Final Exam Review

Question 1

Alcibiades’ Speech

Answer 1

Alcibiades’ speech takes place in Plato’s Symposium. In the Symposium, Alcibiades is the final speaker to deliver his take on the notion of Love. After Socrates’ speech, he bursts in, drunk and delivers a eulogy to Socrates himself. Alcibiades’ entrance implies bad blood between him and Socrates for each individual accuses each other of being jealous and beating them up. Alcibiades’ speech. Despite Alcibiades’ best efforts, fails to seduce Socrates because Socrates was never interested in physical pleasure. Alcibiades and his speech play a crucial role in the Symposium, because they serve as a platonic image complementing Socrates’ speech. compared to the highly abstract and complex language of Diotima, Alcibiades’ account portrays how eros works in practice in a more easy to grasp form for the reader. Furthermore, this image is useful for persuasive purposes. If Plato would simply state that love should not involve any sex, but instead it should consist mostly of philosophy, he will probably be outright rejected by many people. By offering an image, in this case Alcibiades’ account of his relationship with Socrates, he can present the idea to the reader in a form that seems more natural and that will not invite visceral immediate rejection

Question 2

Antigone’s defiance

Answer 2

Antigone’s defiance takes place in Sophocles’ Antigone. The narrative begins with the aftermath of the death of King Oedipus, where the brothers of Ismene and Antigone, Eteocles and Polyneices, battle for control over Thebes. This conflict results in both their deaths. Eteocles receives proper burial, but Polyneices is marked as a traitor, therefore is forbidden of receiving proper funeral rites. Polyneices is left to rot in the battlefield where no one is to touch his remains. It is this decision that Antigone defies the law and ensures a funeral for Polyneices because she believed that Polyneices deserved a proper burial and the same treatment as Eteocles. Antigone is a determined individual who abides with what is right, even if it means defying the law. Her actions expanded and reconceived the role of women in society. She is one who sets her individual conscience and believes in higher morality, that of the gods, and against the power and authority of the state

Question 3

Aristophanes’ speech

Answer 3

Aristophane’s speech takes place in Plato’s Symposium. The Symposium is a drinking party that is male-dominated, in which numerous parties attempt to dissect the truth and meaning behind love. Narrating his speech after Apollodorus, Phaedrus, and Pausanias, comes in fourth place is Aristophane stating his speech on Love. His speech emphasizes the notion that humans were once human balls who consisted of 8 limbs, 2 faces, but were separated by Zeus because of jealousy and threat. Due to this, humans will spend their lives completing their wholeness by seeking their significant other, thus producing Love. This is the idea that Love is being whole and reunited with a soulmate. Once they find their significant other, Love is present as couples embrace and procreate. It is an open gender idea of Love where man and woman, man and man, or woman and woman can have. This is significant because this type of Love can or cannot be obtained by someone, therefore leaving them hollow

Question 4

Artemis, potnia theron

Answer 4

Potnia Theron is a term first used by Homer in the Iliad, book 21, line 470. Potnia Theron is often used to describe female divinities associated with animals. The word Potnia, meaning mistress or lady, was a Mycenaean word inherited by Classical Greek. Homer’s mention of potnia theron is thought to refer to Artemis. An Artemis type deity, a ‘Mistress of the Animals’, is often associated with the wild. Artemis is depicted as a huntress, and associated with the wild, such as wild animals. This signifies that Artemis is wild and undomesticated. Furthermore, Hippolytus associates himself with Artemis, in a sense that he himself is wild and does not want to grow up

Question 5

Cassandra’s prophecies

Answer 5

Cassandra was the daughter of King Priam and Queen Hecuba of Troy. Cassandra was Apollo’s lover and was granted the gift of prophecy. In exchange for this gift, Cassandra promised to bear him a child. When she broke her word, he punished her by making it so that nobody would believe her prophecies. This event plays out in Aeschylus’ Agamemnon as Cassandra’s prophecies are delivered when she arrives in Agamemnon’s house, and foretells the future acts of violence and the destruction that will fall upon the house of Agamemnon. Cassandra prophecies that she and Agamemnon will die at the hands of a woman, and eventually a son will kill the murderer and avenge the death of his father. After delivering her prophecy, she comes to accept her fate, believing that her city has perished and it is time for her to join them. Cassandra’s fate–to be a prophetess whom no one believes–makes her a figure of terrible pity

