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Shakespeare Limericks Trivia Quiz

Can you identify the Shakespeare plays from the limericks below? Read the limerick and type in the name of the play!

A multiple-choice quiz by Islingtonian. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
Islingtonian

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
73,050

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
5

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
4 / 5

Plays
4986

Awards
Top 20% Quiz

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 5

1. There once was a lunatic Dane ... Whose father was horribly slain ... His mum married the swine ... Who'd committed the crime ... And his girl ended up in a drain.

Answer: (One Word)

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Question 2 of 5

2. There was a Syracusian twin ... who got mixed up with his own kin ... It caused hundreds of smiles ... in the Globe Theatre's aisles ... but the humour's now wearing quite thin.

Answer: (Four words (or three if you take off 'The' or 'A'))

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Question 3 of 5

3. There once was a murderous Scot ... A friend of the king he was not ... He slew his best friend ... but got killed at the end ... and his wife went as mad as a pot.

Answer: (One Word)

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Question 4 of 5

4. There once was a crazy old fool ... whose daughters were terribly cruel ... and due to his pride ... the whole lot of them died ... but that's a victory for the gene pool

Answer: (Two Words)

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Question 5 of 5

5. There once was a woman called Kate ... who made all her suitors irate ... but then one of the guys ... cut her right down to size ... feminism came centuries too late.

Answer: (5 Words)

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. There once was a lunatic Dane ... Whose father was horribly slain ... His mum married the swine ... Who'd committed the crime ... And his girl ended up in a drain.

Answer: Hamlet

I think the limerick format really brings out the tragedy, don't you?

2. There was a Syracusian twin ... who got mixed up with his own kin ... It caused hundreds of smiles ... in the Globe Theatre's aisles ... but the humour's now wearing quite thin.

Answer: The Comedy of Errors

Not all of Shakespeare's jokes have stood the test of time.

3. There once was a murderous Scot ... A friend of the king he was not ... He slew his best friend ... but got killed at the end ... and his wife went as mad as a pot.

Answer: Macbeth

I'll accept 'The Scottish Play' as an answer in case any players are superstitious.

4. There once was a crazy old fool ... whose daughters were terribly cruel ... and due to his pride ... the whole lot of them died ... but that's a victory for the gene pool

Answer: King Lear

Unlike some plays, the message that there's no fool like an old fool is timeless.

5. There once was a woman called Kate ... who made all her suitors irate ... but then one of the guys ... cut her right down to size ... feminism came centuries too late.

Answer: The Taming of the Shrew

Whatever Shakespeare's virtues, some of his plays didn't do a great deal for feminism (although he did redeem himself a bit with Portia in "The Merchant of Venice".

Source: Author Islingtonian

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