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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. At the end of the third act of "Phaedra," the chorus cries, "Why dost thou dwell afar,/ All too indifferent to men,/ Not anxious to bring blessing to the good,/ And to the evil, bane"? About what is the chorus lamenting?
(a) Hippolytus has tried to kill his father.
(b) Phaedra falsely accused Hippolytus of rape.
(c) Phaedra has committed suicide.
(d) Hippolytus has been murdered.

2. Why does Atreus not fear his subjects' favor?
(a) He knows they will always be loyal to him.
(b) He believes they will never know about his misdeeds.
(c) He knows they do not care for his brother.
(d) He believes he is their supreme ruler.

3. How does Thyestes feel about his impending meeting with his brother?
(a) Joyful.
(b) Annoyed.
(c) Fearful.
(d) Neutral.

4. What fate awaits the children of Thyestes?
(a) They will be buried alive.
(b) Their bodies will be fed to wild animals.
(c) They will be exiled.
(d) Their bodies will be boiled to pieces.

5. At the start of "Phaedra," where is Theseus?
(a) Mount Olympus.
(b) The Underworld.
(c) Thebes.
(d) Corinth.

6. Although he refuses to grant Phaedra a proper burial, what does Theseus plan to do at the end of the play?
(a) Return to the Underworld to be with his son.
(b) Find a new wife.
(c) Grant the innocent Hippolytus a proper burial.
(d) Pray for forgiveness.

7. What does Phaedra's confidante try to dissuade her from doing?
(a) Acting on her attraction to Hippolytus.
(b) Ignoring her feelings for Hippolytus.
(c) Suicide.
(d) Leaving the city to escape her desire.

8. What is Phaedra doing in the beginning of the fifth act?
(a) Cutting and burning her hair.
(b) Attempting suicide.
(c) Seducing Theseus.
(d) Mourning Hippolytus.

9. What is Phaedra's relationship to Hippolytus?
(a) She is his stepmother.
(b) She is his sister.
(c) She is his stepsister.
(d) She is his mother.

10. Upon what were Thyestes' sons sacrificed?
(a) The weapons of their ancestors.
(b) An altar.
(c) A pyre.
(d) Their grandfather's tomb.

11. In what sort of garb is Phaedra's nurse dressed in the third act?
(a) Priestess robes.
(b) Wedding dress.
(c) Hunting garb.
(d) Mourning garb.

12. What is the station of Theseus' first wife?
(a) Queen of Sparta.
(b) Queen of Thebes.
(c) Queen of the Amazons.
(d) Princess of Troy.

13. What does Atreus do to his nephews' bodies?
(a) He prepares them as a meal for their father.
(b) He feeds them to the pigs.
(c) He buries them.
(d) He burns them.

14. For what reason does Phaedra dress in a particular manner in the second act?
(a) She wishes to attract Hippolytus' attention.
(b) She is trying to remind herself what is good in her marriage.
(c) She is mourning the death of her husband.
(d) She wants to feel what Hippolytus feels when he hunts.

15. Upon whom must Tantalus loose the Fury?
(a) The House of Pelops.
(b) The House of Priam.
(c) The House of Aeneas.
(d) The House of Menelaus.

Short Answer Questions

1. At the end of the second act of "Phaedra," in what does the chorus hope Hippolytus will find comfort?

2. For what does Theseus pray at the end of the third act of "Phaedra"?

3. According to the chorus in the third act of "Phaedra," what no longer governs mankind?

4. How does Theseus feel upon learning of his son's death?

5. What parts of Thyestes' sons are presented to Thyestes as a gift?

(see the answer keys)

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