Quiz on Shakespeare sonnets






Shakespearean Sonnets Quiz 


Shakespeare's sonnets were first published in 1609. But there is an earlier reference to the sonnets in the book "Palladis Tamia, Wit's Treasury," by Francis Meres in 1598. What word does Meres use to describe the sonnets?

 Powerful
 Lyrical
 Secret
 Sugared


2. Although Shakespeare's sonnets were not published until 1609, two of them had previously appeared in which 1599 anthology?

 The Model of Poesy
 The Passionate Pilgrim
 The Countess of Pembroke's Arcadia
 A Divine Century of Spiritual Sonnets


3. In 1609, Thomas Thorpe published "Shake-Speares Sonnets" and noted that they were "Never before Imprinted." How many sonnets appear in the book?

 100
 201
 123
 154


4. One thing that has puzzled scholars for centuries is Thomas Thorpe's dedication, which reads as follows: "To the only begetter of these insuing sonnets Mr. W.H. all happinesse and that eternitie promised by our ever-living poet wisheth the well-wishing adventurer in setting forth T.T." T.T. are the initials of the publisher, Thomas Thorpe. Why is the phrase "ever-living poet" considered particularly unusual?

 It implies that the author is dead
 It usually refered only to Greek or Roman poets
 It occurs in no other dedication of the time
 It most often refered to female writers


5. A Shakespearean sonnet consists of three quatrains written in iambic pentameter, with a concluding couplet, and a rhyme scheme of abab cdcd efef gg. Do all of the sonnets conform to this pattern?

 Yes
 No


6. Many of the sonnets appear to be addressed to a woman. What is she popularly known as?

 The Secret Mistress
 The Lady of the Lake
 The Lady of the Sonnets
 The Dark Lady


7. Sonnets 78 through 86 appear to be addressed to another writer. What is he usually called?

 The Divine Muse
 The Rival Poet
 The Gifted Adversary
 The Literary Foe


8. The sonnets seem to be highly personal and autobiographical. They talk of disgrace, exile, and betrayal. Why is this a problem for some scholars?

 None of the events can be connected to Shakespeare's life
 They show Shakespeare in a poor light
 It was unusual for poets to write about their personal lives
 They are in conflict with the themes of his plays


9. In 1994, A.D. "Dolly" Wraight published a book called "The Story That the Sonnets Tell." She claimed that the publisher, Thomas Thorpe, had deliberately rearranged the order of the sonnets to create confusion. Had they been published in the proper order, the true author would have been immediately apparent. Rejecting Shakespeare as the author, who did Wraight claim had written the sonnets?

 Francis Bacon
 Ben Jonson
 Christopher Marlowe
 The Earl of Oxford


10. Was "Shake-Speares Sonnets" a "best seller"?

 Yes
 No

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