William Shakespeare lived mainly in the

William Shakespeare’s playing company,  the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, had a theater built in London. Many of his plays were performed there. In 1613 it was destroyed by fire but a modern reconstruction was rebuilt. It opened in 1997, 230 meters from the site of the original theatre.

The name of this theater is

William Shakespeare’s father, John Shakespeare, was a

Shakespeare is also known as

Speaking the name Macbeth inside a theatre is believed to cause disaster according to theatrical superstition. Actors avoid saying its name when in the theatre and use a euphemism instead.

Which alternative phrase do actors use to refer to the play Macbeth?

I Early London theaters like The Globe and The Theatre had no roof.
II A large portion of the audience would stand in the yard, directly in front of the stage.

Although William Shakespeare’s reputation as a writer is based primarily on his plays, he also wrote quite a number of sonnets.
How many did he write altogether?

William Shakespeare was born in

Match these famous lines to the plays they belong to.

In the classical Greek tragedies of Aeschylus or Euripides the tragic hero would be brought down by a “tragic flaw”, an internal imperfection (‘hamartia‘). Often the classical tragic flaw would be a case of hubris, a belief that the protagonist is somehow above the fates, or in control of destiny.

Shakespeare’s four great tragedies also center on a character with a tragic flaw, which inevitably leads to his downfall.

Match the fatal flaw to the tragic hero.

OPHELIA
Oh, what a noble mind is here o’erthrown!—
The courtier’s, soldier’s, scholar’s, eye, tongue, sword,
Th’ expectancy and rose of the fair state,
The glass of fashion and the mould of form,
Th’ observed of all observers, quite, quite down!
And I, of ladies most deject and wretched,
That sucked the honey of his music vows,
Now see that noble and most sovereign reason
Like sweet bells jangled, out of tune and harsh;
That unmatched form and feature of blown youth
Blasted with ecstasy. Oh, woe is me,
T’ have seen what I have seen, see what I see!

Hamlet, Act 3, Scene 1

John William Waterhouse’s painting Ophelia (1894)

In Shakespeare’s day female characters were played by

The first names of William Shakespeare’s parents were

The Porter scene in Macbeth is an example of a comic episode usually set after after a succession of intensely tragic dramatic moments. It is used to provide a temporary reprieve from tension, or to intensify the dramatic action.

What is the correct dramatic term for this comic interlude?

With whom did Shakespeare marry?

Which Shakespearean tragedies are generally considered to be his Four Great Tragedies?

The name of the first permanent theatre in London (built in 1574) was

She should have died hereafter;
There would have been a time for such a word.
To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player,
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.

Macbeth Act V, scene 5

In his plays Shakespeare frequently makes use of regular metrical (iambic pentameter) but unrhymed lines.
What is this verse called?

Match the Shakespearean play to its correct description.

Shakespeare wrote 154 sonnets.

I A sonnet is a poem of sixteen lines.
II A sonnet is a poetic form which originated in Italy.

I From one side of a theatre like The Globe extended a thrust stage.
II A theatre company like The Lord Chamberlain’s Men let Londoners know there would be a performance in the theatre by ringing bells at regular intervals.