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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. Who does Orestes tell Aegisthus he is going to make a sacrifice for?

2. Who appears in the heavens at the end of Electra?

3. What kind of blade does Orestes use to skin the animal with Aegisthus?

4. What does Electra ask her husband to get for them?

5. Who recognizes Orestes in the cottage?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happened to Agamemnon? What does the exposition tell us happened with Orestes and Electra?

2. What does Orestes say of Electra's husband (as he pretends to be the messenger)?

3. The end of the Electra reveals the author's (and likely the society's) point of view. What is it?

4. What is Electra doing when she first enters the play? What does her farmer chide her for?

5. What of Electra's demeanor in Part Three builds the tension of the play? What does she feel when she hears word from the messenger?

6. Who tells Electra of the upcoming feast? Why does she refuse to go?

7. What does the farmer chide Electra for as she speaks to Orestes in Part Two of Electra?

8. What is the irony of Electra's stance on woman's subservience?

9. Why does the servant say Orestes won't be killed by approaching Aegisthus?

10. What led to Oedipus' downfall?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the use of the chorus in Electra. Who are they made up of? Who do they side with during the action? In what ways do they perform?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the theme of "Wealth and Poverty" as it applies to the play Electra. How does this theme drive the action of the characters?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the protagonist of The Bacchae. What is different about this protagonist as opposed to the protagonists in the previous two plays? What are his objectives and actions in the play?

(see the answer keys)

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