TRIVIA -- SHAKESPEARE OR THE BIBLE??THE ANSWERS ARE IN

Poststructural Pub
1

Is the quote from the Bible or is it from the Bard? Even if you’re a scholar of either this may not be as simple as you think. It’s amazing how closely some of the writing resembles the other. This is just for fun, so don’t be concerned with your score. That being said, see how many you can guess. Tune in this evening for the answers. Enjoy.

Shakespeare Or The Bible

  1. It is a wise father that knows his own child.
  2. The quality of mercy is not strained . . .
  3. Wouldst thou have a serpent sting thee twice?
  4. A Daniel come to judgment! Yea, a Daniel!
  5. Like a fair house, built on another man’s ground.
  6. Condemn the fault, and not the actor of it?
  7. Truth is truth to the end of reckoning.
  8. Such duty as the subject owes the prince, even such a woman oweth to her husband.
  9. No legacy is so rich as honesty.
  10. Yet do I fear thy nature; it is too full of the milk of human kindness.
  11. Nothing will come of nothing.
  12. The devil hath power to assume a pleasing shape.
  13. Be thou as chaste as ice, as pure as snow . . .
  14. Confess yourself to heaven; Repent what’s past; avoid what is to come.
  15. There is no new thing under the sun.
  16. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.
  17. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
  18. The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong . . .
  19. Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels.
  20. Do not let the sun go down on your anger.
  21. Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.
  22. Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.
  23. I was shapened in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.
  24. God loveth a cheerful giver.
  25. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
  26. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
  27. The desire accomplished is sweet to the soul.
  28. Let us eat and drink; for tomorrow we shall die.
  29. Some friends play at friendship, but a true friend sticks closer than one’s nearest kin.
  30. Stay me with flagons, comfort me with apples: for I am sick of love.
  31. Blessed are the merciful; for they shall obtain mercy.
  32. A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry: but money answereth all things.
  33. He who gathers money little by little makes it grow.
  34. A good name is better than precious ointment.
  35. Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding.
  36. Wealth maketh many friends.
  37. Wisdom is better than weapons of war.
  38. I thank my God everytime I remember you.

Will O’Ban

2

12 years ago I might have been able to take up the challenge, but memory fails me. In repentence I have posted a personal favorite. Enjoy!

HeySue

Quoting Shakespeare

If you cannot understand my argument, and declare “It’s Greek to me,” you are quoting Shakespeare; if you claim to be more sinned against than sinning, you are quoting Shakespeare; if you recall your salad days, you are quoting Shakespeare; if you act more in sorrow than in anger, if your wish is father to the thought, if your lost property has vanished into thin air, you are quoting Shakespeare; if you have ever refused to budge an inch or suffered from green-eyed jealousy, if you have played fast and loose, if you have been tongue-tied, a tower of strength, hoodwinked or in a pickle, if you have knotted your brows, made a virtue of necessity, insisted on fair play, slept not one wink, stood on ceremony, danced attendance (on your lord and master), laughed yourself into stitches, had short shrift, cold comfort or too much of a good thing, if you have seen better days or lived in a fool’s paradise—why, be that as it may, the more fool you, for it is a foregone conclusion that you are (as good luck would have it) quoting Shakespeare; if you think it is early days and clear out bag and baggage, if you think it is high time and that that is the long and short of it, if you believe that the game is up and that truth will out even if it involves your own flesh and blood, if you lie low till the crack of doom because you suspect foul play, if you have your teeth set on edge (at one fell swoop) without rhyme or reason, then—to give the devil his due—if the truth were known (for surely you have a tongue in your head) you are quoting Shakespeare; even if you bid me good riddance and send me packing, if you wish I was dead as a door-nail, if you think I am an eyesore, a laughing stock, the devil incarnate, a stony-hearted villain, bloody-minded or a blinking idiot, then—by Jove! Tut, tut! for goodness’ sake! what the dickens! but me no buts— it is all one to me, for you are quoting Shakespeare.
-Bernard Levin-

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Interesting . . . I always attributed “dead as a doornail” to Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Score one for the Bard! :slight_smile:

Will O’Ban

4

Hmmm. I reckon they’re all Shakespeare.

5

It seems I recall the term “hoodwinked” showing up in Chaucer’s work some 200 years before Shakespeare. I believe that was a common middle ages term that Chaucer, himself, borrowed. I always figured it referred to a knave pulling a peasant or serf’s hood over their eyes as a distraction while robbing them. The Bard has received credit for many phrases that were used before his time. However, I still enjoy Bernard Levin’s piece. Thanks for sharing it, Sue. :slight_smile:

Will O’Ban

6

What!!! :astonished: You mean my college education was a waste of time? :wink:

HeySue

7

Now, did I say that? :wink: There were many times when I thought all that money was being wasted on learning trivial matters like this. . . then I discovered the girls’ dorms, and the rest, as they say, is history . . . :slight_smile:

Will O’Ban

8

What? Wist ye not that it was Shakespeare who really wrote the KJV Bible? Have ye been reading the Book of Common Prayer again, Will? He quoted the Bible hundreds of times, and from nearly every book. He intentionally confused us. He did this for his own health. He loved to fool the fool.

