being a mezzo-soprano and being able to speak conversational Spanish, Gemma Whelan, who plays Kate, was cast as Yara Greyjoy in Game of Thrones in 2012.

2. Robert Greene instructs Will to "look after" Greene's nephew Florian before he goes to Cambridge University. Why does Greene want an eye kept on his nephew?

Answer: To prevent Florian from engaging in an unsuitable marriage

The adventure with Florian gives Will some inspiration towards the ending of his "teen romance" play, originally titled "Romeo and Julian".

3. Will's servant is neither learned nor literate, but is full of worldly wisdom and good advice, which Will rarely takes. Which famous character is he named after?

Answer: Bottom

Nick Bottom is a weaver who has his head turned into that of a donkey in "A Midsummer Night's Dream". He has been played on screen by Kevin Kline, Matt Lucas and Johnny Vegas amongst others. In "Upstart Crow", Will's servant is called Ned Bottom and is played by Rob Rouse.

4. Will's wife, Anne, is the matriarch and keeper of his home in Stratford. She is played by the daughter of a famous British entertainer, but what is her name?

Answer: Liza Tarbuck

As well as being an actor in many British TV dramas, Liza Tarbuck has also worked as a presenter of both quiz shows and entertainment programmes since her TV debut in 1987. Her father Jimmy Tarbuck has also hosted many quiz and entertainment shows, as well as working as a stand-up comedian, since the 1960s.

5. Will and Anne have three children - the surly teenage Susanna is the eldest, but what are the names of the younger twins?

Answer: Hamnet and Judith

Hamnet and Judith were fraternal twins born in early 1585. Although Hamnet died at the age of 11, Judith married and had three children of her own, before she passed away in 1662.

Answer: Starting a father/son double act

In a later episode, John proceeds to blame Will's refusal to enter into a double act as the reason that he (John) turned to crime, which leads to his stealing Will's savings and leaves Will at the mercy of Robert Greene.

Answer: Henry Condell

Although women were banned from the profession in England, by the time of Elizabeth I they were being increasingly allowed to participate in theatrical productions in Europe, with the first celebrated actress, Isabella Andreini, being a member of the Gelosi company in Florence from approximately 1578.

8. The actor Will Kempe constantly refers to the sophistication of comedy he has done overseas compared to the style performed in England, but in which country did he learn his craft?

Answer: Italy

Series creator Ben Elton wrote the characterisation of Kempe as a conscious parody of Ricky Gervais to draw a comparison between the two. "Upstart Crow"'s producer stated that this was to draw attention to the idea that "what we tried to show was that every era has its own maverick comedy guy who's slightly ahead of his time and is following the beat of a slightly different drum" (New Ben Elton comedy about Shakespeare takes a pop at... Ricky Gervais - "Radio Times", 3 May 2016 https://goo.gl/zlYbs7).

Answer: She brings a salad to eat

Unlike many of his contemporaries, Will Shakespeare had a relatively limited education that didn't see him attend either Oxford or Cambridge University. As a consequence, although Will has some knowledge of basic Latin from his school education, it is not to the university standard of his friend Kit Marlowe.

Answer: The Jew of Malta

Will is very excited about his "big new Jew play", despite Kate's concerns about it. However, he is tricked by Robert Greene into wearing ridiculous purple puffling pants and yellow tights with silly cross-garters to Lord Southampton's Saucy Prancings. Thanks to Marlowe's help, Will gets through the embarrassing situation at the Prancings, and to thank him hands Kit his new play, which is produced as "The Jew of Malta".

Source: Author Red_John

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Gamemaster1967 before going online.
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