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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. According to Clytemnestra's message to the herald, how has she kept her husband's house?

2. Whom did Clytemnestra send into exile?

3. What is Aegisthus's reaction when the chorus brings up Clytemnestra and her role in the murders?

4. What does Orestes leave behind at his father's tomb in tribute ?

5. What, according to the herald, is worth the suffering of the soldiers?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why did Agamemnon go to Troy?

2. How does Cassandra describe Apollo and why?

3. For what is Agamemnon praised and what is his response when he returns to Mycenae?

4. What is significant about Agamemnon walking into his palace barefoot?

5. What are the disputes amongst the chorus when they hear Agamemnon screaming from inside the palace?

6. Why does Cassandra finally walk into the palace?

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

8. What is Electra supposed to do at her father's tomb?

9. For what is the herald giving thanks during his entrance?

10. What are the chorus's opinions on Paris and his actions in the second part of "The Agamemnon"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Choose one of the following options to write about. Cite specific examples from the text to support your thesis.

1) Electra as a passive character.

2) The herald's statements about the price of victory in war.

3) The curse on the house of Atreus.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the use of dramatic irony within "The Oresteia". What characters seem to be the victims of this? Why can these characters never truly fulfill their goals? City specific examples from the text to support your arguments.

Essay Topic 3

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.

(see the answer keys)

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