- 1. William Shakespeare was an English playwright, poet, and actor, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the 'Bard of Avon'. His extant works, including collaborations, consist of approximately 39 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and a few other verses. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright.
In which century was William Shakespeare born?
A) 16th century
B) 18th century
C) 15th century
D) 17th century
- 2. What was the name of the theatre where Shakespeare's plays were often performed in London?
A) The Rose Theatre
B) The Swan Theatre
C) The Globe Theatre
D) The Blackfriars Theatre
- 3. What was the title of Shakespeare's first published work?
A) Julius Caesar
B) Venus and Adonis
C) Much Ado About Nothing
D) A Midsummer Night's Dream
- 4. Which of Shakespeare's plays is known as a 'tragedy of love'?
A) As You Like It
B) Romeo and Juliet
C) The Tempest
D) Twelfth Night
- 5. What is the name of the mischievous fairy in 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'?
A) Titania
B) Oberon
C) Puck
D) Ariel
- 6. Which play features the characters of Rosalind and Orlando?
A) The Merchant of Venice
B) Julius Caesar
C) King Lear
D) As You Like It
- 7. Who is the king of fairies in Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'?
A) Puck
B) Oberon
C) Peaseblossom
D) Titania
- 8. Which of Shakespeare's plays includes the line 'To be, or not to be: that is the question'?
A) Hamlet
B) King Lear
C) Othello
D) Macbeth
- 9. What is the name of the nobleman who is banished in 'Othello'?
A) Cassio
B) Desdemona
C) Bianca
D) Iago
- 10. In which city is 'Romeo and Juliet' set?
A) Venice
B) Milan
C) Florence
D) Verona
- 11. What is the name of the play where the character Portia appears?
A) Much Ado About Nothing
B) A Midsummer Night's Dream
C) Twelfth Night
D) The Merchant of Venice
- 12. Which play features the character of Prospero?
A) King Lear
B) Othello
C) The Tempest
D) Macbeth
- 13. What is the name of the character who is given the advice 'Brevity is the soul of wit'?
A) Polonius
B) Laertes
C) Horatio
D) Claudius
- 14. Who is the ruler of the Dukedom in 'The Tempest'?
A) Caliban
B) Antonio
C) Gonzalo
D) Prospero
- 15. Which Shakespeare play features the title characters Katherine and Petruchio?
A) The Taming of the Shrew
B) Twelfth Night
C) Much Ado About Nothing
D) A Midsummer Night's Dream
- 16. Whose ghost appears to Macbeth, saying 'Macbeth shall sleep no more'?
A) Duncan
B) Lady Macbeth
C) Banquo
D) Macduff
- 17. In 'Hamlet', who is Hamlet's uncle and the main antagonist of the play?
A) Claudius
B) Horatio
C) Laertes
D) Polonius
- 18. In 'The Merchant of Venice', which character demands a pound of flesh as payment?
A) Bassanio
B) Shylock
C) Antonio
D) Lorenzo
- 19. Who is the queen in Shakespeare's play 'Richard III'?
A) Queen Anne
B) Queen Margaret
C) Queen Isabella
D) Queen Elizabeth
- 20. Which of Shakespeare's plays is set in the ancient Roman Republic?
A) Julius Caesar
B) Coriolanus
C) Titus Andronicus
D) Antony and Cleopatra
- 21. Who is the queen of the fairies in 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'?
A) Puck
B) Oberon
C) Hermia
D) Titania
- 22. Who speaks the famous line 'All the world's a stage' in 'As You Like It'?
A) Rosalind
B) Touchstone
C) Jaques
D) Orlando
- 23. Which tragedy by Shakespeare features the character of Cordelia?
A) Macbeth
B) King Lear
C) Hamlet
D) Othello
- 24. Who is the king at the beginning of 'Macbeth'?
A) Hamlet
B) Henry
C) Richard
D) Duncan
- 25. Which play explores the themes of jealousy and revenge with the character Leontes?
A) Othello
B) The Winter's Tale
C) Macbeth
D) Romeo and Juliet
- 26. Which Shakespearean play is known as 'The Scottish Play'?
A) Macbeth
B) Twelfth Night
C) Julius Caesar
D) King Lear
- 27. In 'Macbeth,' what apparitions do the witches show Macbeth?
A) A ghost, a mirror, a ring
B) An armed head, a bloody child, a crowned child holding a tree
C) Thunder, lightning, rain
D) A cauldron, a dagger, a snake
- 28. Who famously says 'The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers'?
A) Iago (Othello)
B) Puck (A Midsummer Night's Dream)
C) Dick the Butcher (Henry VI, Part 2)
D) Lady Macbeth (Macbeth)
- 29. Who is the young nobleman who joins a group of outlaws in the Forest of Arden in 'As You Like It'?
A) Oliver
B) Jaques
C) Touchstone
D) Orlando
- 30. What was the name of Shakespeare's wife?
A) Cleopatra
B) Desdemona
C) Anne Hathaway
D) Juliet Capulet
- 31. Which comedy by Shakespeare features twins Viola and Sebastian?
A) Love's Labour's Lost
B) Twelfth Night
C) The Comedy of Errors
D) As You Like It
- 32. Which of Shakespeare's plays is classified as one of the 'problem plays'?
A) Pericles
B) Measure for Measure
C) The Winter's Tale
D) Cymbeline
- 33. What is the name of Romeo's cousin in 'Romeo and Juliet'?
A) Tybalt
B) Benvolio
C) Paris
D) Mercutio
- 34. Which of Shakespeare's plays is a tragedy about jealousy and betrayal?
A) The Comedy of Errors
B) A Midsummer Night's Dream
C) Twelfth Night
D) Othello
- 35. Who is the comic relief character in 'Romeo and Juliet'?
A) Paris
B) Mercutio
C) Tybalt
D) Benvolio
- 36. In which English town was Shakespeare born?
A) Oxford
B) Cambridge
C) Stratford-upon-Avon
D) London
- 37. What is the famous line said by Hamlet in the play 'Hamlet'?
A) To be, or not to be: that is the question
B) All that glisters is not gold
C) If you prick us, do we not bleed?
D) All the world's a stage
- 38. Who is often referred to as the Bard of Avon?
A) William Shakespeare
B) John Donne
C) Ben Jonson
D) Christopher Marlowe
- 39. What title is given to the play where the line 'Now is the winter of our discontent' appears?
A) Measure for Measure
B) Richard III
C) Henry V
D) The Tempest
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