Quiz: How Fast Can You Name the Plays of William Shakespeare?

As one of the most famous and influential authors of all time, everyone at least knows a play or two written by William Shakespeare. From Romeo and Juliet to Macbeth, his works have transcended literature and become a mainstay in culture—from the words we speak to the movies we watch and more. Consider yourself an expert on the Bard? Take Sporcle’s quiz below, which tests your knowledge of his works with a 10-minute time limit:

Were you able to get a perfect score in less than 10 minutes, or did that time limit trip you up? Refresh the page and try again if you were disappointed with your results, and be sure to share the quiz with your Shakespeare-obsessed friends to see how they do!

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Beyond reading Shakespeare’s works in school or hearing references to the author throughout everyday life, another reason people are so familiar with the English playwright is because of the many movie adaptations we’ve seen. There are plenty of titles you’ve watched that you probably didn’t even realize were inspired by Shakespeare’s works.

Popular Shakespeare Adaptations

Of course, Romeo and Juliet has been adapted for the screen many times, including the Oscar-nominated 1936 film by George Cukor, the Oscar-winning 1968 version by Franco Zeffirelli, the Oscar-nominated 1996 reimagining by Baz Luhrmann, and the more recent 2014 adaptation by Carlo Carlei. The titular characters are some of the most iconic of all fiction, but Romeo and Juliet is hardly the only Shakespeare play to get this sort of treatment.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Taming of the Shrew, Hamlet, and Macbeth are just a few other titles that have been tackled for the screen multiple times throughout the years. Even popular rom-coms, such as 10 Things I Hate About You, Anyone But You, and She’s the Man, have been inspired by Shakespeare’s plays.

2023’s Anyone But You, starring Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell, became a major box office hit, making history as the highest-grossing live-action Shakespeare adaptation. The Will Gluck romantic comedy was inspired by Much Ado About Nothing, following enemies who pretend to be lovers to make a former girlfriend jealous and keep parents from meddling.

One of Gluck’s previous movies, Easy A, was inspired by the events of another piece of classic literature, following a high schooler who, after reading The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, decides to stitch an “A” on all of her clothing as a social statement.

Whether you realize it or not, Shakespeare’s works have made an impact on our daily lives, and we have these groundbreaking plays to thank for that.

Take more quizzes here at Mental Floss.

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