Beaumont and Fletcher

Study question Beaumont and Fletcher

Facts about Beaumont and Fletcher

➾ Beaumont’s critical reputation suggests that he might have been a better playwright than William Shakespeare.

➾ Beaumont was only the third poet interred in Westminster Abbey’s famous Poet’s Corner since its inception.

➾ According to one account, Beaumont and Fletcher oddly shared their dwelling, clothing, and even a “wench”.

➾ Beaumont’s successful dramatic collaboration with Fletcher immediately ceased upon his marriage to an heiress.

➾ Beaumont tragically suffered a stroke and died in 1616, leaving his wife expecting their second unborn child.

➾ John Fletcher’s father gained notoriety for fiercely harassing Mary, Queen of Scots, upon the scaffold.

➾ Fletcher, who did not pursue a church career, had worked previously as a Bible clerk at Cambridge University.

➾ Their play A King and No King features a man lusting for his sister, relieved by learning he is a commoner.

➾ The playwright John Fletcher succeeded William Shakespeare, becoming the principal writer for the King’s Men company.

➾ Fletcher often drew influence from Spanish drama, making him unique among contemporary English playwrights.

➾ After a prolific career collaborating with others, John Fletcher eventually died from the devastating London plague

Beaumont and Fletcher MCQs

1. When was Francis Beaumont born?

A. c. 1579
B. c. 1584
C. c. 1588
D. c. 1591

B. c. 1584.
Francis Beaumont, the English playwright, was born circa 1584.

2. Where was Francis Beaumont born?

A. London, England
B. Rye, Sussex, England
C. Cambridge, England
D. Grace-Dieu, England

D. Grace-Dieu, England.
Beaumont was born in Grace-Dieu, Leicestershire, England.

3. When did Francis Beaumont die?

A. August 1, 1625
B. March 6, 1616
C. February 8, 1587
D. December 1, 1579

B. March 6, 1616.
Beaumont died on March 6, 1616.

4. Where was Francis Beaumont buried?

A. St Saviour’s, Southwark
B. Poet’s Corner, Westminster
C. Grace-Dieu, Leicestershire
D. Inner Temple, London

B. Poet’s Corner, Westminster.
He was the third poet buried in Poet’s Corner in Westminster Abbey.

5. Who preceded Beaumont in burial at Poet’s Corner?

A. Jonson and Dryden
B. Shakespeare and Jonson
C. Chaucer and Spenser
D. Spenser and Marlowe

C. Chaucer and Spenser.
Beaumont was preceded in Poet’s Corner only by Geoffrey Chaucer and Edmund Spenser.

6. What was Francis Beaumont’s father’s profession?

A. Theatrical manager
B. Anglican Bishop
C. Court physician
D. Judge Francis Beaumont

D. Judge Francis Beaumont.
Francis Beaumont was one of four children born to Judge Francis Beaumont.

7. Where was Beaumont educated before 1598?

A. Cambridge University
B. Oxford University
C. The Globe Theatre
D. Blackfriars Theatre

B. Oxford University.
Beaumont was educated at Oxford until 1598.

8. What legal society did Beaumont enter in 1600?

A. Gray’s Inn
B. Lincoln’s Inn
C. Inner Temple
D. Middle Temple

C. Inner Temple.
Following family tradition, he entered the Inner Temple in 1600.

9. What was Beaumont’s first published work?

A. The Woman Hater
B. Hero and Leander
C. Salmacis and Hermaphroditus
D. The London Merchant

C. Salmacis and Hermaphroditus.
In 1602, he published Salmacis and Hermaphroditus, a mythological poem.

10. Which author’s work influenced Beaumont’s first poem?

A. William Shakespeare
B. Ben Jonson
C. John Dryden
D. Christopher Marlowe

D. Christopher Marlowe.
Salmacis and Hermaphroditus was a mythological poem in the vein of Christopher Marlowe’s Hero and Leander.

