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

Short Answer Questions

1. When Thoas is speaking of Orestes and Pylades escaping in Part 6, he states that they have a long hard voyage before them if they hope to do what?

2. When the messenger is describing the escape of Orestes and Pylades, he tells the King that neither party had swords but that Orestes' men came at them with what?

3. When Orestes is trying to prove to Iphigenia who he is, he speaks of two people that nursed a feud. Who are they?

4. When Orestes speaks of appearing in court for killing his mother, where does he say the court met?

5. Who is the mother of Artemis and Apollo?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In the story, Iphigenia in Taurus, Orestes and Pylades are friends who some in the story mistake for brothers. Why do you think some people mistake the two young men as brothers? How are the two young strangers similar? Do you see differences between Orestes and Pylades? If so, what are they? Explain the relationship between Orestes and Pylades and how they support each other during the story.

Essay Topic 2

During the play, Iphigenia in Taurus, we read descriptions of objects and places, but there aren't too many detailed descriptions of what the characters actually look like physically. Do you think this causes any problems as a reader of the play? Why or why not? Were you, as a reader, able to picture the characters in your mind without much need of a description? Why or why not? Do character descriptions not really matter in this type of literature? Why do you think Euripides wrote the play this way? Do you think character descriptions could have taken away from the essence of Iphigenia in Taurus? If so, how? Use specific examples from the play to support your ideas and thoughts.

Essay Topic 3

In most Greek tragedies there are serious instances of death or sorrow, but in Euripides' play there is a little softer side of a Greek tragedy. Why do you think Euripides softened the tragedy of his play compared to other writers of his time? Why do you think Euripides introduced a strong female central character, which is another rare occurrence in Greek mythology and plays? Did you like the fact that the play came to a happy resolution after Iphigenia had gone through so much ill-fate and sorrow throughout her life? Why or why not?

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This section contains 448 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample