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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 Electra know the offering on the tomb came from Orestes?

2. What advice does Electra ask of the chorus while at her father's tomb?

3. In her first appearance, Clytemnestra claims the chorus does not believe her. On what grounds does she base this claim?

4. According to Clytemnestra, where are the signals that the man on the roof was watching for?

5. What is Clytemnestra's final reaction to Cassandra?

Short Essay Questions

1. What evidence does Electra find that convinces her Orestes has returned to Mycenae?

2. Why does Aegisthus threaten the chorus?

3. What is Clytemnestra's vision for the future after the death of Agamemnon?

4. What does Orestes find mysterious about the women approaching Agamemnon's tomb?

5. Why does the chorus call out for Orestes to return home at the end of the first play?

6. What happened to Menelaus, according to the herald?

7. What is the Watchman's duty at the beginning of "The Agamemnon"?

8. Why does Clytemnestra lose patience with Cassandra in the fourth part of "The Agamemnon"?

9. How does the chorus compare life to a ship at sea during "The Agamemnon"?

10. According to the chorus, how must Electra pray?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Choose one of the following topics to write about:

1) The description of Clytemnestra being "god abandoned."

2) Clytemnestra's relationship with Aegisthus.

3) The use of the Trojan women as the chorus in the second play.

Essay Topic 2

When the Greek tragedies were first written, the stories and characters were well known to the audiences, which is why "The Oresteia" has a fairly complicated web of plot lines, history, and characters. Luckily, for modern audiences who may not be as familiar with these stories, though, characters, especially the chorus, offer insight and back stories in what is about to take place. Discuss the use of exposition in "The Oresteia". Does it add to or subtract from the content of the play? Is it strictly necessary to be familiar already with these stories? Why? Cite specific examples from the text to support your claims.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the use of foreshadowing in "The Oresteia". What different forms are used to convey the foreshadowing? How does the heightened language of the play help? How do the chorus and Cassandra's prophecy foreshadow the coming events? Cite specific examples from the text to support your arguments.

(see the answer keys)

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