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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 actions did the old shepherd perform before the beginning of "Oedipus"?

2. What is Talthybius' station among the Greeks?

3. How does Ulysses trick Andromache into revealing Astyanax's location?

4. Whom does Oedipus defeat before the start of the play?

5. What is the only reason that Creon reveals the information he gained from Tiresias after summoning the ghost?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Oedipus refuse to commit suicide?

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

3. Why did Oedipus leave Corinth?

4. Why is Creon sent to Delphi and what does he learn?

5. Why does Tiresias summon Laius' ghost?

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

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

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

9. What does Pyrrhus demand for Achilles and why?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss fate and free will in "Oedipus" in the following format:

Part 1) Laius' order that his son be killed at birth.

Part 2) The subversion of Laius' order and Oedipus' subsequent adoption.

Part 3) Oedipus fleeing from Corinth.

Part 4) The pestilence and need to punish Laius' murderer.

Part 5) Jocasta's realization that they were pawns of fate.

Part 6) The irony of the self-fulfilling prophecy.

Essay Topic 2

Compare the symbolism of hunting to the savagery of modern civilization in a brief essay, as seen in "Phaedra." Be sure to discuss (though not exclusively) the irony of Hippolytus acting as the most civilized of the characters, Theseus' prayer, and Phaedra's attempts to claim Hippolytus for herself. Cite specific examples from the text to support your answers.

Essay Topic 3

How are the consequences of war dealt with in "Troades"? Why is it important to note that the women realize that the Trojan men who fell in battle have fared better in life than they? How is this related to the drawing of lots in order for the Greeks to claim different women? How do the deaths of Astyanax and Polyxena factor into this? What does this suggest about Seneca's views on war?

(see the answer keys)

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