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Quiz about Most Evil Villains of Shakespeare
Quiz about Most Evil Villains of Shakespeare

Most Evil Villains of Shakespeare Quiz


Shakespeare created some of the best villains in all literature, so here is my *personally and subjectively selected* list of ten characters who most impressed me with their villainy.

A multiple-choice quiz by merylfederman. Estimated time: 7 mins.
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Time
7 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
382,004
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Tough
Avg Score
6 / 10
Plays
206
Awards
Top 35% Quiz
Last 3 plays: Guest 223 (4/10), Guest 129 (7/10), Dorsetmaid (8/10).
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Question 1 of 10
1. Villain number ten is Queen Margaret, who impressed me by being both very sympathetic in her losses and simultaneously so powerful she inspires more fear than pity, even in defeat. Who is her primary enemy, who she kills in a wondrous scene during "Henry VI Part III"? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. The ninth villains are the tag-team of Lear's daughters, Goneril and Regan. Their lack of family feeling is cold enough that it not only destroys their father but also leads to their own demises. How exactly does this happen? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. The eighth most evil villain is the most famous fratricide in Shakespeare, Claudius from "Hamlet". His motivations are compelling and deeply explored throughout the play. When he tries to pray, he lists three things that he has acquired/satisfied due to killing his brother, the prior king - he calls them "the effects for which I did the murder". Which is NOT one of them? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. The seventh villains are the Lady Macbeth/Macbeth team from "Macbeth". They work together to conceive and execute a plan to kill the king and ensure Macbeth's coronation in the aftermath. Which is the LAST person to die of the four victims listed in their bloody march to and through power? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. The sixth villain is the highest ranking villain from a problem play/comedy - Angelo from "Measure for Measure". His religious hypocrisy, deployed with ease through his politically powerful office, is a shock to the novice nun Isabella. He imposes upon her to sleep with him in exchange for what service to her in return? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. The fifth villain is the cruel Goth Queen Tamora from "Titus Andronicus". Tamora eggs on her sons as they kill Bassianus and rape Lavinia, and when Titus apparently goes mad from all he has suffered, she decides to take advantage of his madness by appearing in the form of an ancient figure that he might enjoy meeting. Which mythological/archetypal figure does she pretend to be? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. Villain number four is Edmund from "King Lear," a figure whose fraternal cruelty rivals even that of Claudius. Who does Edmund set against his poor brother Edgar? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. The third villain is Aaron, the queen's lover and arch-schemer in "Titus Andronicus". While much of his scheming seems aimed at helping Chiron, Demetrius, and Tamora support their villainous aims, he does have a few things he does purely for his own amusement. For example, when Titus' two sons are going to be executed, what does Aaron tell Titus to do to save them from their fate? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. The second villain is the one with arguably the highest body count to his credit - the eponymous Richard III. He's a brutal, manipulative power player whose presence on the political scene is highly divisive. He is most able to apply his skill in situations when he gets to work with those who like him, and also his family. What cruelty does he NOT inflict upon his family? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. The number one villain is that monster of jealousy, Iago from "Othello." Iago's evil is very focused, only affecting a few people directly, but he makes up for his lack of quantity with breathtaking quality. He uses people as his tools. Which is a complete list of people who he influences to physically assault or kill other people? Hint





Most Recent Scores
Mar 23 2024 : Guest 223: 4/10
Feb 24 2024 : Guest 129: 7/10
Feb 10 2024 : Dorsetmaid: 8/10
Feb 01 2024 : Guest 152: 6/10
Jan 30 2024 : Guest 8: 5/10

Score Distribution

quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Villain number ten is Queen Margaret, who impressed me by being both very sympathetic in her losses and simultaneously so powerful she inspires more fear than pity, even in defeat. Who is her primary enemy, who she kills in a wondrous scene during "Henry VI Part III"?

Answer: The Duke of York

York and Margaret are the key players on the York and Lancaster sides of the Wars of the Roses. Margaret manages to trap and kill her opponent York during a battle in Act One of "Henry VI Part III," but York's sons (including future kings Edward IV and Richard III) overmatch her and Henry VI by the end of the play. She is a raging, avenging figure in "Richard III".
2. The ninth villains are the tag-team of Lear's daughters, Goneril and Regan. Their lack of family feeling is cold enough that it not only destroys their father but also leads to their own demises. How exactly does this happen?

Answer: Goneril poisons Regan and then stabs herself

Goneril and Regan start to self-destruct as the war pitting Albany and Cornwall's forces against Lear and the forces of France starts up. Regan, newly widowed after Cornwall's death, is interested in Edmund, and still-married Goneril becomes too angry about this to let her sister live. She then commits suicide offstage.
3. The eighth most evil villain is the most famous fratricide in Shakespeare, Claudius from "Hamlet". His motivations are compelling and deeply explored throughout the play. When he tries to pray, he lists three things that he has acquired/satisfied due to killing his brother, the prior king - he calls them "the effects for which I did the murder". Which is NOT one of them?

