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Name: _________________________ | Period: ___________________ |
This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.
Short Answer Questions
1. In the fourth act of "Oedipus," what does the titular character recall before his arrival in the city?
2. What does Creon advise Oedipus to do after the former relays the message from the murdered king?
3. How does Oedipus punish himself at the end of the play?
4. What actions did the old shepherd perform before the beginning of "Oedipus"?
5. Whose priests gave Oedipus the prophecy that he will kill his father and marry his mother?
Short Essay Questions
1. For what reasons do the Greeks want to sacrifice Astyanax?
2. Why do the Greeks cry when they take Astyanax?
3. How does Agamemnon view the dead Achilles?
4. Describe Hecuba's mocking of the Greeks throughout "Troades."
5. Why does Tiresias summon Laius' ghost?
6. Why does Oedipus refuse to commit suicide?
7. Describe Polyxena's fate.
8. In the first act of "Troades," for whom does Hecuba lead the grief-stricken chorus and why?
9. Why does Oedipus imprison Creon in the third act?
10. Why does Andromache hide her son from the Greeks?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
What roles do the gods play in the lives of Seneca's characters? How do they handle meting out justice? How do the humans look upon them? What is significant about the fact that the gods are never actually seen in any of these plays? How does this relate to the humans governing themselves and doling out punishments and justice? Develop a clear thesis statement in order to answer these questions (though not exclusively) and cite specific examples from the text to support your answers.
Essay Topic 2
How are the consequences of war dealt with in "Troades"? Why is it important to note that the women realize that the Trojan men who fell in battle have fared better in life than they? How is this related to the drawing of lots in order for the Greeks to claim different women? How do the deaths of Astyanax and Polyxena factor into this? What does this suggest about Seneca's views on war?
Essay Topic 3
Discuss the roles of lies in the Senecan tragedy in the following format:
Part 1) Atreus and Tantalus.
Part 2) Phaedra framing Hippolytus for rape.
Part 3) Andromache's attempts to save her son.
Part 4) Creon and shepherd's attempted lies by omission.
Part 5) The differences between lying for gain and lying for good.
In the final section, use the first four parts to help provide examples in this comparison. As always, cite specific examples from the text to support your answers.
This section contains 1,152 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) |
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