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Quiz about Legend of Shakespeare  Sonnet II
Quiz about Legend of Shakespeare  Sonnet II

Legend of Shakespeare - Sonnet II Quiz


Shakespeare wrote a total of 154 sonnets in his career. This quiz only covers one of these, Sonnet II.

A multiple-choice quiz by salami_swami. Estimated time: 4 mins.
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Author
salami_swami
Time
4 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
364,468
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
7 / 10
Plays
306
Awards
Top 20% Quiz
Last 3 plays: Trivia_Fan54 (5/10), aisha999 (6/10), Guest 192 (7/10).
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Question 1 of 10
1. "When forty winters shall besiege thy brow."

The first verse of this sonnet is referring to which of these events?
Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. "And dig deep _____ in thy beauty's field."

A word belongs in the space, referring to a depression of the earth. Exactly what word belongs here?
Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. "Thy youth's proud livery so gazed on now."

What is the livery being discussed here?
Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. "Will be a totter'd weed of small worth held."

The tottered weed is referring to a certain item. What is it?
Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. "Then being masked, where all thy beauty lies."

A word in this verse has been changed. Which is incorrect, and what should it be?
Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. "To say, within thine own deep _____ eyes."

The eyes are no longer perky and alert. Which of these terms fills the blank?
Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. "Were an all-eating shame, and thriftless praise."

Thriftless praise is not a commonly used term anymore; what meaning does it have?
Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. "If thou couldst answer 'This ___
___ ___
___.'"

Continuing an answer to a question asked in an earlier line, this line can be finished with which four words?
Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. "Proving his beauty by succession thine!"

What word should be changed to make this line correct?
Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. "And see thy _____ warm when thou feel'st it cold."

Everything seems to be cold in old age (it should be called cold age), but which of these specifically was being discussed here?
Hint



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Most Recent Scores
Mar 22 2024 : Trivia_Fan54: 5/10
Feb 21 2024 : aisha999: 6/10
Feb 20 2024 : Guest 192: 7/10
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Score Distribution

quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. "When forty winters shall besiege thy brow." The first verse of this sonnet is referring to which of these events?

Answer: Aging

Interestingly, though Shakespeare uses a warfare term (besiege), he is actually referring to aging. The sonnet looks ahead to a time when he is older. It is possible the reference of forty winters meant the adding of forty years to the then-twenty-year-old, making this sonnet about Shakespeare at sixty.

However, in the times he lived, forty could have been considered old, so he may also be referring to the time he reaches forty winters (as opposed to referring to forty more winters).
2. "And dig deep _____ in thy beauty's field." A word belongs in the space, referring to a depression of the earth. Exactly what word belongs here?

Answer: Trenches

This is possibly another war-related term, when an army would dig trenches under enemy walls. However, it could also be an agricultural reference, when furrows would be dug during ploughing. In either case, the line is a metaphor for the wrinkles on an old man's face (trenches in a beauty field). Certainly wrinkles seem bad enough; calling them trenches sounds outrageous!
3. "Thy youth's proud livery so gazed on now." What is the livery being discussed here?

Answer: Uniform

A livery was a uniform worn by servants, typically in a nobleman's house. The uniform could be quite extravagant, as a sign of the nobleman's wealth. The line here is describing the youthful clothing now worn, as it has become old along with the person.
4. "Will be a totter'd weed of small worth held." The tottered weed is referring to a certain item. What is it?

Answer: Old clothing

Thy proud livery has now become a totter'd weed. This is indicating that the once youthful apparel has now gotten old and tattered. Perhaps this is a way of describing life itself, once so young and fresh, then old and worn and wrinkly.

Of course, totter'd in this context is simply an old way of spelling tattered, and weeds in Shakespeare's time referred to clothing.
5. "Then being masked, where all thy beauty lies." A word in this verse has been changed. Which is incorrect, and what should it be?

Answer: Masked should be asked

This line is indeed asking a question, but at a future time. "When it's asked, 'where has all the beauty gone?'" Again a line about aging, this one really delves deep into the mind of an aging man. The question shows a man reflecting on his life, which now seemed so short.

In essence, one could look back through their years and wonder where the time had gone (where did all the beauty lie?).
6. "To say, within thine own deep _____ eyes." The eyes are no longer perky and alert. Which of these terms fills the blank?

Answer: Sunken

In answer to previous lines of the sonnet (to say, when asked), the response begins with sunken eyes. This could be a reference to the aging process, when the eyes are no longer youthful in appearance. This is possibly alluding to the thought of the youth of an old man only being apparent in the eyes. Though the eyes are deep in the sockets, it is the place you peer to see the youth that once was.

After all, the eyes are the window to the soul (and no one truly ages in the mind).
7. "Were an all-eating shame, and thriftless praise." Thriftless praise is not a commonly used term anymore; what meaning does it have?

Answer: Undeserving self-commendation

An all-eating shame refers to such a shame that all sense of right and decorum is lost. The thriftless praise is referring to self-commendation that is not warranted, and possibly even damaging to oneself.

As an example, I could say "I'm the best dang quiz author FunTrivia has ever known!" But this thriftless praise could cause a few correction notices saying how wrong I am about the subject. My self-praise of myself would end up damaging my reputation, most likely.
8. "If thou couldst answer 'This ___ ___ ___ ___.'" Continuing an answer to a question asked in an earlier line, this line can be finished with which four words?

Answer: Fair child of mine

The line refers to having offspring. In one's old age, it can be quite rewarding to have a child to continue the family lineage. The line here shows the importance of having such a child; it is saying, in effect, "if only one can answer 'this is my child'".

The line is also referring to beauty once again. The man would pass his beauty on to his offspring, and this child could then be praised for that beauty. It would start the cycle over; that beautiful child could then have offspring of his own to continue to pass down the youthful beauty.
9. "Proving his beauty by succession thine!" What word should be changed to make this line correct?

Answer: Nothing should be changed

This line again refers to an offspring and his lineage. Through this new child, one's beauty is, in a way, continued. This means that the child proves himself as a successful heir to the old man's beauty.

Not only would the offspring continue the beauty, it would also prove, so to speak, the beauty the old man once had. This is saying, then, that due to the beautiful appearance of a son, the father must have been quite beautiful in his younger days as well (though we have established that he is now old and wrinkly).
10. "And see thy _____ warm when thou feel'st it cold." Everything seems to be cold in old age (it should be called cold age), but which of these specifically was being discussed here?

Answer: Blood

In Shakespeare's time, cold blood was believed to accompany old age. The line is suggesting that, through the old man's offspring, he could, in effect, be renewed in his old age. His blood would be warm once again.

As a treat, the entire sonnet can be read below.

"When forty winters shall besiege thy brow,
And dig deep trenches in thy beauty's field,
Thy youth's proud livery so gazed on now,
Will be a totter'd weed of small worth held:
Then being asked, where all thy beauty lies,
Where all the treasure of thy lusty days;
To say, within thine own deep sunken eyes,
Were an all-eating shame, and thriftless praise.
How much more praise deserv'd thy beauty's use,
If thou couldst answer 'This fair child of mine
Shall sum my count, and make my old excuse,'
Proving his beauty by succession thine!
This were to be new made when thou art old,
And see thy blood warm when thou feel'st it cold."
Source: Author salami_swami

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