Shakespeare added thousands of words to the English language, wrote both drama and poetry, and even bought himself a noble title! But was he a riddler? Apparently, literature and riddles have always been related.[1] As The Riddle Project dove into Conundrum Supper events from the 20th century (events in which guests ordered from menus all in riddles) we came across a unique specimen.

shakespeare

“A Shakespearean Luncheon” is the title of an 1898 Kansas newspaper article. It contains the description of a Conundrum social hosted by ladies of the “Christian church” along with its menu – described in unsolved riddles, all constructed from Shakespearean quotations! Conundrum Suppers were flexible affairs, and so lent themselves to addressing different themes. Not surprisingly, literature-themed socials were favoured when organized by such literary societies as “Social Purity Band and Literary Club,” the “St. James Amateur Dramatic and Literary Society,” and the “Warwick Road Literary and Debating Society.”

Shakespeare was not the exclusive literary rite of Conundrum Suppers! As another newspaper from 1898 demonstrates, organizers scoured works by Christopher Marlowe, Alexander Pope, and more for quotations to construct their riddle questions.[2] How many can you find?

Find out more here. Do you have a Conundrum Supper story to recount? Let us know on our Instagram account, we post weekly! You can also reach out to @McGillLib, @McGillRoaar or email theriddleprojectmcgill@gmail.com.

[1] Even Sappho, widely regarded as the first poet in Western Culture, was known for riddling. See Elanor Cook’s Enigmas and Riddles in Literature, especially pp. 137. [2] The daily morning journal and courier February 21, 1898.