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Quiz about Interesting Footnotes from History and the Arts

Interesting "Footnotes" from History and the Arts Quiz

This will probably be a difficult quiz for most - but it will also (hopefully) be entertaining and informative.

A multiple-choice quiz by robert362. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
robert362

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
96,863

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Difficult

Avg Score
5 / 10

Plays
740

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. "Our American Cousin" was the play that Abraham Lincoln was watching at Ford's Theatre on the night that he was killed. What type of play was it? Hint

Tragedy

Historical

Musical

Comedy

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. In "Hamlet", the famous "play within a play" device is used. What was the name of the "play within a play" that Hamlet arranged to have performed for the king? Hint

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead

Volpone

The Spanish Tragedy

The Murder of Gonzago

3. In Edward Albee's "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf", Martha (the character played by Elizabeth Taylor) imitates Bette Davis by reciting a line from one of Davis' movies: "what a dump"! In what movie does Davis utter that famous line? Hint

The Little Foxes

Jezebel

Beyond the Forest

Dark Victory

NEXT>

Question 4 of 10

4. In Edgar Allan Poe's "Lenore", there is a reference made to Guy De Vere. Who is he? Hint

A personal acquaintance of Poe's

A historical figure

A reference to a literary character

A fictional name made up by Poe

NEXT>

Question 5 of 10

5. John Dillinger was killed outside the Biograph Theatre (thanks to a trap by "the lady in red"). What was playing? Hint

Musical comedy

War movie

Gangster movie

Love story

NEXT>

Question 6 of 10

6. George Harrison was sued (successfully) for plagiarism. What song did he supposedly plagiarize when he wrote "My Sweet Lord"? Hint

Love Me Tonight

You're My World

He's So Fine

Happy Heart

NEXT>

Question 7 of 10

7. Lee Harvey Oswald was captured in the Texas Theatre. What was playing? Hint

Gangster movie

War movie

Musical comedy

Love story

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. It is believed that Shakespeare's "Hamlet" may have been based (in part) on another literary "Hamlet" that has been lost to us. Who is believed to have been the author of this earlier version? Hint

Ben Jonson

Christopher Marlowe

John Webster

Thomas Kyd

NEXT>

Question 9 of 10

9. "West Side Story" is often discussed when one speaks of what is - and is not - plagiarism. What is the "companion" work that is mentioned? Hint

Romeo and Juliet

A Midsummer Night's Dream

The Tempest

The Taming of the Shrew

NEXT>

Question 10 of 10

10. In "The Maltese Falcon", the title figure is described in the movie
as a jeweled statuette that was offered as a royal tribute several centuries earlier. What is the basis for this tale? Hint

Historical fact

References from literature of the time

Popular legend

Fictional device for the sake of the story

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. "Our American Cousin" was the play that Abraham Lincoln was watching at Ford's Theatre on the night that he was killed. What type of play was it?

Answer: Comedy

It starred a well-known actress of the day, Laura Keene. Booth, an actor, knew the play well - and knew when certain lines of dialogue would elicit laughter from the audience (and would muffle the sound of his gunshot).

2. In "Hamlet", the famous "play within a play" device is used. What was the name of the "play within a play" that Hamlet arranged to have performed for the king?

Answer: The Murder of Gonzago

The other choices are by other authors: "Volpone" is by Ben Jonson and "Tragedy" is by Thomas Kyd. These are contemporaries of Shakespeare."R&G" refers to characters in "Hamlet" and is a more recent work by Tom Stoppard. (There was apparently no actual play entitled "The Murder of Gonzago".)

Answer: Beyond the Forest

All the choices are Davis movies.

4. In Edgar Allan Poe's "Lenore", there is a reference made to Guy De Vere. Who is he?

Answer: A fictional name made up by Poe

It seems that the name simply serves a poetic purpose: "And Guy De Vere, hast thou no tear?" Guy De Vere does not seem to exist. (There was an Edward De Vere who some have suggested actually wrote Shakespeare's works - but that's another story - and a different quiz.)

5. John Dillinger was killed outside the Biograph Theatre (thanks to a trap by "the lady in red"). What was playing?

Answer: Gangster movie

"Manhattan Melodrama" starring Clark Gable. Dillinger experienced a a real life melodrama - but it did not take place in Manhattan.

6. George Harrison was sued (successfully) for plagiarism. What song did he supposedly plagiarize when he wrote "My Sweet Lord"?

Answer: He's So Fine

Plagiarism does not require intent to plagiarize - only that the "theft" occurs - even if unintentional. ("World" was sung by Cilla Black. "Heart" was done by both Andy Williams and Petula Clark.
"Love" was a hit for Tom Jones.)

7. Lee Harvey Oswald was captured in the Texas Theatre. What was playing?

Answer: War movie

Van Heflin starred in the main movie. (It was a double feature.)

8. It is believed that Shakespeare's "Hamlet" may have been based (in part) on another literary "Hamlet" that has been lost to us. Who is believed to have been the author of this earlier version?

Answer: Thomas Kyd

Shakespeare did not create all his plots from thin air - he borrowed from other sources. Kyd, a prominent and talented contemporary of the Bard's (and author of "Spanish Tragedy") is said to have written a prior "Hamlet" of his own.

9. "West Side Story" is often discussed when one speaks of what is - and is not - plagiarism. What is the "companion" work that is mentioned?

Answer: Romeo and Juliet

Instead of Montagues and Capulets, it's Jets and Sharks.

10. In "The Maltese Falcon", the title figure is described in the movie as a jeweled statuette that was offered as a royal tribute several centuries earlier. What is the basis for this tale?

Answer: Fictional device for the sake of the story

There is no indication that any such statuette was ever offered as tribute (or for any other reason). Dashiell Hammett made up the story for purposes of his plot - and it worked nicely.

Source: Author robert362

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