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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 false news does the disguised Orestes give Clytemnestra?

2. What do the Furies claim about Orestes to Athena?

3. What do the Furies demand to know in court from Orestes?

4. Where does the beginning of "The Eumenides" take place?

5. What will Athena appoint to pass judgment on the case between Orestes and the Furies?

Short Essay Questions

1. How do Orestes and Pylades get inside the palace?

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

3. What does Orestes mean when he cries out to Zeus in the second part of "The Libation Bearers"?

4. What are the Furies and why are they tormenting Orestes at the end of "The Libation Bearers"?

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

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

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

8. What is the conflict between the Furies and Apollo?

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

10. According to their words in the second part of the third play, what do the Furies believe about their rights?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

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.

Essay Topic 3

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.

(see the answer keys)

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