Exit Stage Right Trivia Quiz

Answer: April 23, 1564

There are no records of his birth, but we do know that a William Shakespeare was baptized at Stratford-Upon-Avon on April 26, 1564. Scholars consider his birth to be around April 23, 1564. It was customary at the time for newly born children to be baptized three days after their birth.

Answer: Anne Hathaway

At the time of their wedding, Anne Hathaway was eight years older than Shakespeare and already pregnant with their first child, Susanna, born 6 months later. They married in 1582, and had twins Hamnet and Judith three years later in 1585.

Answer: Henry VI, Part One

Determining Shakespeare's first-ever written play is extremely difficult, as there are few written records of their publication. Scholars still debate the chronology, but the plays centered around Henry VI are considered to be some of his earliest works, though the which of the trilogy came first is still widely debated.

Answer: Death of his son, Hamnet

Hamnet was Shakespeare's only son, and the fraternal twin of Judith. He died at age 11, and many scholars wonder if his death influenced Shakespeare's later works- particularly "Hamlet", where the main character shares an extremely similar name to Shakespeare's son.

Answer: Addiction

As with many things related to Shakespeare, scholars still debate the exact amount of words that Shakespeare invented. Some believe he coined upwards of 1,700 words. Other words, such as "assassination" and "hurry" are wrongly attributed to Shakespeare, having been used as early as 1572 and 1588 respectively. Addiction, however, can indeed be traced back to the Bard in his tragedy "Othello".

Answer: The knock knock joke

Bizarre as it may seem, the knock knock joke originates from "Macbeth", in a scene where a drunk porter jokes about being a guard at the gates of Hell as Macduff and Lennox knock on the door of Macbeth's castle. "Good night, sleep tight" comes from the age where ropes were used to prevent a mattress on a bed from drooping during the night, and would be tightened before bed. "Get off your high horse" originates from medieval England, where those of higher status had larger horses. Finally, "cross my heart and hope to die" comes from religious superstition: an oath of sorts relating to the sign of the cross.

Answer: Sonnet 18

"Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" is the opening line of Shakespeare's Sonnet 18, where the speaker boasts that his beloved is far more beautiful than the short summer. Sonnet 14 begins "Not form the stars do I my judgment pluck," and the speaker waxes poetic of how his lover is where he gets all of his knowledge... and continues to say that if his lover doesn't want to have children, then he's not interested. Sonnet 12, starting with "When I consider everything that grows holds in perfection but a little moment," compares the vitality yet fleetingness of youth with the inevitability of death. And lastly, William Shakespeare wrote only 154 sonnets, thus Sonnet 159 is nonexistent.

Answer: A fire caused by a misfired cannon

During a performance of "Henry the Eighth" on June 29, 1613, a cannon misfire caused the mostly wooden theatre to erupt into flames. Though the original construction plans of the Globe are unknown, a replica was built and opened in 1997 near where the original theatre stood.

Answer: The Tempest

Though Shakespeare did co-write a play titled "The Two Noble Kinsmen" with John Fletcher in 1613, the last play he wrote by himself was "The Tempest" in 1610 or 1611. He wrote the play five years before his death in 1616.

Answer: It is regarded as his 52nd birthday

Interestingly enough, Shakespeare indeed died on what scholars believe was his 52nd birthday: April 23, 1616. His wife, Anne, outlived him, dying on August 6, 1623, at the age of 67. His eldest daughter, Susanna, died in 1649 at the age of 66, and Judith, Hamnet's surviving twin, died at the age of 77 in 1662.

By a remarkable coincidence, Miguel de Cervantes also died on 23 April 1616.