William Shakespeare Scavenger Hunt

Answer as many questions as you can about the life and times of William Shakespeare

Starting with the basics… Group ONE (#1-6)

1. Where was Shakespeare born? Baptized?

2. Who were his parents?

3. What was his father’s occupation?

4. Who did Shakespeare marry?

5. How many kids did he have? What were their names?

6. When did Shakespeare arrive in London?

Group TWO (#7-12)

7. To what acting company did Shakespeare belong?

8. What was the title of his first play?

9. How many plays did he write? How many sonnets?

10. On what play do many scholars believe Othello is based?

11. Approximately how many different words did Shakespeare utilize (or create) in

the English Language?

12. When did Shakespeare die?

Now presenting in the Globe Theater… Group THREE (#13-18)

13. When was the Globe Theater built?

14. Where was it located?

15. When did it burn down? How did the fire start?

16. Briefly describe how the audience was divided and arranged for performances.

17. How many people could the Globe hold for a performance?

18. Who performed there? Who played the female roles in the play?

A few miscellaneous tidbits about London and theatre… Group FOUR (#19-24)

19. Briefly describe the difference between a comedy and a tragedy.

20. Some people do not think that Shakespeare wrote the plays accredited to his

name. Who do some people believe wrote Shakespeare’s plays?

21. Approximately how many people lived in London (its city proper & suburbs) in

1600?

22. How big was the largest city in Europe? Which city was it?

23. What was the Bubonic Plague? How many people did it kill? What effect did it

have on the public theater?

24. What are the four humors? Briefly describe each one.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the Queen of England… Group FIVE (#25-30)

25. List the order of monarch who reigned during Shakespeare’s life.

26. Why did Henry VIII create the Church of England?

27. Under which monarch did England temporarily return to Catholicism?

28. Why didn’t Queen Elizabeth marry while she held the throne?

29. How was Mary Queen of Scots related to Elizabeth? Why was she executed?

30. About which monarchs did Shakespeare write history plays?

A bit about Romeo & Juliet… Group SIX (#31-36)

31. What type of play is Romeo & Juliet considered to be (genre)?

32. What is the setting of Romeo & Juliet?

33. Explain “Iambic Pentameter.”

34. What does the term “star-crossed lovers” mean?

35. Besides R&J, which other play is considered to be one of Shakespeare’s “most

performed?”

36. What is the date that the play was first published?

GROUP PRESENTATION NOTES

GROUP ONE:

GROUP TWO:

GROUP THREE:

GROUP FOUR:

GROUP FIVE:

GROUP SIX: