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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does Phaedra finally admit to Theseus at the end of the play?
(a) She is pregnant by Hippolytus.
(b) She lied about the rape.
(c) She was supposed to kill Theseus.
(d) She married Hippolytus.

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

3. Who is Theseus' first wife?
(a) Hyppolyta.
(b) Andromache.
(c) Jocasta.
(d) Cassandra.

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

5. Who enters at the end of the second act of "Phaedra"?
(a) Tiresias.
(b) Creon.
(c) Theseus.
(d) Hippolytus.

Short Answer Questions

1. Before his brother's treachery is revealed in the fifth act, what does Thyestes admit to being upset about in regards to his supposed reconciliation to Atreus?

2. In the fourth act of "Phaedra," what new character enters the play?

3. What does the nurse show Theseus when he demands to know why Phaedra is determined to die in the third act?

4. In the fourth act of "Thyestes," who informs the chorus about Atreus murdering his nephews?

5. How does Phaedra respond when Theseus demands to know why she is apparently suicidal?

Short Essay Questions

1. For what does Theseus pray at the end of the third act of "Phaedra" and how does the chorus react?

2. What does Atreus claim about Thyestes' grief at the end of "Thyestes"?

3. Describe Theseus' conflicting emotions over the death of his son and upon learning of his wife's deception.

4. What do Thyestes and his children believe about their upcoming meeting with Atreus?

5. What is the chorus at the end of the first act of "Phaedra" singing about and how does it relate to the action of the play?

6. Describe Hippolytus' preferences in life and how he is at odds with other people over it.

7. In what conflicting moods does Thyestes find himself as he travels to Argos?

8. Why does Phaedra wear hunting garb in the second act?

9. What plot does Atreus form against his brother and why?

10. How is Tantalus manipulated into releasing the Fury upon the House of Pelops?

(see the answer keys)

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