11. Around what year did Beaumont begin writing professionally?

A. 1600
B. 1602
C. 1606
D. 1612

C. 1606.
Beaumont began to write professionally around 1606, possibly needing to make a living.

12. For how many years did Beaumont and Fletcher collaborate closely?

A. Six years
B. Nine years
C. Three years
D. Thirteen years

A. Six years.
They composed approximately thirteen plays together from 1606 until 1612.

13. What non-professional aspect did Beaumont and Fletcher share?

A. Their income
B. A theatre company
C. A house and clothes
D. Family lineage

C. A house and clothes.
According to John Aubrey, they shared a house, their clothes, and a “wench”.

14. What ended the collaboration between Beaumont and Fletcher in 1613?

A. Financial ruin
B. Beaumont’s stroke
C. Beaumont’s marriage
D. Fletcher’s departure

C. Beaumont’s marriage.
The collaboration ended in 1613 when Beaumont married Ursula Isley, the heiress.

15. What genre did Beaumont and Fletcher usually employ?

A. Pastoral plays
B. Pure comedy
C. Tragedy
D. Tragicomedy

D. Tragicomedy.
The genre they usually employed in their plays was tragicomedy.

16. What play predicts the nature of their later work?

A. Philaster
B. The Woman Hater
C. Cupid’s Revenge
D. A King and No King

B. The Woman Hater.
The Woman Hater is described as the first play in the canon, predicting their later work.

17. Which of Beaumont’s plays is called the “best burlesque in English”?

A. The Woman Hater
B. The Coxcomb
C. The Knight of the Burning Pestle
D. The Maid’s Tragedy

C. The Knight of the Burning Pestle.
The Knight of the Burning Pestle is sometimes called the best burlesque in English.

18. Which play was Beaumont and Fletcher’s first undisputed success?

A. Cupid’s Revenge
B. The Woman Hater
C. Philaster
D. The Coxcomb

C. Philaster.
Philaster was Beaumont and Fletcher’s first undisputed success.

19. What play features a character who fears he lusted after his sister?

A. Philaster
B. The Maid’s Tragedy
C. A King and No King
D. The Woman Hater

C. A King and No King.
A King and No King features King Arbaces, who lusted after his sister Panthea.

20. Which character did Dryden call the “best characterization” of their work?

A. Arathusa
B. Bellario
C. Amintor
D. King Arbaces

D. King Arbaces.
Dryden called Arbaces, from A King and No King, their best characterization.

21. What is the only tragedy among their collaborations listed?

A. The Maid’s Tragedy
B. The Woman Hater
C. Cupid’s Revenge
D. A King and No King

A. The Maid’s Tragedy.
The Maid’s Tragedy is specified as their only tragedy.

22. What did Neander/Dryden think of Beaumont’s plays compared to Shakespeare’s?

A. Inferior in plot
B. More classical
C. More perfect
D. Less popular

C. More perfect.
John Dryden’s mouthpiece Neander thought Beaumont’s plays were more perfect than William Shakespeare’s.

23. What reason did critics give for their loss of popularity post-Romantic era?

A. Lack of tragedy
B. Superficial psychology
C. Focus on politics
D. Too lengthy

B. Superficial psychology.
Their loss of popularity may relate to their superficial examination of abnormal psychology.

24. What modern playwright attested to the value of their work?

A. William Jonson
B. Luigi Pirandello
C. Philip Massinger
D. Thomas Middleton

B. Luigi Pirandello.
The absurdist playwright Luigi Pirandello appreciated their exploration of identity and role playing.

25. What status did Beaumont’s reputation achieve at his death?

A. Second to Jonson
B. Rivaled that of Shakespeare
C. Highly obscure
D. A minor poet

B. Rivaled that of Shakespeare.
When Beaumont died in 1616, he left behind a reputation that rivaled that of Shakespeare.

26. When was John Fletcher born?

A. c. 1584
B. December 1, 1579
C. August 1, 1625
D. October 15, 1591

B. December 1, 1579.
John Fletcher, the English playwright, was born on December 1, 1579.

27. Where was John Fletcher born?

A. London, England
B. Rye, Sussex, England
C. Grace-Dieu, England
D. Cambridge, England

B. Rye, Sussex, England.
Fletcher’s birthplace was Rye, Sussex, England.

28. When did John Fletcher die?

A. March 6, 1616
B. August 1, 1625
C. December 1, 1579
D. August 29, 1625

B. August 1, 1625.
John Fletcher died sometime in August of 1625.

29. What was the primary cause of John Fletcher’s death?

A. Stroke
B. Duel
C. The plague
D. Old age

C. The plague.
Sometime in August of 1625, Fletcher died of the plague.

30. Where was John Fletcher buried?

A. St Saviour’s, Southwark
B. Poet’s Corner, Westminster
C. Benet College Chapel
D. The Globe Theatre

A. St Saviour’s, Southwark.
He was buried in Saint Saviour’s, in Southwark, London.

31. What high position did Fletcher’s father attain in the church?

A. Dean of Peterborough
B. Bishop of London
C. Archbishop of York
D. Chaplain to King James

B. Bishop of London.
Fletcher’s father, Richard Fletcher, achieved the position of bishop of London.

32. What historical event did Fletcher’s father officiate?

A. Execution of Guy Fawkes
B. Execution of Mary, Queen of Scots
C. Coronation of Elizabeth I
D. Marriage of King James I

B. Execution of Mary, Queen of Scots.
Richard Fletcher officiated at the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots, on February 8, 1587.

33. Which university did John Fletcher attend?

A. Oxford University
B. University of London
C. Benet College, Cambridge
D. Inner Temple, London

C. Benet College, Cambridge.
Fletcher was accepted as a student at Benet College (Cambridge University) in 1591.

34. What London literary circle did Fletcher join?

A. The Mermaid Tavern
B. The Blackfriars Society
C. The Globe Company
D. The King’s Men

A. The Mermaid Tavern.
In London, Fletcher became part of the literary circle centered around the Mermaid Tavern.

35. In what year did Fletcher succeed Shakespeare as principal playwright?

A. 1607
B. 1611
C. 1613
D. 1620

C. 1613.
In 1613, Fletcher was selected as Shakespeare’s successor as the principal playwright for the King’s Men company.

36. What genre did Fletcher and Beaumont introduce to the stage?

A. Comedy of humours
B. Revenge tragedy
C. Pastoral drama
D. Tragicomedy

D. Tragicomedy.
Along with Beaumont, Fletcher introduced the genre of the tragicomedy.

37. What was Fletcher’s first publicly produced play as sole author?

A. The Woman Hater
B. The Faithful Shepherdess
C. Henry VIII
D. The Wild Goose Chase

B. The Faithful Shepherdess.
Possibly the first publicly produced work solely by Fletcher was the pastoral play The Faithful Shepherdess.

38. What key element defined Fletcher’s tragicomedies?

A. Rustic realism
B. Urban settings
C. Exòtic settings
D. Historical accuracy

C. Exòtic settings.
Beaumont and Fletcher’s tragicomedies featured exòtic settings.

39. What audience did the tragicomedies primarily appeal to?

A. The lower middle class
B. Lower-class patrons
C. The upper classes
D. Apprentices and servants

C. The upper classes.
The Blackfriars audience primarily consisted of the upper classes and highly educated individuals.

40. Which Blackfriars company performed Fletcher’s early plays?

A. Lord Chamberlain’s Men
B. The King’s Men
C. Children of the Queen’s Revels
D. The Admiral’s Men

C. Children of the Queen’s Revels.
The Faithful Shepherdess was probably performed by the Children of the Queen’s Revels.

41. Which collaborator was key to Fletcher’s final years?

A. Ben Jonson
B. Philip Massinger
C. William Shakespeare
D. John Ford

B. Philip Massinger.
Fletcher’s principal collaborator after Beaumont was Philip Massinger.

42. How many plays did Fletcher and Massinger compose together?

A. Around six
B. At least twelve
C. Exactly fifty
D. One single play

B. At least twelve.
Fletcher and Massinger composed at least twelve plays together.

43. With which famous playwright did Fletcher collaborate on Henry VIII?

A. Ben Jonson
B. Thomas Middleton
C. William Shakespeare
D. John Webster

C. William Shakespeare.
Around 1613, Fletcher seems to have collaborated with Shakespeare on Henry VIII.

44. What other play did Fletcher collaborate on with Shakespeare?

A. The Maid’s Tragedy
B. The Two Noble Kinsmen
C. The Prophetess
D. The London Merchant

B. The Two Noble Kinsmen.
Fletcher and Shakespeare collaborated on The Two Noble Kinsmen.

45. Which foreign drama heavily influenced Fletcher’s work?

A. Italian comedy
B. German opera
C. Spanish drama
D. French tragedy

C. Spanish drama.
Among English playwrights of the time, Fletcher stands as the most influenced by Spanish drama.

46. What source did Fletcher turn to for elements of Spanish literature?

A. Miguel de Cervantes
B. Lope de Vega Carpio
C. Tirso de Molina
D. Pedro Calderón

B. Lope de Vega Carpio.
Fletcher introduced Spanish literature elements by turning to sources like Lope de Vega Carpio.

47. What specific writing style feature helps scholars identify Fletcher’s work?

A. Long sentences
B. Frequent metaphors
C. End-stopped lines
D. Lack of verse

C. End-stopped lines.
Scholars identify Fletcher’s work through the very high percentage of end-stopped lines in his verse.

48. How many total plays did Fletcher have a hand in (working alone or collaboratively)?

A. Approximately thirty
B. Around fifty
C. About fifteen
D. Only thirteen

B. Around fifty.
Working alone or in collaboration, Fletcher had a hand in some fifty plays.

49. Which play did critic Clifford Leech consider Fletcher’s masterpiece?

A. The Maid’s Tragedy
B. The Humorous Lieutenant
C. The Wild Goose Chase
D. The Custom of the Country

B. The Humorous Lieutenant.
Clifford Leech viewed The Humorous Lieutenant as Fletcher’s masterpiece.

50. What is the main reason for Fletcher’s fame in post-Shakespearean England?

A. He was widely imitated
B. He retired early
C. He wrote only tragedies
D. He excelled in masques

A. He was widely imitated.
Fletcher was the most widely imitated dramatist of the post-Shakespearean English theater.

The Knight of the Burning Pestle MCQs

1. Who interrupts the Prologue at the start of the play?

A. The Grocer’s Wife
B. The Citizen
C. Rafe the apprentice
D. A gentleman

B. The Citizen.
The Citizen interrupts the Prologue before he can finish speaking, demanding he change the play’s title.

2. What trade does the Citizen identify himself as belonging to?

A. A London Merchant
B. A freeman
C. A grocer
D. A city commoner

C. A grocer.
When asked if he is a freeman, the Citizen proudly confirms, “Yea, and a grocer”.

3. What kind of historical play does the Citizen initially suggest?

A. The Spanish Tragedy
B. The Life of Whittington
C. The Bold Beauchamps
D. Jeronimo with a shoemaker

B. The Life of Whittington.
The Citizen suggests the players should have been content with plays like The Legend of Whittington.

4. What unique weapon does the Wife suggest Rafe should use to kill a lion?

A. A pike
B. A bow and a shaft
C. A burning pestle
D. His naked lance

C. A burning pestle.
The Wife enthusiastically suggests, “Let him kill a lion with a pestle, husband”.

5. What is the original play title the Prologue mentions?

A. The Knight’s Triumphs
B. The London Merchant
C. The Grocer’s Honour
D. The Bold Beauchamps

B. The London Merchant.
The Citizen complains because the Prologue called the play by the title, The London Merchant.

6. What common household location does Rafe sometimes use to act?

A. The shop floor
B. The garret
C. The chimney corner
D. The cellar

B. The garret.
The Wife boasts that Rafe acts “sometimes at our house… in the garret”.

7. What classical location does Rafe mention diving into for “drowned honour”?

A. The lake of hell
B. The wide ocean
C. The bottom of the sea
D. The pale-faced moon

C. The bottom of the sea.
Rafe boasts he could “dive into the bottom of the sea” to retrieve lost honor.

8. What play had Rafe previously performed before the company wardens?

A. Jeronimo
B. Mucedorus
C. Jane Shore
D. The Bold Beauchamps

B. Mucedorus.
The Wife informs the Gentlemen that Rafe has played Mucedorus for the wardens of their company.

9. What title does the Wife agree is better than The Grocer’s Honour?

A. The London Merchant
B. The Bold Beauchamps
C. The Knight of the Burning Pestle
D. The Merchant’s Factor

C. The Knight of the Burning Pestle.
The Wife immediately agrees with the Prologue, calling the new title “as good a name as can be”.

