12 Sophocles - Antigone, Oedipus Rex & Colonus Flashcards
Pelops
Pelops (PEA lops): cooked and served to the gods by father, Tantalus
Pentheus
Pentheus (PEN thee us): king of Thebes who resisted the cult of Dionysus. Was torn to pieces by the Bacchantes. His mother Agave placed his head on her spike thinking she had killed a Lion. [TD-BAL]
Phaethon
Phaethon (FAY eh thon): son of Helios; dared to drive his father’s sun chariot
Pluto aka
Pluto aka: King Hades of the underworld
Polybus
Polybus (pa luh buhs): husband of Merope, king of Corinth, Oedipus’ foster father [MCO]
Polydorus
Polydorus (pa luh DOOR us): son of Cadmus; brother of Semele [CBS]
Polynices
Polynices (pa luh NIGH sees): son of Oedipus and Jocasta; he and brother Eteocles (eh TEE oh klees) killed each other [OJE]
Semele
Semele (SEH muh lee): mother of Dionysus by Zeus; she was incinerated when she insisted on seeing Zeus in all his glory
Seven Against Thebes & Leader
Oedipus’ son Polynices (pa luh NIGH sees) assaulted Thebes, with these champions, to take control from his brother Eteocles (eh TEE oh klees) [OPTE]
Silenus
Silenus (sigh LEE nus): older companion and tutor to the god Dionysus
Sphinx
A monster with a lion’s body, wings and a woman’s face; Oedipus solved her riddle
Theogony
Theogony (thee OG uh nee): the genealogy of the gods by Hesiod (HE see uhd)
Theseus
Theseus (THEE see us): he was king of Athens
Thrace
Northern Greece; uncivilized
Who were the ‘Big Three’ Greek tragedians in chronological order?
Aeschylus => Sophocles => Euripides [ASE]
Who was the Father of Greek Tragedy?
Aeschylus (EH skuh luhs)
Who was the Father of Greek Comedy?
Aristophanes (eh ruh STOF uh neez)
Who was the author of the Oresteia trilogy?
Aeschylus (EH skuh luhs) wrote the Oresteia
aw REH stee uh
What are the three plays in the Oresteia?
Agamemnon, The Libation Bearers, The Eumenides [ALE]
Where was Agamemnon’s citadel located?
Mycenae (mai·SEE·nee)
Who were Oedipus’ sons who killed each other?
Polynices (pa luh NIGH sees) and Eteocles (eh TEE oh klees)
What were the names of Jocasta and Oedipus four children?
Antigone and Ismene; Eteocles and Polynices. [AI-EP]
What were the names of Oedipus’ two sets of parents and their kingdoms?
Blood parents: Jocasta and Laius, King of Thebes.
Foster parents: Merope and Polybus, King of Corinth
Olympia vs Olympus?
Olympia was Zeus’ religious site on the western Peloponnese peninsula.
Olympus is a mountain in northern Greece; home of the gods
Magaera vs. Megareus?
Magaera (muh JEER uh) was one of the Furies.
Megareus (meg-gur-ee-us) was the son of Creon; killed during the siege of Thebes by the Seven [CTS]
Maenad aka
Maenad (ME-nad): bacchante (buh-CAN’T)
Olympia vs. Delphi?
Delphi is the temple of Apollo on Mt. Parnassus on the mainland.
Olympia is Zeus’ religious site on the western Peloponnese peninsula, home of the Olympic games.
Which of Oedipus’ sons killed each other for control of city of Thebes?
Eteocles (eh TEE oh klees) and Polyneices (pa luh NIGH sees)
Polybus vs. Polydorus vs. Polynices
Polybus (paul uh buhs) was king of Corinth and Oedipus’ foster father.
Polydorus (pa luh DOOR us) was son of Cadmus and brother of Semele. [CBS]
Polynices (pa luh NIGH sees) was son of Oedipus and Jocasta
Iacchus
Iacchus (eye-ack-us): a minor deity and the leader in the Eleusinian Mysteries. He yelled “iakhe” to start the procession.
