Shakespearean Tragedy Quiz

What type of plays did the Greeks and Shakespeare differ in terms of violence?

• Comedies

• Tragedies

• Histories

• Romances

What were the staging conventions of Elizabethan drama?

• Offstage violence

• Minimalist sets

• Wireless headset mics

• Sumptuous costumes

What did actors in Shakespeare's company have to do besides acting?

• Sing and dance

• Write scripts

• Design sets

• Sell tickets

What did actors receive instead of the full script?

• Pages of lines and cues

• Character descriptions

• Scene breakdowns

• Stage directions

According to Hamlet, how should actors deliver their lines?

• Yell and gesticulate wildly

• Mouth the words dramatically

• Speak trippingly on the tongue

• Saw the air with their hands

What were the main features of the outdoor Elizabethan playhouse?

• Large stage with elaborate sets

• Indoor seating for the audience

• Wireless headset mics for actors

• Semi-circular seating and a pit

What is a defining characteristic of Shakespearean tragedies?

• Happy endings

• Lack of action

• Simple language

• Mix of seriousness and merriment

What is Shakespeare's innovation in constructing tragic heroes?

• Making them completely evil

• Giving them no redeeming qualities

• Putting thesis and antithesis into a single character

• Making them morally ambiguous

What is the main theme explored in Shakespeare's tragedies?

• The power of fate

• The importance of revenge

• The struggle between good and evil

• The complexities of human nature

What Shakespearean Tragedy will we be studying?

• Hamlet

• MacBeth

• King Lear

• Romeo and Juliet