Question 6

Circe, dread goddess

Answer 6

Circe is depicted as a dread goddess in the Odyssey. She is a dangerous and powerful female figure who takes away the powers of men by reducing them into the animalistic state. The first encounter between Circe and Odysseus’ men was unpleasant. At first, she turned Odysseus’ comrades into pigs. This resulted in Hermes giving Odysseus moly to consume in aid of retrieving his men. The ‘magic herb’ provides immunity to Circe’s magic, and will avert any transformation from her spell. Due to these turn of events, Circe asks Odysseus to sleep with her, which he accepts with the condition that she will not plan any mischief towards him. Furthermore, this resulted in the freedom of his men. Eventually, Circe presents numerous pieces of advice for Odysseus to help with his successful nostos. First, she informs Odysseus that he and his crew must pass the land of the Sirens and refuse to listen to their alluring voices, for hearing them will result in their doom and absence of nostos. Circe advises that Odysseus’ men must place wax in their ears, and if Odysseus decides to listen to their beautiful voices, he must be bound against the mast-step. Furthermore, Circe informs Odysseus that after passing the land of the Sirens, he will face two passages where he must decide on which path to take. On one side of the passage, is the Clashing Rocks. The only successful passing in these rocks was Argo, which received Hera’s aid. To avoid the Clashing Rocks, they must pass through Scylla, a hideous twelve-legged and six-headed monster, or Charybdis, who swallows the water three times a day. Circe advices Odysseus to sail near Scylla’s rock for it is less tragic to lose six of his men, than to lose his whole ship. Circe plays a vital role in Odysseus’ return to Ithaka. It is with her assistance that Odysseus foresaw the conflict that he will face and is able to overcome them

Question 7

Clytemnestra’s revenge

Answer 7

Clytemnestra’s act of revenge is displayed in Aeschylus’ Agamemnon. Clytemnestra ruled Argos while Agamemnon was away fighting in the Trojan War. She plans his murder with determination to avenge the death of her daughter Iphigenia. Shortly after his return, Agamemnon is murdered by his wife Clytemnestra in an act of revenge. On the surface, Clytemnestra murders Agamemnon to avenge the death of their daughter Iphigenia, whom Agamemnon sacrificed before the Trojan War to appease the goddess Artemis, who stopped Agamemnon’s fleet from being able to reach Troy. Also, Clytemnestra is upset that Agamemnon has brought Cassandra, a princess and prophet of the god Apollo, from Troy to be his concubine. Thus, killing her husband is an act of revenge for Iphigenia’s death, and his infidelity, despite Clytemnestra’s affair with Aegisthus. Clytemnestra felt no guilt after his death and convinced that her act was based solely on justice for the death of her daughter. Clytemnestra is a sympathetic character in many respects, but the righteousness of her crime is tainted

Question 8

Common v. Celestial Love

Answer 8

The notion of common and celestial love is exhibited in Plato’s Symposium by Pausinias. Following the speech of Phaedrus, Pausinias draws distinction between common love and celestial love. He states that common love is the idea of love which involves simple and mindless desire. Its universal type of love which is accessible to both women and men. This type of love is considered lowly and looked down upon. Furthermore, it derives from goddess Aphrodite’s birth from Zeus and Dione. In contrast, celestial love is the idea of love which always takes place between a man and a boy. The boy sexually gratifies the man or lover in exchange for education in wisdom or virtue. Also, this type of love derives from Aphrodite’s birth from sea foam. For instance, Socrates and Alcibiades’s relationship that is depicted in the Symposium suggests from Alcibiades’ entrance and speech that Alcibiades seeks wisdom from Socrates in exchange for celestial love

Question 9

Electra

Answer 9

Electra is the daughter of Clytemnestra and Agamemnon. Poorly treated by her mother and her mother’s husband, Aegisthus, she spends her days mourning her father’s murder and awaiting the return of her brother, Orestes, whom she believes will help her to carry out that which she most longs for: vengeance for her father’s death. Electra is mourning the loss of Agamemnon and both her and Orestes are looking for Vengeance, which will result in the death of their mother, Clytemnestra. She is stubbornly devoted to the principles of justice, reverence, and honor, although oftentimes her grasp on these principles seems questionable

