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

Short Answer Questions

1. What excuse does Medea give for her tears when she is looking at Jason with her children?

2. What plot problem does Aegeus solve in his scene?

3. The chorus invokes what gods to stop Medea from harming her children?

4. How does Medea feel when she hears how her plan worked?

5. How does the chorus feel about Jason after hearing of the deaths?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Shed light on how the "deus ex machina" mechanic is used by the author to change the audience's perception of Medea and her behavior. Does this seem natural within the play or contrived? Is it effective as a method for changing the audience's perception of the character?

Essay Topic 2

Medea is largely reviled as a character because of her decision to kill her children. Discuss the motivation behind her decision to commit filicide, and whether the author sufficiently justifies her actions to make her a heroine with whom audiences can identify.

Essay Topic 3

Medea has been a reviled character as long as the myth has been known, and yet Euripides clearly attempts to make the character sympathetic. Discuss the various methods the author uses to elicit audience sympathy for Medea, using specific details and examples from the text.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 348 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample