Sophocles' Theban plays, Euripides' Medea, Aeschylus' Oresteia, the chorus, tragic structure, and Aristotle's terms.
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- How does Oedipus discover his true parentage in Oedipus Rex?
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The Messenger reveals that Oedipus was adopted and is the biological son of Laius and Jocasta.- What is the dramatic irony in Oedipus Rex?
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Oedipus condemns the murderer of Laius without knowing he himself is the murderer.- What does Oedipus do when he learns the truth about his crimes?
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He blinds himself, tearing out his own eyes.- Who is Tiresias in Oedipus Rex, and why is he significant?
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A blind prophet who knows Oedipus is guilty but is reluctant to reveal it.- What edict does Creon issue at the beginning of Antigone?
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That Polyneices, who died attacking Thebes, must not be buried; the penalty for burial is death.- Why does Antigone defy Creon's law?
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She believes divine law and family duty require burying her brother Polyneices.- What is Haemon's role in Antigone?
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Creon's son, betrothed to Antigone; he opposes his father's tyranny and ultimately commits suicide.- What happens to Eurydice in Antigone?
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Upon learning of Haemon's suicide, she kills herself offstage.- What central conflict does Antigone dramatize?
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The clash between divine law (unwritten, eternal) and human law (Creon's edict).- Where does Oedipus find sanctuary in Sophocles' Oedipus at Colonus?
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In a sacred grove at Colonus, near Athens, where he is protected by religious law.- What role does Theseus play in Oedipus at Colonus?
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The king of Athens who offers Oedipus shelter and defends him against those seeking his return.- In Aeschylus' Agamemnon, what sacrifice initiates the Trojan War?
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Agamemnon sacrifices his daughter Iphigenia to Artemis to obtain favorable winds for the Greek fleet.- Why does Clytemnestra kill Agamemnon in the first play of the Oresteia?
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To avenge the sacrifice of their daughter Iphigenia and because Agamemnon took a captive concubine, Cassandra.- What is the Chorus's function in Aeschylus' Agamemnon?
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The Chorus of Argive elders comment on events, express fears, reflect on fate, and voice collective wisdom.- In the second play of the Oresteia (The Libation Bearers), who are Orestes and Electra?
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The surviving son and daughter of Agamemnon, who plot to avenge their father's murder by Clytemnestra.
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