Shakespeare Background Test Fillins: Follow directions, spell, capitalize, and punctuate correctly. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

William Shakespeare was born on _______________. (month, day, year) Shakespeare died when he was _____ years old. (numeral) Wills wife was ______ years older than he when they wed. (numeral) His only son was named _________. Shakespeare wrote _________ sonnets. (numeral) William was predeceased by one child named ________. One of Williams children succumbed to the plague at age ______. (numeral) 8. The first play performed at the Globe Theatre was _______. 9. The last play performed at the Globe Theatre was _______ . 10. _______ played the female part in Elizabethan theatre. (one-word answer) 11. __________ and ____________ were the ruling monarchs during Shakespeares lifetime. 12. Will was the first son and one of __ children born to his parents. (#) 13. _______________ is considered his greatest play. 14. ______________ was the name of Wills oldest child. 15. Will was ____________ years old when he married. 16. The religious holiday when plays were banned is called _______ Multiple Choice 17. How many plays did Shakespeare write? A) 31 B) 37 C) 134 D) 24

E) 16

18. Why were theaters built open to the sky? A) to allow rain in B) tradition C) to allow the smells to get out D) cheaper to build E) for light 19. To whom did Will dedicate two of his sonnets? A) His wife B) the Earl of South Hampton D) Earl Hampton E) the Earl of North Hamlet

C) Duke of Earl

20. What did Will leave to his wife in his will? A) Second-best bed B) His chariot C) The house D) His money E) Nothing 21. Who did Shakespeare marry? A) Anne Hathaway B) Anne of Green Gables C) Annabel Stratford D) Anne of Hampton E) Annie Oakley 22. What were the unruly theatre-goers called? A) grunts B) good fellows C) ground-breakers D) groundlings E) grumplings 23. In what year did Shakespeare die? A) 1564 B) 1613 C) 1616 D) 1617

E) 1700

24. Shakespeare was found dead after digesting what? A) Too much alcohol B) Alcohol and pickled herring C) Pickles and ice cream D) Cod E) None of these 25. His last writing was his own A) Will and testament B) epitaph F) Autobiography

c) folio

D) eulogy

26. How many years did Will spend in London working? A) Fifteen B) forty C) twenty D) ten

E) eleven

TRUE AND FALSE: You must spell it out; no credit if you just write T or F. 27. The cheapest tickets to see a play at the Glove Theatre were 25 cents. 28. Performing of plays was banned during all religious holidays. 29. Will incorporated comedy into all of his plays to appease his patrons. 30. The Globe Theatre presently stands in London close to its original location. 31. The Globe once burned down during a performance of Julius Caesar. 32. Will left his wife one of their beds as a tribute to their love life. 33. Shakespeares twin children were named Jeanne and Judity. 34. The A & E Biography states that William may have been a homosexual. 35. Will was referred to as The Sweet Swan of the Avon. 36. Will published all his plays and sonnets before his death. 37. The death of child during the plague plunged Will into a deep depression. MULTIPLE SELECT mark all answers that apply 38. Choose all the names of Wills children. A) Judith B) Susanna C) Sonya D) Anne E) Hamnet 39. Select all the types of Shakespearean drama. A) Reality B) Comedy C) Romance

D) History

E) Tragedy

40. Select the first two plays ever written by William Shakespeare. A) The Tempest B) Henry VI Part I C) Julius Caesar D) Two Gentlemen of Verona E) Hamlet 41. Select the items below which comprise Wills early educational experience. A) Astronomy B) Transcribing Latin to English C) Geometry D) Solving chemistry equations E) Transcribing English to Latin

42. Select all the places William Shakespeare had lived. A) London B) Stratford-upon-Avon C) England 43. Select all the facts that pertain to London. A) Avon River B) Thames River C) Globe Theatre D) Wills birthplace E) Wills retirement home 44. Select all the facts that pertain to the epidemic of the 1590s. A) Bubonic Plague B) Jack the Ripper C) Claimed the life of one of Wills children D) 1000 deaths per week E) The lifetime of Winston Churchill

D) Italy