10. What musical instruments does the Citizen insist the play must have?

A. Horns
B. Rebecks
C. Fiddles
D. Shawms

D. Shawms.
Since Rafe plays a stately part, the Citizen believes they must have “shawms”.

11. Who does the Merchant (Venturewell) redeem from the “fall of fortune”?

A. Master Humphrey
B. His wife
C. Jasper, his prentice
D. Luce, his daughter

C. Jasper, his prentice.
The Merchant reminds Jasper that he redeemed him from misfortune using “charitable love”.

12. What action did the Merchant forbid Jasper from doing?

A. Losing money
B. Loving his daughter
C. Wearing fine clothes
D. Speaking boldly

B. Loving his daughter.
The Merchant explicitly states Jasper was never charged “To love your master’s daughter”.

13. How does the Merchant resolve Jasper’s unauthorized love?

A. By threatening him
B. By confining Luce
C. By discharging Jasper
D. By calling the watch

C. By discharging Jasper.
The Merchant cures the problem by discharging Jasper from “My house and service”.

14. What does Luce promise Jasper she will remain?

A. Trustworthy
B. Obedient
C. Constant
D. Virtuous

C. Constant.
When Jasper asks if she dares to be constant, Luce replies, “Oh, fear me not”.

15. What does Master Humphrey compare his love to in a “bloody simile”?

A. A prince’s power
B. A pudding
C. A sword’s point
D. Cordial broth

B. A pudding.
Humphrey states that although all things end, including a pudding, his love is “more endless”.

16. What item does Master Humphrey give Luce as a token of his love?

A. A bracelet
B. A sword
C. A pair of gloves
D. A piece of gold

C. A pair of gloves.
Humphrey pulls out a pair of gloves from his pocket, noting their whiteness and price.

17. What price mark does Humphrey point out on the gift he gave Luce?

A. J.V.
B. F.S.
C. L.H.
D. L.T.

B. F.S.
Humphrey points out the mark on the gloves: “F.S., which is to say, my sweetest honey”.

18. What condition does Luce annex to marrying Humphrey?

A. She must be wealthy
B. He must steal her away
C. He must fight Jasper
D. Her father must consent

B. He must steal her away.
Luce swore she would only marry the man whose “mighty arm could carry / Her bodily away”.

19. Rafe, as the Knight, is shown reading from what type of book?

A. A romance
B. A holy book
C. A city ledger
D. A history

A. A romance.
Rafe enters, reading from the chivalric romance, Palmerin of England.

20. What is the main reason Rafe wants to pursue feats of arms?

A. To gain wealth
B. For the credit of grocers
C. To escape his master
D. To free damsels

B. For the credit of grocers.
Rafe wants to pursue this course for his own credit and the credit of “our company” (the Grocers).

21. What does Rafe adopt as the permanent symbol on his shield?

A. A blue apron
B. A grocer’s pack
C. A burning pestle
D. A sword and lance

C. A burning pestle.
Rafe decides his shield “shall be portrayed a burning pestle”.

22. Who is Rafe’s “trusty squire”?

A. George
B. Jasper
C. Tim
D. Michael

C. Tim.
Rafe announces that his elder apprentice, Tim, “shall be my trusty squire”.

23. Who is Rafe’s “dwarf”?

A. Tim
B. George
C. Michael
D. Luce

B. George.
Rafe names his younger apprentice, “little George, my dwarf”.

24. What general term does Rafe decree should be used for all forests and heaths?

A. Woods
B. Deserts
C. Groves
D. Wilds

B. Deserts.
Rafe charges his followers that they must call all forests and heaths “deserts”.

25. What is the usual fate of Old Merrythought’s clothes?

A. They are pawned
B. They are worn out
C. A tailor brings new ones
D. They are burned

C. A tailor brings new ones.
Old Merrythought claims his clothes were never worn out before “a tailor brought me a new suit”.

