shakespeare

Question 1

who was W. Shakespeare?

Answer 1

the English poet and playwright (= writer of plays), often described as the greatest writer in the English language

Question 2

where and when was Shakespeare born?

Answer 2

he was born in Stratford -upon - Avon on 23 April 1564.

Question 3

whose son was Shakespeare?

Answer 3

he was the eldest son of a wealthy glove maker and wool merchant

Question 4

which school did Shakespeare attend?

Answer 4

the local grammar school

Question 5

when and who did Shakespeare marry?

Answer 5

he married Anne Hathaway in 1582, and they had 3 children

Question 6

which theatre company (družini) did Shakespeare join and when?

Answer 6

he joined a leading theatre company in London called the Chamberlain’s Men in 1588

Question 7

at which theatre did Shakespeare preform?

Answer 7

the Globe Theatre

Question 8

which of his poems are best known?

Answer 8

The Sonnets, a series of love poems addressed to an unknown man and a dark lady. The poems are famous for their beautiful language and strong emotions

Question 9

when and where did he die?

Answer 9

he died in 1616 in Stratford - upon - Avon

Question 10

how many plays did he write?

Answer 10

36 plays. they are his most famous works and he wrote them for the London stage

Question 11

name 4 of his comedies

Answer 11

The Comedy of Errors, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, As You Like It, Twelfth Night

Question 12

name 4 of his history plays

Answer 12

Richard II, Richard III, Henry IV and Henry V

Question 13

name 4 of his tragedies

Answer 13

Hamlet, Othello, Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet

Question 14

name 2 romances

Answer 14

The Winter’s Tale and The Tempest

Question 15

which 2 plays don’t fit easily into any group?

Answer 15

The Merchant of Venice and Measure for Measure

Question 16

why are his plays admired?

Answer 16

they are admired for their poetic language, dramatic technique and literary style

Question 17

Shakespeare on stage

Answer 17

his plays are regularly staged all over the world. In Britain they are often performed by the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal National Theatre. At the new Globe Theatre, plays are presented in conditions similar to those experienced by audiences in Shakespeare’s time. Many actors consider performing major roles such as Hamlet, Othello and Lady Macbeth to be the height of their stage careers. His plays are constantly being reinterpreted by new generations of theatre directors, but the actors continue to speak their lines in the original Elizabethan English

Question 18

some of his plays have been made into…

Answer 18

operas, musicals and films

Question 19

what is a collection of his plays (zbirka njegovih drama) called?

Answer 19

the First Folio edition –> John Heminge and Henry Condell gathered together all of The Bard’s manuscripts shortly after Shakespeare’s death and printed them into that Folio

Question 20

what is a sonnet?

Answer 20

a poem consisting of 14 lines with rhymes arranged according to one or other of certain definite schemes, of which Petrarchan and the Elizabethan are the principal

Question 21

scheme of rhymes of the sonnets of Shakespeare

Answer 21

a b a b c d c d e f e f g g

Question 22

when were his sonnets printed?

Answer 22

in 1609, but they probably date from the 1590s

Question 23

what are his sonnets about?

Answer 23

most of them trace the course of the writer’s affection for a young man of rank and beauty

Question 24

how many sonnets were there and who issued them?

Answer 24

the complete sequence of 154 sonnets was issued by Thomas Thorpe in 1609 with a dedication to Mr W.H., the onlie begetter of these sonnets

Question 25

who was Mr. W.H.?

Answer 25

he has been identified as William, Lord Herbert or Henry Wriothesley

Question 26

who are star - crossed lovers and why are they called that?

Answer 26

star - crossed lovers are lovers whose relationship is doomed to fail. They are called that because those who believe in astrology claim that the stars control human destiny. William Shakespeare used the phrase to describe the lovers in Romeo and Juliet.

Question 27

why does Juliet compare Romeo’s name with a rose?

Answer 27

she says that a rose would smell as sweet if it were called by some other name. She wants to say that she would love Romeo even if his family wasn’t at war with hers.

Question 28

why are they talking about is it the nightingale that’s singing outside or the lark?

Answer 28

because if it’s the nightingale it would mean that it’s still night outside and Romeo doesn’t have to leave yet, but if it’s the lark it would mean that the day started and he doesn’t have to leave yet. Juliet says it’s nightingale because she doesn’t want Romeo to leave, but when he tells her he will die if he stays, she changes her mind because she doesn’t want him to die.

Question 29

how does Macbeth react to his wife’s death?

Answer 29

he says she should have died hereafter (tommorrow)

Question 30

what does Macbeth say about life?

Answer 30

he says it is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury signifying nothing. His comment on life and its fragility is Out, out, brief candle!

Question 31

what does Prospero say about life?

Answer 31

he says that people are the stuff dreams are built of and that our life is surrounded by sleep. He seems to mean that when we die, we awake from the dream of life into true reality.