Shakespeare Biography
When was Shakespeare born? (Month & Century, bonus for exact year!)
April, 1500s (1564)
Which famous tragedy takes place in Verona?
Romeo & Juliet
How many children did Shakespeare have?
3
Susanna, Hamnet, and Judith
What is the name of the rhythmic pattern Shakespeare used in his poetry & plays? (bonus if you can demonstrate the rhythm for us in a line of his text!)
Iambic Pentameter
What is the name of the theatre he helped to build?
The Globe
Where was Shakespeare born?
Stratford-upon-Avon
What type of plays did he write (must name all)?
Tragedies, comedies, histories, and romances
Who did he marry?
Anne Hathaway
True or False: Shakespeare's plays remain today because he carefully recorded his work on parchment that has been preserved and copied.
False
How many sonnets did Shakespeare write (within 10 of the correct answer acceptable)
154
What were his 3 main jobs?
Playwright, poet and actor
Which Danish character famously says, "To be, or not to be: that is the question"?
Hamlet
What did Shakespeare leave to his wife in his will?
His "second best bed"
What poetic form with 14 lines & a specific rhyme scheme (ABAB CDCD EFEF GG) did Shakespeare make famous?
Sonnet
What were the names of the two theaters where Shakespeare's plays were performed in his time?
The Globe Theatre and the Blackfriars Theatre
Between which two cities did Shakespeare divide his time?
Stratford and London
Which play, often called "The Scottish Play" by superstitious actors, features three witches?
Macbeth
What did Shakespeare's father do for a living?
He was a glovemaker (will also accept leatherworker and wool dealer)
Someone with a heart of gold is....
extremely nice and kind person
What major debate surrounds his writing?
Whether he not he actually wrote his plays or plagiarized them.
What is unique about the widely accepted date of his death? (Bonus for date!)
He died on his birthday (April 23rd, 1616)
Which Shakespeare comedy features characters Beatrice and Benedict who fall in love over a battle of wits?
Much Ado About Nothing
Which of Shakespeare's children died at age 11?
Hamnet (his son)
About how many words is Shakespeare believed to have invented (bonus if you can name at least 3!)
1,700
What is the name of the first collected edition of Shakespeare's plays, where his colleagues preserved them?
The First Folio