26. How much money does Old Merrythought give his son Jasper?

A. Five shillings
B. Ten shillings
C. Twenty shillings
D. A halfpenny

B. Ten shillings.
Old Merrythought counts out “one, two, three… there’s ten shillings for thee”.

27. What is the name of the kind host of the Red Roaring Lion in Waltham?

A. Master Monkester
B. Sir Guy
C. Brian
D. Tapstero

C. Brian.
Humphrey mentions buying his sorrel horse from Brian, the honest host of the Red Roaring Lion.

28. What are the two types of animals Mistress Merrythought says fought at Mile End?

A. Spaniards and English
B. Turks and Christians
C. Giants and ettins
D. Lions and tigers

A. Spaniards and English.
She tells Michael there was a “pitch-field” between the “naughty Spaniels and the Englishmen”.

29. What item does Mistress Merrythought carry for her son Michael?

A. A ring and a brooch
B. A gold coin
C. A sword and shield
D. A feather

A. A ring and a brooch.
Mistress Merrythought shows Michael “a ring, and here’s a brooch, and here’s a bracelet”.

30. What object does Jasper find and take in the desert?

A. A dropped lance
B. A jewel casket
C. A scroll of honour
D. A lost horse

B. A jewel casket.
Jasper spots something, calls it an illusion, then realises it is “metal good,” a casket.

31. When Jasper steals Luce from Humphrey, what does he give Humphrey instead?

A. Money
B. A curse
C. Blows (a beating)
D. His jacket

C. Blows (a beating).
Jasper tells Humphrey to take “that, and that,” beating him before he leaves with Luce.

32. What common kitchen spice does the Citizen’s Wife mention Jasper was beaten about?

A. Salt
B. Sugar
C. Pepper
D. Cinnamon

C. Pepper.
After the fight, the Wife notes Humphrey has a bump as big as an egg and gives him green ginger.

33. Who is Rafe fighting in the second act when he is knocked down?

A. The Merchant
B. Jasper
C. Humphrey
D. Tim

B. Jasper.
Jasper snatches Rafe’s pestle and uses it to knock Rafe down, recounting a chivalric story.

34. What kind of weather does Old Merrythought sing about in the song, ‘Was never man for lady’s sake’?

A. Snow
B. Frost
C. Rain
D. Fair weather

D. Fair weather.
Old Merrythought sings that he prays for “time, and patience, and fair weather”.

35. What name does Luce use to address Jasper metaphorically when they are alone in the woods?

A. My best friend
B. My deer
C. My true companion
D. Sweet prince

B. My deer.
Jasper initiates the scene, saying, “Come, my dear deer, though we have lost our way”.

36. Who does Luce say governs both the sea and women?

A. God Cupid
B. Desire
C. The moon
D. Her father

C. The moon.
Jasper notes that some say the sea and women “Are governed by the moon”.

37. When Jasper draws his sword on Luce, what does she accuse him of being wild with?

A. Desire
B. Watching
C. Rage
D. Grief

B. Watching.
Luce assumes Jasper is sleep-deprived and tells him, “I prithee, Jasper, sleep; thou art wild with watching”.

38. When Jasper and Luce meet their pursuers, how is Jasper wounded?

A. With a sword
B. By a hedge-binding
C. By a pitch-fork
D. By the servants

D. By the servants.
The stage direction shows the servants attack and wound Jasper as the Merchant orders, “Upon him, then!”.

