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