Shakespeare Quiz

The Bard of Avon: William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616) is widely considered the greatest writer in the English language and the world's most performed playwright. Born in Stratford-upon-Avon, England, Shakespeare wrote approximately 39 plays, 154 sonnets, and several longer poems during a career spanning roughly 1590 to 1613. He was a part-owner of the Globe Theatre in London, where many of his plays were first performed. His works have been translated into every major language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright.

Shakespeare's works are divided into tragedies (Hamlet, Macbeth, King Lear, Othello, Romeo and Juliet), comedies (A Midsummer Night's Dream, Much Ado About Nothing, The Taming of the Shrew, Twelfth Night), and histories (Henry V, Richard III, Julius Caesar). "Hamlet" is the most performed play in history, featuring the famous "To be or not to be" soliloquy. Shakespeare invented approximately 1,700 words that are still used in everyday English, including "bedroom," "lonely," "generous," and "manager." Try the English Language Quiz or explore the Book Quiz for broader literature knowledge.

Shakespeare's sonnets, written in 14-line iambic pentameter, explore themes of love, beauty, politics, and mortality. The sonnets are often addressed to a "Fair Youth" (an unnamed young man) and a "Dark Lady." Very little is known about Shakespeare's personal life, leading to long-running debates about whether the works were actually written by someone else - Though the overwhelming scholarly consensus supports Shakespeare's authorship. His Globe Theatre was destroyed by fire in 1613 during a performance of Henry VIII and rebuilt the following year.