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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. What had Clytemnestra told her daughter to say in her prayers before she comes to the tomb in the second play?

2. When does the second play take place?

3. How does Electra know the offering on the tomb came from Orestes?

4. What reasoning did Clytemnestra give for exiling a certain person before the events of "The Agamemnon"?

5. What does part of the chorus suggest to Clytemnestra about her actions when they confront her?

Short Essay Questions

1. For what does Clytemnestra take particular offense with the chorus in the last part of "The Agamemnon"?

2. What are the herald's thoughts on the effects of the war?

3. How did Agamemnon make the winds blow so that they might sail to Troy before the events of the play?

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

5. What feelings does the Watchman have while on the roof in the beginning of the play?

6. How does Cassandra describe Apollo and why?

7. What are Agamemnon's feelings about Troy?

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

9. What is Cassandra's curse and why was it placed on her?

10. What visions does Cassandra see when she looks at the palace?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What are the roles of justice and revenge in "The Oresteia"? What are the differences between the two? What characters seek justice and what characters seek revenge? How does this reflect upon the play cycle as a whole? Cite specific examples from the text to support your arguments.

Essay Topic 2

Compare and contrast the reactions of Clytemnestra and Cilissa when they receive false news of Orestes' "death." Consider, then, the words of Apollo in the third play about the roles of the mother and the father in a child's life. What is the play saying about the nature of maternal love? Create a strong thesis and use specific examples from the text to support your arguments.

Essay Topic 3

Consider the reactions the chorus and Orestes have to Clytemnestra's relationship with Aegisthus. Conversely, look at how the chorus and Clytemnestra treat Agamemnon when he reveals that he has brought Cassandra back with him as a concubine. What do these differing reactions signify about the roles of men and women in this play? Are these a reflection of the time? Bear in mind that in the first play the chorus is comprised of old men. Cite specific examples from the text to support your argument.

(see the answer keys)

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