Question 10

Furies into Eumenides

Answer 10

The Furies punish those who (a) break oaths (b) commit crimes against family members. This plays out in the plot of the Oresteia as the house of Atreus is cursed due to the bloodshed that was spilled in its house by family members. This curse is carried out by Agamemnon’s sacrificial rite of Iphigenia, Agamemnon’s death by Clytemnestra, and Clytemnestra’s death by Orestes. In Book 3 of the “Oresteia”, Athena in return for letting Orestes free off charge offeredthe furies a place of worship in Athens. The furies are scary, all female, and take matronal revenge. They were on trial based on if they would take revenge on Orestes or not for the murder of his mother. Athena gave them a new title, one that will benefit the people of Athens. Athena turned them into Eumenides, meaning they will be good instead of evil.they will now be known as the kind ones, worshipped as fertility gods, called to bless Athens, they will receive respect and honour and they will turn blood and anger to something positive and productive

Question 11

The massacre of the Suitors

Answer 11

in Books 22 of the “Odyssey”, Odysseus along with his son Telemachus will take revenge on the suitors for the massive disrespect they have showed while Odysseus has been gone. The suitors took advantage of Odysseus not being there and took control of his home and ate his food. Antinous was the first to die since he disrespected Odysseus the most and gets shot with an arrow through his throat. The remaining suitors were killed shortly after. Blood has washed the floor of Odysseus’ house and 108 bodies were piled up. This was a way the toxic infidelity and pollution was removed from his home

Question 12

The oracle at Delphi

Answer 12

Delphi was an important ancient Greek religious sanctuary sacred to the god Apollo. The sanctuary was home to the famous oracle of Apollo which gave cryptic predictions and guidance to both city-states and individuals. In books 3 of the Oresteia, Orestes went to the oracle at Delphi for Apollo’s guidance on how to be cleared of the persecuting rage demons. Apollo sides with Orestes and claims that he did not kill his mother Clytemnestra because she is no mother of his. It is at the oracle at Delphi where he was instructed to go to Athens and ask for Athena’s help. In Athens, the furies were sent deep underground to live in a cave, and the curse of Atreus’ house ultimately ended along with Orestes’ freedom from the furies’ wrath

Question 13

The trial of Orestes

Answer 13

In Books 3 (The Furies) of the “Oresteia”, Orestes is facing trial for the action of killing his mother, Clytemnestra. Orestes has murdered Clytemnestra in revenge for her murdering his father, Agamemnon. Clytemnestra before she passed had cursed Orestes with the curse of the furies and he must go to the oracle at delphi and be cleared of the persecuting rage demons. The main argument at the trial was that Orestes did not kill his mother because Clytemnestra is no mother of his. Half of the Athenians find him guilty and the half don’t.Athena had the last vote and Orestes was free of charge. In return she sent the furies deep in a cave underground and worshipped in Athens

Question 14

The twelve maids of Odysseus

Answer 14

In Books 22 of the “Odyssey”, Odysseus felt disrespected by the maids becausetwelve of them decided to spend the night with the suitors. They took advantage of Odysseys’ absence and did not treat him as their “master”. They also dishonoured Penelope because the suitors were potential husbands for Penelope. Odysseus’ return home consisted of revenge on the twelve maids, He ordered his son Telemachus to dispose of them and he concluded that he wanted the twelve maids to suffer for their sin so they were hung. The killing of the twelve maids was the only way Odysseus could permanently remove the infidelity that was currently trapped in his home

Question 15

Hippolytus’ chastity

Answer 15

Hippolytus has sworn an oath of chastity, rejecting both the beds of love and marriage. He therefore refuses to honor Aphrodite, “counting [her] vilest of the Gods in Heaven.” He instead reveres Artemis, the goddess of chastity and the hunt. He is asexual, which means he does see himself in a lustful relationship. However, his stepmom Phaedra sees hippolytus in a lustful way and holds back her passion. She kills herself and leaves a note accusing Hippolytus of rape and incest, all after denying wanting to be with her. Hippolytus’ chastity seems to put him in a difficult situation having to prove to others that he is untouched and unfamiliar about sex

