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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. How does Dionysus appear when he enters?

2. How many gates surround Thebes?

3. In what city-state is The Bacchae set?

4. What god does the chorus bemoan in the last half of The Phoenician Women?

5. Who is exiled at the end of The Phoenician Women?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does the herdsman's tale of the wild women foretell in The Bacchae?

2. Who is the character of Teiresias? Describe this character.

3. What does Eteocles initially tell Creon in their meeting?

4. In the case of his death, what does Eteocles ask of Creon?

5. Who is the ruler of Thebes in The Bacchae? Describe him.

6. Why has Dionysis come to Thebes in The Bacchae?

7. What is the principle character trait of Pentheus? How does he express this?

8. What is the last straw which unleashes Dionysus' wrath on Pentheus?

9. How does Creon fight against the fate of the gods?

10. How does the brothers' battle in The Phoenician Women reflect the theme of the play?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the act of war in the face of justification in The Phoenician Women. Is justification cause for war? Are the two main characters justified in destroying their homeland? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

Who is the character, Orestes? What is his relationship to Electra? What has he come to Argos to do? What obstacles does he face along his journey?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the plot structure and actions which take place in The Phoenician Women. Where is the climax? What takes place in the falling action and resolution of the play?

(see the answer keys)

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