🚀 50 Important MCQs on William Shakespeare for Competitive Exams (UGC NET, BA, MA English)
William Shakespeare is one of the most frequently asked authors in English literature exams. Questions are often based on his plays, sonnets, characters, and literary contributions.
This post provides 50 carefully selected MCQs with answers and explanations to help you score high.
📘 Quick Revision: Key Facts
- Known as: The Bard of Avon
- Period: Elizabethan Age
- Genres: Tragedy, Comedy, History, Sonnets
- Famous Works: Hamlet, Macbeth, Othello, King Lear
✅ Shakespeare MCQs (1–25)
1. Who is known as the “Bard of Avon”?
A. John Milton
B. William Wordsworth
C. William Shakespeare
D. Geoffrey Chaucer
✅ Answer: C
2. William Shakespeare was born in:
A. 1550
B. 1564
C. 1575
D. 1600
✅ Answer: B
3. Which of the following is a tragedy?
A. Twelfth Night
B. Macbeth
C. As You Like It
D. The Tempest
✅ Answer: B
4. Hamlet is set in:
A. Italy
B. England
C. Denmark
D. France
✅ Answer: C
5. Who is the wife of Macbeth?
A. Desdemona
B. Cordelia
C. Lady Macbeth
D. Ophelia
✅ Answer: C
6. “To be, or not to be” is from:
A. Othello
B. Macbeth
C. Hamlet
D. King Lear
✅ Answer: C
7. Othello is a:
A. Comedy
B. Tragedy
C. History
D. Romance
✅ Answer: B
8. Who kills Duncan?
A. Banquo
B. Macbeth
C. Malcolm
D. Macduff
✅ Answer: B
9. The character Iago appears in:
A. Hamlet
B. Othello
C. Macbeth
D. King Lear
✅ Answer: B
10. Shakespeare wrote:
A. 20 plays
B. 30 plays
C. 37 plays
D. 50 plays
✅ Answer: C
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✅ Shakespeare MCQs (26–50)
26. Who is the daughter of King Lear?
A. Juliet
B. Cordelia
C. Ophelia
D. Desdemona
✅ Answer: B
27. The Merchant of Venice is a:
A. Tragedy
B. Comedy
C. History
D. Epic
✅ Answer: B
28. Shylock is a character in:
A. Othello
B. Hamlet
C. Merchant of Venice
D. Macbeth
✅ Answer: C
29. Who said “All the world’s a stage”?
A. Hamlet
B. Macbeth
C. Jaques
D. Lear
✅ Answer: C
30. Romeo and Juliet is a:
A. Comedy
B. Tragedy
C. History
D. Epic
✅ Answer: B
31. Juliet belongs to the:
A. Montague family
B. Capulet family
C. York family
D. Lancaster family
✅ Answer: B
32. Shakespeare wrote how many sonnets?
A. 100
B. 120
C. 154
D. 200
✅ Answer: C
33. “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” is from:
A. Sonnet 18
B. Sonnet 29
C. Sonnet 116
D. Sonnet 130
✅ Answer: A
34. Who is Desdemona’s husband?
A. Hamlet
B. Othello
C. Macbeth
D. Lear
✅ Answer: B
35. Who kills Othello?
A. Iago
B. Cassio
C. Himself
D. Desdemona
✅ Answer: C
36. Banquo is a character in:
A. Hamlet
B. Macbeth
C. Othello
D. Lear
✅ Answer: B
37. Ophelia appears in:
A. Macbeth
B. Hamlet
C. Othello
D. Lear
✅ Answer: B
38. Who kills Hamlet?
A. Claudius
B. Laertes
C. Himself
D. Polonius
✅ Answer: B
39. Shakespeare’s plays were performed in:
A. Globe Theatre
B. Royal Theatre
C. Oxford Theatre
D. London Hall
✅ Answer: A
40. The Globe Theatre is in:
A. Paris
B. London
C. Rome
D. Venice
✅ Answer: B
41. Which play features witches?
A. Hamlet
B. Macbeth
C. Othello
D. Lear
✅ Answer: B
42. “Out, damned spot!” is said by:
A. Lady Macbeth
B. Juliet
C. Ophelia
D. Cordelia
✅ Answer: A
43. Who is Hamlet’s father?
A. King Hamlet
B. Claudius
C. Polonius
D. Laertes
✅ Answer: A
44. Who kills King Duncan?
A. Macbeth
B. Banquo
C. Macduff
D. Malcolm
✅ Answer: A
45. As You Like It is a:
A. Comedy
B. Tragedy
C. History
D. Epic
✅ Answer: A
46. Who is Rosalind?
A. Queen
B. Heroine
C. Villain
D. Servant
✅ Answer: B
47. Shakespeare belonged to:
A. Romantic Age
B. Victorian Age
C. Elizabethan Age
D. Modern Age
✅ Answer: C
48. Which play is a history play?
A. Hamlet
B. Henry V
C. Macbeth
D. Othello
✅ Answer: B
49. Who is the villain in Othello?
A. Cassio
B. Iago
C. Brabantio
D. Roderigo
✅ Answer: B
50. Shakespeare died in:
A. 1600
B. 1616
C. 1625
D. 1590
✅ Answer: B
🎯 Exam Strategy for Shakespeare
✔ Focus on characters + quotes + genres
✔ Remember famous lines and speakers
✔ Practice sonnets + themes
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