The Show Must Go On With This Quiz on Shakespeare Plays

Aldous Huxley’s 1932 novel has countless nods to Shakespeare, but the titular reference is from the Bard’s final play, "The Tempest" (1611). The original line “How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world, / That has such people in't!” is spoken by the island dweller Miranda when she encounters humans from a distant land.

If your name is Jessica, you probably have William Shakespeare to thank. Though there's no way of knowing whether Shakespeare made up the name himself, his play "The Merchant of Venice" is believed to be the oldest written document that includes the name "Jessica" in print. The name seems to be an anglicization of the Hebrew name "Iskah," which was translated as "Jeska" in Bibles of Shakespeare's time.

King Lear makes a decision that will have a ripple effect throughout his life when he divides his kingdom between two of his daughters, banishing the third. The banishment of Cordelia begins a period of turmoil in the kingdom. The story ends in war and tragedy for King Lear and his entire family, as he dies, blinded, holding his banished daughter in his arms.

After Viola pretends to be her twin brother, Sebastian, to work for Duke Orsino, the duke's love interest, Countess Olivia, falls in love with her, believing her to be Sebastian. Meanwhile, Viola is falling in love with the duke, who also believes her to be her brother. Naturally, when the real Sebastian arrives, chaos and confusion ensue.

Antonio takes out a loan with Shylock to help his friend court a woman named Portia, but when he can’t repay the loan, Shylock demands a pound of Antonio’s flesh as collateral. Antonio takes Shylock to court over this, but Portia finds a loophole in Shylock’s bond that entitles him only to flesh, not blood, making the demand impossible and thus winning Antonio his case.

The king of France grants Helen permission to marry the countess's son, Bertram, after she heals the king of his illness. Although Helen loves Bertram, he does not feel the same, and he runs away to Italy shortly after their marriage. Bertram sends word to Helen that he will acknowledge their marriage only after she completes certain tasks. Eventually, Helen succeeds in winning Bertram’s approval, and the two end up together, affirming the comedy’s title.

"Much Ado About Nothing" centers around two romantic pairings sparked by the arrival of soldiers in the town of Messina. To welcome them and celebrate the end of the war, the governor, Leonato, holds a masked ball. It's at this event that the engagement of Claudio and Hero, Leonato's daughter, is arranged. The union is not without its obstacles, but the comedy ends happily with a wedding.

Iago is enraged when he is overlooked for a promotion by Othello in Shakespeare’s tragedy “Othello, the Moor of Venice.” The story goes from bad to worse as Iago manipulates Othello, causing him to believe that his wife Desdemona is having an affair. The plot ends in tragedy for all involved as Iago’s web of lies catches up with them.

Puck, a mischievous fairy, plays several pranks throughout "A Midsummer Night's Dream," including replacing the character Nick Bottom's head with the head of a donkey. After taking the form of the barnyard animal, Bottom happens upon the fairy queen Titania, who falls in love with him because he was anointed with magic flower juice from Puck. In the end, though, all of Puck's magic is reversed, and Titania reconciles with her husband, the king.

Considering Shakespeare’s love of histories, it makes sense that he would write a play about one of the most turbulent reigns in England, that of King Henry VIII. "Henry VIII" depicts real-life events from the Tudor era, including the king's multiple marriages, most notably to Anne Boleyn. At the conclusion of the play, Anne gives birth to a daughter, Princess Elizabeth, and the archbishops prophesize that she will be a great ruler.

Denmark’s Kronborg Castle is the real-life location where Shakespeare set his legendary play “Hamlet.” In the text, the Bard referred to the castle as Elsinore, which has become the English name for the town of Helsingør, where the real castle stands. The UNESCO World Heritage Site was originally built in 1420, predating Shakespeare himself, though it has been rebuilt over the years.

In Shakespeare's "Macbeth," the titular Scottish general becomes obsessed with the idea of becoming king after hearing a prophecy from three witches — nicknamed the “Weird Sisters" — that one day he will sit on the throne of Scotland. Lady Macbeth assists her husband in his quest, which leads to Macbeth killing his friend the king and becoming ruler of Scotland. Eventually, however, civil war erupts, leading to a gruesome end for both Macbeth and his wife.

This phrase was immortalized by the play "Julius Caesar," in which it is spoken by a soothsayer to warn Caesar that his life is in danger. The "Ides of March" actually just refers to the 15th of March on the ancient Roman calendar, which was arranged into three “marker” days that were used as reference points for other unnamed days. (The others are the Kalends and the Nones.) Largely thanks to Shakespeare, however, both the saying and the date — March 15, when Caesar was killed — now have a shadowy connotation.

"The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark," more commonly known as just "Hamlet," is a story of revenge. The ghost of the king of Denmark wants his son, Hamlet, to avenge his death by killing his murderer, the king's brother and Hamlet's uncle Claudius. The advice above comes from King Claudius’ chief minister, Polonius, who offers it to his son, Laertes, during Act 1.

"Antony and Cleopatra" is a historical love story about the events that unfolded in the Roman Empire around the year 41 BCE, when Mark Antony, a Roman general, had a legendary love affair with Cleopatra, queen of Egypt. Shakespeare wrote the play around 1606, and it is still one of his most frequently produced shows.

One of Shakespeare’s most famous plays, “Romeo and Juliet” is the tragic love story of a young Italian couple torn apart by their feuding families. Shakespeare published the drama in 1597 as an adaptation of “The Tragedy of Romeus and Juliet,” a 1562 poem by Arthur Brooke. The story takes place in Verona, Italy, which is also the setting for the beginning of the play "The Two Gentlemen of Verona."

"All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players." So begins Jaques' monologue in Act 2, Scene 7 of Shakespeare's comedy "As You Like It." The speech likens a person's life to a performance, and the phases of that life to different "acts." Jaques specifically mentions "seven ages," from the infant to the end of life. The speech has come to be known as "The Seven Ages of Man."

Though Shakespeare himself was English, “The Merry Wives of Windsor” is the only Shakespearean comedy to be set in modern-day England. The play takes place in the late 16th century, around the same time it was written. The locations referenced in the play are found throughout modern-day Windsor, a town that sits between London and Reading.