Why That's My Spirit Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Tempest

'The Tempest' is believed to have been written between late 1610 and mid 1611 and is regarded as one of the last plays Shakespeare wrote. In the play Prospero and his daughter Miranda are living on a remote island, having been exiled by Prospero's brother Antonio.

At the start of the play Prospero conjures a storm which leads to his brother's ship being wrecked on the island and Prospero proceeds to trick and torment his brother and his followers. Ariel is a spirit who inhabits the island and is bound to assist Prospero after Prospero released him from a tree he was trapped in. Prospero uses Ariel to assist him in his tormenting of Antonio and his retinue.

Answer: Father

'Hamlet' is set in Denmark and is the longest play written by Shakespeare. In Act 1 of the play a ghost appears on the battlements of the castle and tells Hamlet that it is the ghost of his father and that he was murdered by Hamlet's uncle Claudius who is now the king.

The rest of the play sees Hamlet pretending to be mad while he tries to find out if the ghost is telling the truth and to take revenge on his uncle.

Answer: Puck

'A Midsummer Night's Dream' is a comedy by Shakespeare set in and around the city of Athens in Greece. In Elizabethan England, the time that Shakespeare was writing his plays, Puck was believed to be a mischievous fairy type character who would play pranks on people such as misdirecting travellers or turning milk sour.

The name Robin Goodfellow was an alternative name in England for the sprite Puck and that is likely why Shakespeare used both names in the play. In 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' Puck serves Oberon, the King of the Fairies, who uses him to carry out many of the pranks he plays on the other characters including, most famously, giving a donkey's head to the character Bottom.

Answer: Romeo and Juliet

'Romeo and Juliet' is a tragedy by Shakespeare with a plot based on an Italian story that was first translated into English in a verse version in 1562. Mercutio is a close friend of Romeo, related to Paris who Juliet's father wants her to marry. Referred to as "the fairies' midwife", Queen Mab is supposed to play tricks on sleepers and give birth to their dreams, both pleasant and unpleasant. Mercutio's speech in Act 1 Scene 4 of 'Romeo and Juliet' describes the many facets of the night time visions that can be brought by Queen Mab.

Answer: Richard III

'Richard III' is one of Shakespeare's history plays (although a few sources list it as a tragedy instead) and is based on Richard of York's attempts to become King of England and his rule once he does so. Although it is labelled as a history play there are a large number of historical inaccuracies in the play, some of which are down to the source material Shakespeare used and some due to artistic license.

In the final Act of the play, before the Battle of Bosworth Field, Richard is visited in his sleep by the ghosts of those he has killed or had ordered to be killed while trying to take and keep the throne.

Answer: A Midsummer Night's Dream

The majority of the plot of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' centres around a group of four young lovers and a group of amateur actors who find themselves being manipulated by various fairy characters in a magical forest. The fairies Peaseblossom, Cobweb, Moth and Mustardseed are minor characters who are servants of the queen of the fairies.

Answer: Falstaff

'The Merry Wives of Windsor' is one of Shakespeare's comedies. The play features the character of Sir John Falstaff, who also appears in the earlier plays 'Henry IV Part i' and 'Henry IV Part ii', where he often leads the young Prince Hal into trouble.

In 'The Merry Wives of Windsor' Falstaff tries to woo two wealthy married women in order to get money from them and alleviate his financial troubles. The women find out about Falstaff's intentions and decide to play along and play tricks on Falstaff in order to get their revenge and have fun.

Answer: Julius Caesar

The play 'Julius Caesar' revolves around the murder of the Roman leader Julius Caesar. Although the play is named for Caesar, the main character is actually Brutus, who joins the conspiracy to murder Caesar led by Cassius. After Caesar's murder the conspirators are driven from Rome and end up at war against Mark Antony and Octavius, Caesar's adopted son. Caesar's ghost appears to Brutus on the eve of a battle and warns him he will lose the battle and be killed. Brutus does lose the battle and commits suicide.

Answer: Titania

In 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' Titania is queen of the fairies and the wife of Oberon. In the play the two are in disagreement over who should be allowed to keep a changeling boy and it is as a result of this argument that the various mishaps of the play occur. Oberon gives Titania a potion which means she will fall in love with the first creature she sees; this creature ends up being the character Bottom, who has been given the head of donkey by Puck, and this encounter is responsible for a lot of the comedy in the play.

Answer: Banquo

'Macbeth' is one of Shakespeare's tragedies and is believed to have first been performed in 1606. The plot revolves around the murder of King Duncan by Macbeth in order that Macbeth might become King of Scotland, an idea put into his mind by the prophecy of three witches. Later in the play Macbeth also has Banquo murdered as he sees him as a threat to his power. During a dinner Banquo's ghost appears only to Macbeth, and Macbeth's terror and anger alarm the other guests.

It is this ghostly encounter that ultimately sets in motion the events of the play that lead to Macbeth's undoing.