9

:laughing: :laughing: :laughing:
HeySue!

10

I’m not a Biblical scholar, and hardly a Shakespearean scholar either for that matter. It is common knowledge that the Bard relied on the Bible and other works for inspiration both for story ideas and, in some cases, language. Not being the Biblical scholar, I really can’t say if he actually took anything from the Bible verbatim. My impression has always been that he alluded to biblical verse rather than actually quoted it.

Perhaps what I said above is wrong and someone can cite instances where he directly quoted from books of the Bible. If so, I would not be shocked, for I’ve been mistaken before. However, the quotes in the tivia contest, I believe, are clearly either Shakespeare or the Bible. Why not take the challenge and see how you fare? :slight_smile:

Will O’Ban

11

I see nobody’s tried it yet.
I’ll give it a shot.
1-14. Shakespeare
15 though 18 are Bible.
don’t know about 19.
20 through 29 Bible
30 Shakespeare
31 Bible
32 Shaky
33 ??
34 Bible?
35 Bible
36 Bible
37 Bible
38 Bible

How’d I do?

12

Thanks for jumping in. Perhaps it will inspire others to do the same.

You did very well, actually. Better than I would have. Tune in this evening for the answers and their sources.

Will O’Ban

13

I sent you my guesses in a PM.

14

Will O’b = dog avatar
Glauber = dog avatar.

Coincidence? You decide.

15

6 hours later and only 2 people have taken the challenge. . . Come on, where’s that old C&F spirit? Jump in with both feet, throw all caution to the wind (and all of those other trite cliches I can’t think of right now) . . .


Not sure what you’re getting at, Geek. :confused: Sorry

16

Okay, all joking aside! :smiley:

  1. It is a wise father that knows his own child. -bard
  2. The quality of mercy is not strained . . . -bard
  3. Wouldst thou have a serpent sting thee twice? -bard
  4. A Daniel come to judgment! Yea, a Daniel! -bard
  5. Like a fair house, built on another man’s ground. -bard
  6. Condemn the fault, and not the actor of it? -bard
  7. Truth is truth to the end of reckoning. -bard
  8. Such duty as the subject owes the prince, even such a woman oweth to her husband. -bard
  9. No legacy is so rich as honesty. -bard
  10. Yet do I fear thy nature; it is too full of the milk of human kindness. -bard
  11. Nothing will [can] come of nothing. -bard
  12. The devil hath power to assume a pleasing shape. -bard
  13. Be thou as chaste as ice, as pure as snow . . . -bard
  14. Confess yourself to heaven; Repent what’s past; avoid what is to come. -bard
  15. There is no new thing under the sun. -both
  16. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. -bible
  17. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. -bible
  18. The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong . . . -bible
  19. Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels. -bible
  20. Do not let the sun go down on your anger. -bible
  21. Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools. -bible
  22. Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid. -bible
  23. I was shapened in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. -bible
  24. God loveth a cheerful giver. -bible
  25. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. -bible
  26. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? -bible
  27. The desire accomplished is sweet to the soul. -bible
  28. Let us eat and drink; for tomorrow we shall die. -bible
  29. Some friends play at friendship, but a true friend sticks closer than one’s nearest kin. -bible
  30. Stay me with flagons, comfort me with apples: for I am sick of love. -bible
  31. Blessed are the merciful; for they shall obtain mercy. -bible
  32. A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry: but money answereth all things. -bible
  33. He who gathers money little by little makes it grow. -bible
  34. A good name is better than precious ointment. -bible
  35. Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding. -bible
  36. Wealth maketh many friends. -bible
  37. Wisdom is better than weapons of war. -bible
  38. I thank my God everytime I remember you. -bible

Now here’s one for you: :slight_smile: Which of these was both WRITTEN in stone and CALLED the 10 commandments according to the bible?

Exodus 20:
3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.
5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
7 Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
13 Thou shalt not kill.
14 Thou shalt not commit adultery.
15 Thou shalt not steal.
16 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.

