Q 01/05

Which record among Shakespeare's plays does The Comedy of Errors, a farce of mistaken twins, hold?

A) The longest

B) The shortest

C) The earliest printed

D) The most quoted

Answer · why

B) The shortest

The shortest of all Shakespeare's plays, it is also among his earliest, with humour built on slapstick and puns.

Q 02/05

For what offence is the old merchant from Syracuse sentenced to death as The Comedy of Errors opens?

A) Entering the city

B) Smuggling silk

C) Killing a rival

D) Insulting the Duke

Answer · why

A) Entering the city

Entering the city is itself the crime: Ephesus and Syracuse are feuding, and each has banned the other's merchants on pain of death.

Q 03/05

Which rock frontman played both Dromio twins in the BBC's 1983 television version of The Comedy of Errors?

A) Freddie Mercury

B) Mick Jagger

C) Roger Daltrey

D) David Bowie

Answer · why

C) Roger Daltrey

Roger Daltrey of The Who played both servants, with special effects putting the two Dromios on screen together for the final scene.

Q 04/05

What do the bewildered Antipholus and Dromio of Syracuse blame when strangers in Ephesus greet them by name?

A) A practical joke

B) Strong wine

C) A shared dream

D) Witchcraft

Answer · why

D) Witchcraft

Witchcraft is their only explanation, since Ephesus had a reputation for sorcery that Shakespeare's audience knew from the Bible.

Q 05/05

The ancient Greek city of Ephesus, setting of The Comedy of Errors, lies in which modern country?

A) Greece

B) Turkey

C) Italy

D) Cyprus

Answer · why

B) Turkey

Turkey holds the ruins of Ephesus, a city once famous for its Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.