Question 16

Medea’s children

Answer 16

Exiled as murderers, Jason and Medea settled in Corinth, the setting of Euripides’ play, where they established a family of two children and gained a favorable reputation. All this precedes the action of the play, which opens with Jason having divorced Medea and taken up with a new family. The play charts Medea’s emotional transformation, a progression from suicidal despair to sadistic fury. She eventually avenges Jason’s betrayal with a series of murders, concluding with the deaths of her own children. Famously, the pleasure of watching Jason suffer their loss outweighed her own remorse at killing them

Question 17

Symposium

Answer 17

The Symposium played out in “Plato’s Symposium”. The symposium is a period that occurs after the food is done, and slaves come in to replace the tables. It is a place where homoerotic relationships are manifested, which is viewed as the purest form of love between Athenians. It is an exclusively male-dominated space where men from the aristocraticclass come together and speak on the topic of love. The topics discussed at the symposium changes every meeting, but this meeting revolved around love, and how love between a man is considered more powerful than when between a man and woman.All the men at the Symposium are competing to perform the best speech and they exchange ideas of love. It was known to be a very erotic space and when Athenian women were present, it was mostly for sex

Question 18

The burial of Polyneices

Answer 18

In Sophloces’ Antigone, King Creon, who ascended to the throne of Thebes, decreed that Polynices was not to be buried or even mourned because he is a traitor that has attacked the city, thebes, and must suffer punishment for what he has done. Antigone, his sister, defied the order because Polynices is still her family and feels he deserves a proper burial, however she was caught in the act the second time around. Creon decreed death, this in spite of her betrothal to his son Haemon but before she was sentenced to death, she hung herself, along with Haemon

Question 19

The dream of Penelope

Answer 19

In Books 19 of the “Odyssey”, Penelope is being tormented by such thoughts she has a symbolic dream, the purpose of which is to inform her of Odysseus’ arrival and the ensuing destruction of the suitors. She tells Odysseus of this dream:Penelope kept twenty geese in the palace, which she enjoyed watching. The geese were eating wheat somewhere far from water. Suddenly, an eagle swooped down from a mountain, killed them all, and took off again into the sky. The dead geese lay scattered around the palace. Penelope wept heartrendingly and the other women came to her side, told Penelope to have courage as this was not a dream but a real apparition which would be fulfilled. The geese symbolized the suitors and the eagle symbolizes Odysseus getting his revenge on the suitors by killing them

Question 20

The Sirens

Answer 20

The Sirens are female monsters from the Odyssey. They are one of the numerous obstacles that Odysseus must overcome to achieve his nostos. As instructed by Circe, Odysseus must sail by them and if he wants to hear their song, he must be tied to the mast-step so he does not die from listening to it. Circe warns Odysseus that their song lures men to their deaths so Odysseus and his men must put ear wax in their ears and Odysseus be bound so they don’t die. The Sirens sing a bewitching song about the sorrows of the Trojan War, reminding us of the Iliad itself. The Sirens embody the dangerous allure and unknown powers of the feminine in the poem, also seen in the figure of Helen. The episode also shows Odysseus’ curiosity and ingenuity in problem-solving, two of his most distinctive characteristics. Hearing the Sirens’ song and resisting its power contributes to the knowledge and strength that Odysseus acquires on his journey home

Question 21

Socrates the Philosopher

Answer 21

Socrates was a Greek philosopher who valued wisdom. Socrates was a well-known Athenian philosopher, who was executed in 399 BCE for corrupting the youth, unveiling new gods, etc. He left no evidence of his teaching, though his philosophy survives in the writings of Plato. In Plato’s Symposium, Socrates is a character attending the dinner party that discusses the nature of Love. He begins his speech with a question, implying ‘dialectic’, thus enforcing learning through the use of back and forth speech. The text depicts Socrates as a stereotypical philosopher, completely dedicating his life to thinking and talking with others about the problems of virtue, knowledge, the good, and love. He is just like the character of Love in Diotima’s speech, who is described as a philosopher: poor, barefoot, always going around and looking for something. Alcibiades’ speech also describes Socrates as a typical philosopher: he does not feel cold or hunger, or get drunk, or feel fear or even lust for Alcibiades. He stands still all day thinking his thoughts. He is also shown as modest and humble and as a lover of wisdom. Even at the end of the Symposium, he is still awake after staying up drinking all night, and he continues on doing philosophy the next day like always