OR

Exodus 34:
12 Take heed to thyself, lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whither thou goest, lest it be for a snare in the midst of thee:
13 But ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves:
14 For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:
15 Lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they go a whoring after their gods, and do sacrifice unto their gods, and one call thee, and thou eat of his sacrifice;
16 And thou take of their daughters unto thy sons, and their daughters go a whoring after their gods, and make thy sons go a whoring after their gods.
17 Thou shalt make thee no molten gods.
18 The feast of unleavened bread shalt thou keep. Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, as I commanded thee, in the time of the month Abib: for in the month Abib thou camest out from Egypt.
19 All that openeth the matrix is mine; and every firstling among thy cattle, whether ox or sheep, that is male.
20 But the firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb: and if thou redeem him not, then shalt thou break his neck. All the firstborn of thy sons thou shalt redeem. And none shall appear before me empty.
21 Six days thou shalt work, but on the seventh day thou shalt rest: in earing time and in harvest thou shalt rest.
22 And thou shalt observe the feast of weeks, of the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the year’s end.
23 Thrice in the year shall all your menchildren appear before the LORD God, the God of Israel.
24 For I will cast out the nations before thee, and enlarge thy borders: neither shall any man desire thy land, when thou shalt go up to appear before the LORD thy God thrice in the year.
25 Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leaven; neither shall the sacrifice of the feast of the passover be left unto the morning.
26 The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring unto the house of the LORD thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother’s milk.

If you know the answer, please don’t tell anyone as this would upset all of Christianity.

17

Or possibly the Good News For Modern Man version.

18

I don’t have time to take the test now, but as a hint, pay attention to the metre of the sentences. Shakespeare is predominantly iambic (two syllables, accent on the second–musically, a polka) while the KJB was based on translations written by William Tyndale (NT & Pentateuch) and Miles Coverdale (OT except pentateuch) and is less regular in metre but generally anapestic (Three syllables, accent on the third–a waltz).

BTW, iambic pentameter is the rhythm of the 12 bar blues, as well. You can build a fine blues lyric out of any Shakespearean couplet.

19

I assure you, Lorenzo, the secret is safe with me. :slight_smile:

Will O’Ban

20

Here are the answers with their sources. To make it simple, 1 - 14 were Shakespeare; 15 - 38 were the Bible. You guys did great: I know that I never could have done that well if I didn’t already know the answers. :slight_smile: I think I probably would have gotten all of the one’s attributed to the Bard correctly, but there were a few from the Bible that seem could have gone either way.

  1. It is a wise father that knows his own child. The Merchant of Venice. Act ii. Sc. 2.
  2. The quality of mercy is not strained . . . The Merchant of Venice
  3. Wouldst thou have a serpent sting thee twice? The Merchant of Venice. Act iv. Sc. 1.
  4. A Daniel come to judgment! Yea, a Daniel! The Merchant of Venice. Act iv. Sc. 1.
  5. Like a fair house, built on another man’s ground. The Merry Wives of Windsor. Act ii. Sc. 2.
    6.. Condemn the fault, and not the actor of it? Measure for Measure. Act ii. Sc. 2.
  6. Truth is truth to the end of reckoning. Measure for Measure. Act v. Sc. 1.
  7. Such duty as the subject owes the prince, even such a woman oweth to her husband. The Taming of the Shrew. Act v. Sc. 2.
  8. No legacy is so rich as honesty. All ’s Well that Ends Well. Act iii. Sc. 5.
  9. Yet do I fear thy nature; it is too full of the milk of human kindness. Macbeth. Act i. Sc. 5.
  10. Nothing will come of nothing. King Lear. Act i. Sc. 1.
  11. The devil hath power to assume a pleasing shape. Hamlet. Act ii. Sc. 2.
  12. Be thou as chaste as ice, as pure as snow . . . Hamlet. Act iii. Sc. 1.
  13. Confess yourself to heaven; Repent what’s past; avoid what is to come. Hamlet. Act iii. Sc. 4.
  14. There is no new thing under the sun. [Ecclesiastes 1:9]
  15. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. [(Romans 7:19]
  16. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. [Matthew 26:41]
  17. The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong . . .[Ecclesiastes 9:11]
  18. Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels. [Hebrews 13:2]
  19. Do not let the sun go down on your anger. [Ephesians 4:26]
  20. Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools. [Ecclesiastes 7:9]
  21. Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid. [Matthew 14:27]
  22. I was shapened in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. [Psalms 51:5]
  23. God loveth a cheerful giver. [2 Corinthians 9:7]
  24. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. [1 Timothy 6:7]
  25. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? [1 Corinthians 15:55]
  26. The desire accomplished is sweet to the soul. [Proverbs 13:19]
  27. Let us eat and drink; for tomorrow we shall die. [Isaiah 22:13]
  28. Some friends play at friendship, but a true friend sticks closer than one’s nearest kin. [Proverbs 18:24]
  29. Stay me with flagons, comfort me with apples: for I am sick of love. [The Song Of Solomon 2:5]
  30. Blessed are the merciful; for they shall obtain mercy. [Mathew]
  31. A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry: but money answereth all things. [Ecclesiastes 10:19]
  32. He who gathers money little by little makes it grow. [Proverbs 13:11]
  33. A good name is better than precious ointment. [Ecclesiastes 7:1]
  34. Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding. [Proverbs 17:28]
  35. Wealth maketh many friends. [Proverbs 19:4]
  36. Wisdom is better than weapons of war. [9:18b, Ecclesiastes]
  37. I thank my God everytime I remember you. Philippians 1:3

Will O’Ban