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William Shakespeare is the most tested author in BCS English Literature. Questions focus on play classification (tragedy/comedy/history), famous quotations matched to plays, character identification, and biographical facts. Expect 2–4 questions per exam from this topic alone.
| Play | Theme | Key Characters |
|---|---|---|
| Hamlet | Revenge, indecision | Hamlet, Ophelia, Claudius, Gertrude |
| Macbeth | Ambition, guilt | Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, Three Witches |
| Othello | Jealousy, betrayal | Othello, Desdemona, Iago (villain) |
| King Lear | Filial ingratitude | Lear, Cordelia, Goneril, Regan |
| Romeo & Juliet | Love, fate, family feud | Romeo, Juliet, Mercutio, Tybalt |
| Julius Caesar | Political betrayal | Caesar, Brutus, Cassius, Antony |
| Play | Key Detail |
|---|---|
| The Merchant of Venice | Shylock (Jewish moneylender), Portia |
| As You Like It | Forest of Arden, pastoral comedy |
| The Tempest | Shakespeare's last play, Prospero |
| Twelfth Night | Disguise, mistaken identity |
| A Midsummer Night's Dream | Fairies, Puck, love confusion |
| The Taming of the Shrew | Katherine and Petruchio |
| Much Ado About Nothing | Beatrice and Benedick |
| Quote | Play |
|---|---|
| "To be, or not to be: that is the question" | Hamlet |
| "Frailty, thy name is woman" | Hamlet |
| "Brevity is the soul of wit" | Hamlet |
| "Something is rotten in the state of Denmark" | Hamlet |
| "Good night, good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow" | Romeo & Juliet |
| "What's in a name? That which we call a rose..." | Romeo & Juliet |
| "Fair is foul, and foul is fair" | Macbeth |
| "Out, out, brief candle! Life's but a walking shadow" | Macbeth |
| "Et tu, Brute?" | Julius Caesar |
| "Cowards die many times before their deaths" | Julius Caesar |
| "Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears" | Julius Caesar |
| "The quality of mercy is not strained" | The Merchant of Venice |
| "Love is blind" | The Merchant of Venice |
| "All that glitters is not gold" | The Merchant of Venice |
| "All the world's a stage" | As You Like It |
| "We are such stuff as dreams are made on" | The Tempest |
| "The course of true love never did run smooth" | A Midsummer Night's Dream |
| "Sweet are the uses of adversity" | As You Like It |
4 Great Tragedies — HOMK: Hamlet, Othello, Macbeth, King Lear
Merchant of Venice has 3 famous quotes: Quality of mercy + Love is blind + All that glitters
Hamlet has the most quotes in BCS: To be or not to be + Frailty thy name is woman + Brevity is soul of wit
Last play = Tempest (T for Terminal/Tempest)
Birth & Death same date: April 23 — just remember one date!
Q1. "To be, or not to be" — this famous soliloquy is from — (a) Macbeth (b) Othello (c) Hamlet (d) King Lear Answer: (c) Hamlet — Spoken by Prince Hamlet in Act 3, Scene 1, contemplating life and death.
Q2. Which Shakespeare play features the character Shylock? (a) Othello (b) The Merchant of Venice (c) Twelfth Night (d) The Tempest Answer: (b) The Merchant of Venice — Shylock is the Jewish moneylender who demands a "pound of flesh."
Q3. Shakespeare's last play is — (a) Hamlet (b) King Lear (c) The Tempest (d) Macbeth Answer: (c) The Tempest — Written around 1611, it is considered Shakespeare's farewell to the stage. Prospero is the main character.
Q4. "All the world's a stage" appears in — (a) Hamlet (b) The Tempest (c) Twelfth Night (d) As You Like It Answer: (d) As You Like It — The famous "Seven Ages of Man" speech by Jacques.
Q5. Shakespeare was born in — (a) London (b) Canterbury (c) Stratford-upon-Avon (d) Oxford Answer: (c) Stratford-upon-Avon — He is also called the "Bard of Avon."