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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. For what does Hecuba pray?

2. What course of action does Tiresias propose he take in order to help avenge the king's murder?

3. Why is Oedipus fearful of returning to his homeland?

4. In the second act of "Oedipus," what knowledge does Creon relate that will end the plague?

5. What does Oedipus believe about the news from Creon from the ghost?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did Oedipus become king of Thebes?

2. What do the shepherd and the messenger reveal to Oedipus about his past?

3. How does Ulysses trick Andromache at Hector's tomb and why?

4. Why does Andromache hide her son from the Greeks?

5. Why is Creon reluctant to give Oedipus the information from Laius' ghost?

6. Why did Oedipus leave Corinth?

7. For what reasons does Agamemnon claim to forgo sacrificing a maiden?

8. Why does Oedipus imprison Creon in the third act?

9. How does Agamemnon view the dead Achilles?

10. Describe the pestilence in Thebes and how it affects Oedipus.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the roles of lies in the Senecan tragedy in the following format:

Part 1) Atreus and Tantalus.

Part 2) Phaedra framing Hippolytus for rape.

Part 3) Andromache's attempts to save her son.

Part 4) Creon and shepherd's attempted lies by omission.

Part 5) The differences between lying for gain and lying for good.

In the final section, use the first four parts to help provide examples in this comparison. As always, cite specific examples from the text to support your answers.

Essay Topic 2

What does the onstage violence in Seneca's tragedies reveal about Roman society? How does this differ from the original, Greek versions of these plays? What does the escalation of violence in these works suggest about Seneca's intents with these plays? Develop a clear thesis statement on this subject and cite specific examples from the text to support your answers.

Essay Topic 3

In "Oedipus," discuss the connection between vision and knowledge. Develop a clear thesis statement around this topic. Why is it significant that Tiresias is blind? What are some references to Oedipus being unable to see the truth? How is this related to the statement from Tiresias that "[Oedipus] wilt look with envy upon these ills for which thou seekest aid"? How does this ultimately relate to Oedipus blinding himself? Cite specific examples from the text to support your answers.

(see the answer keys)

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