Shakespeare quiz

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1. Shakescene

In 1592, a posthumous memoir was published that included a thinly-disguised attack on Shakespeare, characterizing him as an “upstart crow” and poetical pretender. Which late rival playwright was the author of the book?

2. Without a prayer

“My words fly up, my thoughts remain below: Words without thoughts never to heaven go.” Which character in Shakespeare’s Hamlet utters these lines?

3. To my wife

Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway in 1582, when he was 18 and she was 26. But after thirty-odd years of marriage, Shakespeare’s will listed only one item for Anne. What was it?

4. Head man

In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which character’s head is transformed into that of an ass?

5. Family business

What was the trade of John Shakespeare, William’s father?

6. Three of a kind

In Henry V, who are the characters Bardolph, Nym and Pistol?

7. From whole cloth

Which of the following plays is not known to have been based on any existing literary or historical work?

8. The evil that men do

In Julius Caesar, which character says, “The evil that men do lives after them; The good is oft interrèd with their bones; So let it be with Caesar”?

9. Working in tandem

Which of the following Shakespeare plays was written in collaboration with another playwright?

10. Bad behavior

In Much Ado About Nothing, most of the action is set in motion by the trouble-making Don John, illegitimate half-brother of Don Pedro, prince of Aragon. According to Don John himself, what is the motive for his villainy?