Otello - Quiz
Otello
  • 1. What does Iago suggest Cassio do to get reinstated?
A) Steal Otello's sword
B) Leave Cyprus immediately
C) Ask Desdemona to talk to Otello
D) Apologize directly to Otello
  • 2. Where does the second act of Otello take place?
A) A hall on the ground floor of the castle
B) The city square
C) A ship in the harbor
D) A bedroom in the tower
  • 3. What is the theme of Iago's 'Credo'?
A) Loyalty to Otello
B) Nihilistic beliefs and hatred of humankind
C) Love and devotion to Desdemona
D) The beauty of the natural world
  • 4. What does Iago hint at to cause Otello suspicion?
A) That Cassio and Desdemona are having an affair
B) That Emilia is stealing from the castle
C) That the sailors are starting a rebellion
D) That Desdemona is plotting to kill him
  • 5. What does Otello demand before believing that Desdemona is unfaithful?
A) A public trial
B) The word of the senate
C) A written confession
D) Proof
  • 6. What is embroidered on the handkerchief Otello gave Desdemona?
A) Lilies
B) Gold thread
C) A lion crest
D) Strawberries
  • 7. What happens when Desdemona offers to wrap Otello's head with the handkerchief?
A) Otello accepts it gratefully
B) Otello gives it to Iago
C) Otello throws it to the ground
D) Otello kisses her hand
  • 8. Who picks up the handkerchief after Otello throws it?
A) Emilia
B) Cassio
C) Desdemona
D) Iago
  • 9. How does Iago obtain the handkerchief from Emilia?
A) He buys it from her
B) She gives it to him willingly
C) He forcibly takes it
D) He steals it while she sleeps
  • 10. What does Iago claim he heard Cassio say in his sleep?
A) That they must conceal their love
B) That he is the true leader
C) That he wants to leave Cyprus
D) That he hates Otello
  • 11. What physical object does Iago claim to have seen in Cassio's possession?
A) Otello's ring
B) A lock of Desdemona's hair
C) The strawberry-embroidered handkerchief
D) A letter from Desdemona
  • 12. What do Otello and Iago swear to do at the end of Act 2?
A) Return to Venice
B) Reconcile with the people of Cyprus
C) Take vengeance on Desdemona and Cassio
D) Celebrate a victory
  • 13. What reason does Otello give for being impatient when Desdemona asks him to reinstate Cassio?
A) He is angry at the sailors
B) He is planning a war
C) He is tired from the journey
D) He has a headache
  • 14. Who sings to Desdemona in the garden?
A) Iago and his servants
B) Only the soldiers
C) The Venetian officials
D) A crowd of children, sailors, and Cypriots
  • 15. How does Iago behave when Otello first enters the room?
A) He bows deeply
B) He asks for money
C) He pretends not to notice him
D) He immediately confesses his hatred
  • 16. Who was the conductor selected for the premiere of Otello?
A) Verdi
B) Faccio
C) Arrigo Boito
D) Victor Maurel
  • 17. Which singer was assigned the role of Desdemona at the world premiere?
A) Kiri Te Kanawa
B) Rose Caron
C) Romilda Pantaleoni
D) Mila Kupfer-Berger
  • 18. How many curtain calls did Verdi take at the premiere of Otello?
A) 5
B) 10
C) 20
D) 30
  • 19. Who sang the title role at the Vienna premiere of Otello in 1888?
A) Victor Maurel
B) Albert Saléza
C) Francesco Tamagno
D) Hermann Winkelmann
  • 20. In which city did the Paris premiere of Otello take place?
A) Paris
B) Milan
C) Buenos Aires
D) Vienna
  • 21. Which composer wrote the French translation for the Paris production of Otello?
A) Camille Du Locle
B) Arrigo Boito
C) Giuseppe Verdi
D) Alexandre Lapissida
  • 22. For which act of Otello did Verdi compose a short ballet for the Paris production?
A) Act 1
B) Act 4
C) Act 3
D) Act 2
  • 23. Which tenor was studying the role of Otello when he died in 1921?
A) Francesco Tamagno
B) Mario Del Monaco
C) Plácido Domingo
D) Enrico Caruso
  • 24. Which award did Arnold Azrikan receive for his performance in Otello in 1946?
A) Grammy Award
B) Stalin Prize
C) Verdi Medal
D) La Scala Excellence Award
  • 25. Which tenor has appeared in more video productions of Otello than any other?
A) Plácido Domingo
B) Jon Vickers
C) James McCracken
D) Mario Del Monaco
  • 26. What was Verdi's primary reservation regarding Francesco Tamagno?
A) His ability to learn Italian
B) His height
C) His softer singing
D) His acting ability
  • 27. Who was the first exponent of the role of Iago?
A) Jules Devoyod
B) Mattia Battistini
C) Delfino Menotti
D) Victor Maurel
  • 28. In what year was Otello first performed in London?
A) 1889
B) 1894
C) 1887
D) 1888
  • 29. Which Wagnerian opera did Hermann Winkelmann help create the title role for in 1882?
A) Lohengrin
B) Parsifal
C) Die Meistersinger
D) Tristan und Isolde
  • 30. What event nearly caused the Otello project to stop completely?
A) Verdi becoming too ill to continue
B) A misquoted newspaper interview
C) The death of Boito
D) A major disagreement over the ending
  • 31. What opera was Boito busy working on during the creation of Otello?
A) Nerone
B) Aida
C) Mefistofele
D) Falstaff
  • 32. In what city did Verdi and Boito meet during the winter of 1883?
