All Free English Literature MCQs with Answers

• A. Fortinbras
• B. Marcellus
• C. Chorus
• D. Horatio

Explanation: Horatio speaks these words after Hamlet’s death, expressing his affection for the prince and wishing him spiritual rest.

• A. Father/son
• B. Uncle/nephew
• C. Cousin/cousin
• D. Brother/brother

Explanation: Polonius is Ophelia and Laertes's father, making Laertes his son. Their family relationship is central to the play's parallel with…

• A. Ambassador to the King of Norway from the King of Denmark
• B. Hamlet's cousin
• C. Ambassador to the King of Denmark from the King of Norway
• D. Assassin in the service of Fortinbras

Explanation: Voltimand is a Danish ambassador sent to the King of Norway to negotiate about Fortinbras's military plans.

• A. 2
• B. 4
• C. 7
• D. 9

Explanation: Hamlet is conventionally counted as having seven soliloquies, including "To be, or not to be" and "O, what a rogue and peasant slave am…

• A. Francisco
• B. Gorgonzola
• C. Reynaldo
• D. Samson

Explanation: Polonius sends Reynaldo to Paris to gather information about Laertes by questioning people who know him.

• A. Slings and Arrows
• B. Vice of Kings
• C. The Murder of Gonzago
• D. The Slaying of Lucianus

Explanation: Hamlet's playlet is called The Murder of Gonzago, a fictional drama that resembles the murder of King Hamlet.

• A. Wittenberg
• B. Oslo
• C. London
• D. Dublin

Explanation: Hamlet was studying at the University of Wittenberg before returning to Denmark after his father's death.

• A. England
• B. Venice
• C. Denmark
• D. Maine

Explanation: The complete line is "Something is rotten in the state of Denmark," spoken by Marcellus after the appearance of the Ghost.

• A. When ghosts speak
• B. When characters speak naturally
• C. When a lower class character speaks
• D. When the play necessitates ritualistic, choral, and sensuous effect

Explanation: Shakespeare often employs rhyme when he wants a ritualistic, choral, formal, or sensuous effect rather than natural conversation.

• A. Serious letters
• B. Iambic pentameter
• C. Rhyming verse
• D. Couplets

Explanation: Among these choices, serious letters are the only form normally written in prose; iambic pentameter, rhyming verse, and couplets are…

• A. Tragedy
• B. History
• C. Comedy
• D. Lyric

Explanation: Richard III is classed chiefly as a history play because it dramatizes the reign and downfall of an English monarch.

• A. Tyrell
• B. King Edward IV
• C. Queen Elizabeth
• D. The Earl of Richmond

Explanation: The Earl of Richmond, later Henry VII, challenges Richard’s claim and defeats him at the Battle of Bosworth.

• A. Greece
• B. France
• C. Norway
• D. England

Explanation: Richard III is set chiefly in England, where Richard pursues the crown through political manipulation and violence.

• A. Buckingham
• B. Clarence
• C. Tyrell
• D. Richmond

Explanation: The Duke of Buckingham is Richard’s chief political accomplice: he helps remove rivals and promote Richard’s claim to the throne.

• A. Ratcliffe
• B. Richmond
• C. Clarence
• D. Tyrell

Explanation: Richard hires Sir James Tyrell to arrange the murder of the princes in the Tower.

• A. Queen Isabel
• B. Queen Nim
• C. Queen Alice
• D. Queen Montjoy

Explanation: Queen Isabel is the Queen of France in Henry V and the wife of Charles VI.

• A. Montjoy
• B. Horatio
• C. Falstaff
• D. Nim

Explanation: Falstaff is the older companion and formative mentor of Prince Hal, the young Henry, especially in the Henry IV plays.

• A. Make jokes about Henry
• B. Sing songs about the events
• C. Comment on the plot and themes of the play
• D. Dance upon the stage

Explanation: The Chorus addresses the audience directly, commenting on the plot and themes while asking the imagination to enlarge the limited stage.

• A. England
• B. Norway
• C. Denmark
• D. France

Explanation: Henry V is the English monarch who leads England against France in the Hundred Years' War, especially at the Battle of Agincourt.

• A. He is killed.
• B. He is arrested.
• C. He is crowned king.
• D. He was sent into exile.

Explanation: Richard is killed in the Battle of Bosworth Field by Richmond's forces, after famously crying, “A horse! A horse!