Answer: My riches

Claudius did not kill his brother (Old Hamlet) for financial gain, but rather his political and romantic ambitions. Since he retains the things his crime gave him, he is unable to truly repent for his murder, though he does try. Hamlet, seeing Claudius in (attempted) prayer, decides not to kill him since he might go to heaven.
4. The seventh villains are the Lady Macbeth/Macbeth team from "Macbeth". They work together to conceive and execute a plan to kill the king and ensure Macbeth's coronation in the aftermath. Which is the LAST person to die of the four victims listed in their bloody march to and through power?

Answer: Young Siward

Duncan, the king, is the first to die as part of the Macbeths' plans. Macbeth then starts to part ways with his wife, killing Banquo without her knowledge and the Macduff family without her approval (it seems). Young Siward is one of the casualties of the Act Five war that pits Malcolm's English forces against Macbeth's men.
5. The sixth villain is the highest ranking villain from a problem play/comedy - Angelo from "Measure for Measure". His religious hypocrisy, deployed with ease through his politically powerful office, is a shock to the novice nun Isabella. He imposes upon her to sleep with him in exchange for what service to her in return?

Answer: Commuting her brother's death sentence for fornication

Angelo is a strict leader who the Duke installs as his substitute while he is away from Vienna. Angelo has Claudio (Isabella's brother) put on death row when his fiancee Juliet is revealed to be pregnant. Isabella's pleas for her brother send Angelo into a spiral of lust and he tries to force her to sleep with him in exchange for mercy.
6. The fifth villain is the cruel Goth Queen Tamora from "Titus Andronicus". Tamora eggs on her sons as they kill Bassianus and rape Lavinia, and when Titus apparently goes mad from all he has suffered, she decides to take advantage of his madness by appearing in the form of an ancient figure that he might enjoy meeting. Which mythological/archetypal figure does she pretend to be?

Answer: Revenge

Tamora takes on the persona of "Revenge" towards the end of the play, and her sons Chiron and Demetrius play the parts of "Rape" and "Murder", acts that one might be revenged upon. Titus pretends to go along with her game since he's "mad" but then immediately reveals that he was not so blind to their true identities after all.
7. Villain number four is Edmund from "King Lear," a figure whose fraternal cruelty rivals even that of Claudius. Who does Edmund set against his poor brother Edgar?

Answer: His father, the Duke of Gloucester

Edmund manages to convince his father Gloucester that Edgar is plotting against him to inherit his land/money earlier than his father's natural death. Gloucester is so upset by this, he disinherits Edgar in favor of Edmund (the bastard, and thus not a default choice to inherit in less extreme scenarios). Edgar ends up on the run for his life while he is suspected of this treason.
8. The third villain is Aaron, the queen's lover and arch-schemer in "Titus Andronicus". While much of his scheming seems aimed at helping Chiron, Demetrius, and Tamora support their villainous aims, he does have a few things he does purely for his own amusement. For example, when Titus' two sons are going to be executed, what does Aaron tell Titus to do to save them from their fate?

Answer: Cut off one of his hands and send it to the Emperor

Titus is told that, if he sends a hand to the Emperor, his sons will be saved from their impending execution. After arguing with his son Lucius and his brother Marcus over who will send their hand, he tricks them into leaving him alone so he can do the deed himself. Aaron laughs his way offstage, knowing that there is no offer to save Titus' convicted sons.
9. The second villain is the one with arguably the highest body count to his credit - the eponymous Richard III. He's a brutal, manipulative power player whose presence on the political scene is highly divisive. He is most able to apply his skill in situations when he gets to work with those who like him, and also his family. What cruelty does he NOT inflict upon his family?

Answer: He kills his father on the battlefield when they were fighting on the same side

Richard has quite the resume - at the start of his play, he crafts a plot to have his brother King Edward IV suspect their other brother the Duke of Clarence of conspiracy to kill Edward's children. While Clarence is in prison, Richard has him killed before Edward can reconsider.

He then has Edward's sons (his nephews) killed. He also makes sure that the Queen's non-royal family (her brother Rivers and son Grey) are killed as well, to cut down on her support base. Richard, however, never disrespected or went against his father in any way.
10. The number one villain is that monster of jealousy, Iago from "Othello." Iago's evil is very focused, only affecting a few people directly, but he makes up for his lack of quantity with breathtaking quality. He uses people as his tools. Which is a complete list of people who he influences to physically assault or kill other people?

Answer: Roderigo, Cassio and Othello

Iago convinces Othello to kill Desdemona, even supplying for Othello the method by which he should do it (smother her in her bed). He also directs Roderigo to attack Cassio in the streets in Act Five, hoping for their deaths. Earlier, he gets Cassio drunk over Cassio's protests that he doesn't want to drink, knowing of Cassio's drunken tendency to brawl.
Source: Author merylfederman

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor looney_tunes before going online.
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