A) Milan
B) Naples
C) Sant' Agata
D) Genoa
  • 33. When did Verdi announce that he had finished the fourth act?
A) September 10
B) March 20
C) November 1
D) October 5
  • 34. What famous entrance in act 1 did Verdi finalize in May 1886?
A) The opening storm
B) The Willow Song
C) The Credo
D) Esultate
  • 35. On what date did Verdi write to Boito proclaiming 'It is finished!'?
A) 18 December 1886
B) 1 November 1886
C) 5 October 1885
D) 20 March 1884
  • 36. Who was Verdi's long-time assistant?
A) Faccio
B) Ricordi
C) Boito
D) Emanuele Muzio
  • 37. Where did the third bout of composition take place?
A) Genoa
B) Milan
C) Naples
D) Sant' Agata
  • 38. How many acts are in Verdi's opera Otello?
A) Three
B) Two
C) Five
D) Four
  • 39. Where did the first performance of Otello take place?
A) Royal Opera House, London
B) La Fenice, Venice
C) Paris Opera
D) Teatro alla Scala, Milan
  • 40. Which opera did Verdi retire after composing in 1871?
A) Otello
B) Simon Boccanegra
C) Aida
D) Macbeth
  • 41. Which composer did Verdi compare his retirement to?
A) Wagner
B) Puccini
C) Beethoven
D) Rossini
  • 42. What was the name of the opera Rossini retired after?
A) Tancredi
B) William Tell
C) The Barber of Seville
D) Otello
  • 43. What trend in music was Verdi critical of during his retirement years?
A) Modern jazz
B) Baroque styles
C) Germanism
D) Italian folk music
  • 44. When did Verdi finally begin composition on Otello?
A) 1884
B) 1879
C) 1871
D) 1887
  • 45. Which soprano did Ricordi hope would entice Verdi out of retirement?
A) Adelina Patti
B) Giuseppina Strepponi
C) Maria Callas
D) Clara Maffei
  • 46. What 1847 opera did Verdi write based on a Shakespeare play before Otello?
A) Aida
B) Macbeth
C) Simon Boccanegra
D) Amleto
  • 47. What earlier opera did Verdi revise to test the possibility of working with Boito?
A) Aida
B) Simon Boccanegra
C) Macbeth
D) William Tell
  • 48. When did Verdi first receive the completed libretto for Otello?
A) 1865
B) 1885
C) July/August 1881
D) 1871
  • 49. In what year was the original Simon Boccanegra score written?
A) 1887
B) 1857
C) 1871
D) 1879
  • 50. What part of Simon Boccanegra is noted for foreshadowing the style of Otello?
A) The final death scene
B) The love duet
C) The Council Chamber scene
D) The opening overture
  • 51. When did Verdi visit Milan to conduct his Requiem Mass?
A) 30 June 1880
B) 20 May 1879
C) 30 June 1879
D) 15 July 1879
  • 52. Which Shakespeare play was discussed as the basis for the new opera?
A) Hamlet
B) Othello
C) Macbeth
D) King Lear
  • 53. What was the initial working title of the opera?
A) Iago
B) Desdemona
C) The African
D) Othello
  • 54. In her letter of 7 November, how did Giuseppina describe Boito's work?
A) Too similar to Rossini
B) A complete failure
C) Confusing and dark
D) Very well done
  • 55. When did the Metropolitan Opera stop the practice of white singers wearing dark makeup as Otello?
A) 2015
B) 2005
C) 2010
D) 2020
  • 56. Where does the story of Otello take place?
A) Rome
B) Turkey
C) Venice
D) Cyprus
  • 57. What is the time period of the opera?
A) The late 19th century
B) The late 16th century
C) The mid 18th century
D) The early 15th century
  • 58. Who does Iago offer to help in the seduction of Desdemona?
A) Cassio
B) Otello
C) Montano
D) Roderigo
  • 59. What do the people of Cyprus light to celebrate the safe return of Otello?
A) A bonfire
B) Fireworks
C) Lanterns
D) Torches
  • 60. Who is wounded during the duel involving Cassio?
A) Iago
B) Otello
C) Montano
D) Roderigo
  • 61. Whose name does Iago whisper to Cassio to lead him on?
A) Desdemona
B) Cleopatra
C) Emilia
D) Bianca
  • 62. What method of murder does Iago suggest for Desdemona?
A) Throwing her from the balcony
B) Poisoning her wine
C) Suffocation in her bed
D) Stabbing her with a dagger
  • 63. What new rank does Otello bestow upon Iago?
A) Admiral
B) Captain
C) Governor
D) General
  • 64. Who arrives at the castle, accompanied by the sound of bugles?
A) Lodovico
B) The Doge
C) A messenger from Cyprus
D) Cassio's father
  • 65. What does Otello do at the end of the scene after everyone leaves?
A) Begs for forgiveness
B) Weeps over the letter
C) Escapes to the balcony
D) Collapses
  • 66. What is the name of the song Desdemona recalls that Barbara used to sing?
A) Willow Song
B) Ave Maria
C) The Lover's Lament
D) The Soldier's Song
  • 67. How does Desdemona die?
A) She is stabbed
B) She dies of grief
C) She is strangled
D) She is poisoned
  • 68. When was the ballet for the French production of Otello composed?
A) 1894
B) 1901
C) 1890
D) 1887
  • 69. Which of these instruments is played offstage in Otello?
A) Bassoon
B) Bagpipes
C) Timpani
D) Violin
  • 70. What is kept in front of the image of the Madonna?
A) A light
B) A mirror
C) A prayer book
D) A dagger
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