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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What message does the ghost of Jocasta's husband send?

2. What is Tiresias' occupation?

3. Who does Andromache blame for the fall of Troy?

4. According to Hecuba, what also died on the same day as her warrior son?

5. What deception must Helen play on Polyxena?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Andromache hide her son from the Greeks?

2. For what reasons does Agamemnon claim to forgo sacrificing a maiden?

3. Why is Creon sent to Delphi and what does he learn?

4. How does Ulysses trick Andromache at Hector's tomb and why?

5. Why does Oedipus imprison Creon in the third act?

6. How did Oedipus become king of Thebes?

7. What do the shepherd and the messenger reveal to Oedipus about his past?

8. Describe Hecuba's mocking of the Greeks throughout "Troades."

9. In the first act of "Troades," for whom does Hecuba lead the grief-stricken chorus and why?

10. Why do the Greeks cry when they take Astyanax?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What does the onstage violence in Seneca's tragedies reveal about Roman society? How does this differ from the original, Greek versions of these plays? What does the escalation of violence in these works suggest about Seneca's intents with these plays? Develop a clear thesis statement on this subject and cite specific examples from the text to support your answers.

Essay Topic 2

Compare the symbolism of hunting to the savagery of modern civilization in a brief essay, as seen in "Phaedra." Be sure to discuss (though not exclusively) the irony of Hippolytus acting as the most civilized of the characters, Theseus' prayer, and Phaedra's attempts to claim Hippolytus for herself. Cite specific examples from the text to support your answers.

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.

(see the answer keys)

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