View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is coming true for Clytemnestra in the fourth part of "The Libation Bearers"?

2. What has Electra been forced to do in the years since her father's death?

3. What does Orestes promise Zeus if he succeeds in his revenge?

4. Who is the oracle?

5. In what state is Orestes' old nurse, Cilissa, upon hearing that Orestes was murdered?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Orestes decide to go back to the oracle?

2. What does Orestes find ironic about the deaths of Aegisthus and Clytemnestra?

3. What does Athena decide to do about judging the case between Orestes and the Furies?

4. What was Clytemnestra's dream?

5. What ends up being the fate of the Furies at the end of the play?

6. What does Apollo say about the rights of parents during Orestes' trial?

7. According to what he tells Electra and the chorus, why is Orestes seeking vengeance for his father's death?

8. How does the chorus influence Cilissa when she enters?

9. How does the chorus know that Aegisthus is being murdered?

10. Why is it important that Orestes tell Athena who his father was when the goddess comes to him?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Clytemnestra and Orestes are two of the main characters upon which "The Oresteia" is centered. Discuss the following:

Part 1) Compare and contrast Clytemnestra and Orestes.

Part 2) How do their missions of vengeance differ and how do the gods (including the Furies) look upon them?

Part 3) Orestes' exile by Clytemnestra and how it affects the outcome of the play.

Essay Topic 2

Choose one of the following options to write about:

1) Agamemnon and women.

2) Clytemnestra's role in setting the Furies upon Orestes.

3) Cassandra's prophecies.

Cite specific examples from the text to support your arguments.

Essay Topic 3

Create a thesis centered around the argument that a good deal of the problems in "The Oresteia" are the results of a generational conflict. Cite specific examples from the text to support your arguments. Points to consider include:

1) The differing approaches to revenge and justice in each generation.

2) The conflict between the elder gods and the younger gods.

3) Athena's peace offering to the Furies at the end of the play.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 959 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample