Aeschylus and Sophocles Flashcards
Why is Aeschylus dubbed the creator of tragedy?
Because he added a second actor in his plays
Aeschylus was born in what city?
Eleusis
Athens, a nearby city, had just shifted from a tyrannical form of government to a __________
democracy
What is the name of the earliest Greek tragedy?
Persians
From whose point of view was Persians written? The Greeks or the Persians?
Persians
How many of the 90 tragedies written by Aeschylus survive?
7 complete plays
What are the three plays of the Oresteia?
Agamemnon, Libation Bearers, and Eumenides
What is the most important event lying in the back events of the play of Agamemnon?
Agamemnon’s killing of his own daughter, Iphigenia
How does Iphigenia’s death anticipate many of the themes of Agamemnon?
Her death is the first of many killings at Troy and at home. Her death also displays how loyalty to the group or city is more important than loyalty to the family.
Translate the Greek patheo (pathos) mathos:
Suffering wisdom or learning
What is stichomythia?
Dialogue in which each character speaks only one line at a time
Where was Sophocles born?
The village of Colonus, just north of Athens
What is a tritagonist?
A third actor
CLashes between stubborn heroism and the voice of ________ are found in all Sopholcle’s surviving plays
moderation
Of the 120 plays written by Sophocles how many survive?
Seven
Is Oedipus the king a play of surprise or suspense?
Suspense, because we already know what he has done, we are just waiting to know how he will find out
Why did Laios pierce and bind Oedipus’s feet?
In order to prevent him from crawling away and decreasing his chance of survival
Why did Oedipus flee Corinth?
He ran away to avoid his fate
What walks on four legs in the morning, two legs at noon, and three legs in the evening?
Man
How is Oedipus like unto a typical 5th century Athenian?
He is optimistic, irascible, self-confident, pious, and skeptical in his attitudes towards religion, and a committed believer in the power of human reason.
What is a perpeteia?
A reversal of fortune
What is anagnorisis?
A recognition
What is harmartia?
A mistake
What are the 2 main theories for the meaning of the name Oedipus?
Know Foot, Swell Foot
Is Oedipus guilty of Freud’s Oedipus complex?
No, his actions were done in ignorance not out of desire
Antigone was written before or after Oedipus the King?
Before
The story of Antigone takes place before or after Oedipus?
After
The play (Antigone) shows us a series of oppositions. List 3:
- Love and Hate
- City and Family
- Living and Dead
The Norton editor makes it clear that the reader should take Antigone’s side over that of Kreon? True or False
False, editor offers merits of both sides even though they state that the modern reader often take Antigone’s side
Kreon’s actions are motivated by anxieties about his authority, as a ruler, a father, and a ____
man
What is the difference between eros and philia?
Eros: sexual desire
Philia: love that binds us to family and friends