39. What is the name of the Inn where Rafe receives hospitality?

A. The Red Roaring Lion
B. The Bell Inn
C. The Saracen’s Head
D. The Grocer’s Hall

B. The Bell Inn.
George the Dwarf identifies their location near “Waltham town’s end, and that’s the Bell Inn”.

40. What is the Host of the Bell Inn’s official title in Rafe’s chivalric terms?

A. Knight of the Pestle
B. Knight of the Order
C. Knight of Holy Bell
D. Knight Errant

C. Knight of Holy Bell.
Rafe addresses the Host as the “Knight of Holy Bell”.

41. What is the name of the monstrous giant Rafe vows to fight?

A. Frannarco
B. Rosicleer
C. Barbaroso
D. Gargantua

C. Barbaroso.
The Host directs Rafe to the cave of the giant, “Yclepèd Barbaroso”.

42. What profession does the giant Barbaroso actually belong to?

A. A host
B. A tanner
C. A barber
D. A shoemaker

C. A barber.
The Host mentions going to “Nick the barber” to prepare himself as Barbaroso.

43. What common item hangs outside Barbaroso’s cave?

A. A copper basin
B. A barber’s pole
C. A shield
D. A sword

A. A copper basin.
The Host describes “A copper basin on a prickant spear” outside the door.

44. What happens to the first captured knight freed from the giant’s den?

A. His teeth were drawn
B. He was covered in powder
C. His nose was cut
D. He was given a fever

B. He was covered in powder.
The first knight says Barbaroso covered him with a powder that smarts and stings.

45. What is the name of the second captured knight Rafe meets?

A. Sir Guy
B. Sir Pockhole
C. Sir Bevis
D. Sir Thomas

B. Sir Pockhole.
The second knight identifies himself clearly: “I am a knight, Sir Pockhole is my name”.

46. What medical treatment were the third knight and woman subjected to in the cave?

A. Bloodletting
B. Sweating in a tub
C. Powdering
D. Bone setting

B. Sweating in a tub.
The third knight and woman were captured and put “in a tub / Where we this two months sweat”.

47. What kingdom is the Lady Pompiona’s father king of?

A. Cracovia
B. Moldavia
C. Barbarian
D. England

B. Moldavia.
Lady Pompiona greets Rafe, saying, “King of Moldavia; unto me, Pompiona, His daughter dear”.

48. What beverage is the King of Moldavia said to speak highly of?

A. Wine
B. Aqua vitae
C. Nipitato
D. Milk

C. Nipitato.
Pompiona mentions her father speaks of a drink called “nipitato” in England.

49. How does Jasper disguise himself when confronting the Merchant in Act V?

A. As a minstrel
B. As a barber
C. As a coffin carrier
D. With a mealed face

D. With a mealed face.
Jasper enters Act V with his “face mealed,” pretending to be his own ghost.

50. How does Rafe, the Knight of the Burning Pestle, finally die on stage?

A. Shot by a pike
B. Drowned in a lake
C. Shot with an arrow
D. Killed by Jasper

C. Shot with an arrow.
Rafe enters with a forkèd arrow through his head and explains that Death shot him in Moorfields.

Brief Overview

The Knight of the Burning Pestle is a satirical play written by Francis Beaumont, first performed around 1607. It is a groundbreaking and early example of a full-length theatrical parody in English drama, noted for its meta-theatrical structure, which employs a “play-within-a-play” device.

The play starts when a Citizen (a grocer) and his Wife interrupt the official Prologue. The Citizen dislikes the original title, The London Merchant, and demands a play that honours his own trade.

They force the actors to put their apprentice, Rafe, into the story as a hero. Rafe is renamed The Knight of the Burning Pestle, whose heroic weapon is a pestle from the grocery shop.

The main story follows the merchant Venturewell and his apprentice Jasper. Venturewell fires Jasper because Jasper is in love with the Merchant’s daughter, Luce. Jasper and Luce run away together, pursued by Master Humphrey.

Meanwhile, Rafe begins his own journey as a knight errant. He vows to fight giants and rescue distressed damsels, fighting a barber whom he hilariously calls the giant Barbaroso.

Jasper fakes his own death to escape the Merchant’s anger, hiding Luce in his coffin before revealing he is alive. The Merchant forgives Jasper. Old Merrythought, Jasper’s father, keeps singing despite his poverty.

Finally, Rafe dies on stage after being shot by an arrow. All the characters are reconciled, and they conclude the play with a song.