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Can You Guess These Book Titles Inspired by Shakespeare?
The New York Times
January 20, 2026•2 days ago

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This article presents a quiz testing knowledge of book titles derived from William Shakespeare's plays. It features questions about novels inspired by famous lines from "Hamlet," "Julius Caesar," "Macbeth," and "The Tempest." The quiz aims to connect literary works with their Shakespearean origins.
Welcome to Literary Quotable Quotes, a quiz that tests your recognition of memorable lines. This week’s installment highlights books with titles drawn from lines in William Shakespeare’s plays. In the five multiple-choice questions below, tap or click on the answer you think is correct. After the last question, you’ll find links to the books if you want to experience the entire work in context.
“The time is out of joint: O cursed spite,
That ever I was born to set it right!”
Which part of this line, spoken after Hamlet sees his father’s ghost in Act I, Scene 5, of “Hamlet,” inspired the title of a 1959 Philip K. Dick novel?
“On such a full sea are we now afloat,
And we must take the current when it serves
Or lose our ventures.”
This line from Brutus in Act IV, Scene 3, of “Julius Caesar” provided the title for “On Such a Full Sea,” the 2014 dystopian novel by which author?
“By the pricking of my thumbs,
Something wicked this way comes.”
Which two authors got book titles from this line spoken by the Second Witch in Act IV, Scene 1, of “Macbeth”?
“Hag-seed, hence!”
This line — spoken by Prospero to his servant Caliban in Act I, Scene 2, of “The Tempest” — led to the title for a 2016 retelling of the play in novel form. Who wrote it?
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