Question 22

The contest of the bow

Answer 22

Near the end of the Odyssey, there is the contest of the bow. Odysseus strings his bow and shoots an arrow through 12 axe-heads. The other suitors and Telemachus cannot do it. Odysseus proves who he is and the contest turns into the killing of the suitors. This is one way that Odysseus shows his identity and gets his revenge on the suitors. In Book 19 of the Odyssey, Penelope decides to set the contest of the bow. She announces to the suitors that whichever one of them can string Odysseus’ bow and shoot an arrow through a row of twelve axe-heads will be her next husband. The contest is significant because Penelope has decided to move the action ahead and re-marry, and also because the contest allows for Odysseus to perform an action that will prove his identity. He is the only man strong enough to string the bow, and do the difficult shot. The contest of the bow is a traditional bridal-competition, where men compete in a non-violent way to win a bride. The contest shows that Penelope is seeking someone who is Odysseus’ physical equal, or perhaps that she already knows he is among the men in the house. During the contest, the suitors fail but Odysseus, still in disguise, strings the bow, revealing his identity and beginning the destruction of the suitors, as the bridal competition turns violent

Question 23

The house of Atreus

Answer 23

The House of Atreus is well-known in ancient myths for having been cursed by the gods, suffering death and destruction. The curse on the house began with Atreus’ grandfather, Tantalus, who angered the gods and was banished to the underworld for eternity. In Greek mythology, Atreus is the father of Agamemnon and Menelaus, and the ‘house’ of Atreus includes them as well as Atreus’ ancestors [Tantalus, Pelops, Thyestes]. The family was cursed due to internal violence against each other [Atreus killed Thyestes’ children and fed them to him], which Agamemnon continued when he killed his daughter, Iphigenia. These murders brought pollution to the house of Atreus. Clytemnestra’s violence against him can be seen as part of the family’s curse, and so can Orestes’ against his mother. Aeschylus’ Oresteia focuses on the violence in the house of Atreus over generations. The actual house is also the backdrop of the action of the tragedies. Agamemnon goes inside the house to be killed. The violence ends when Orestes is cleared of his charges and purified, thus ending the curse on family. In the tragedies, even though Agamemnon is a great war hero, he cannot escape the fate of his house

Question 24

The riddle of the Sphinx

Answer 24

The riddle of the Sphinx is what Oedipus solves when he gets the kingdom. The answer is man. The Sphinx dies and Oedipus becomes tyrant. Oedipus shows his intelligence. Oedipus solves the riddle of the Sphinx and becomes the tyrant of Thebes. The riddle was: what has four legs the morning, two in the afternoon, and three at night? Answer: Man. Oedipus shows his intelligence when he answers the riddle, and it is significant because he wins his kingdom, and also because it foreshadows the action of Sophocles’ play, Oedipus Tyrannus. In the play, Oedipus tries to solve the riddle of Laius’ murder and finds that the answer is himself, a man. He also finds out the story of his whole life from birth to old age in a single day, which mirrors the riddle. Oedipus is confident that he knows who he is, but the riddle of the Sphinx turns out to be more of an enigma, perhaps commenting on the difficulty of knowing oneself

Question 25

Creon’s tyranny

Answer 25

As the king of Thebes in Antigone, Creon is a complete autocrat, a leader who identifies the power and dignity of the state entirely with himself. Instead of accepting kingship as a dutythe Creon of Antigone maintains the throne as his unquestioned right and rules Thebes by his own will, rather than for the good of the people. Creon’s power madness makes him unyielding and vindictive, even to his own son, who speaks as reasonably to him. Example: He doesn’t want Polynices to have a proper burial because of his own hates towards him, knowing that his sister Antigone wants a proper burial for her brother. He puts his own needs before the people of Thebes

Question 26

Eurykleia

Answer 26

Eurykleia appears in the Odyssey, and is described as one of the maid of the house. Odysseus’ nurse when he was a little boy. She’s still around in the palace working as a servant (and trying to keep Telemachos from running off) when Odysseus returns and she recognizes her master by the scar on his thigh. Eurycleia is the only person to recognize him without him first revealing himself (as he did to Telemachus) after he returns home from the Trojan War. After he enters his own house as a guest of Penelope disguised as a beggar. loyalty to Odysseus’s household is seen in her love for Telemachus, whom she treats like her own son. Eurycleia also informs Odysseus which of his servant girls had been unfaithful to Penelope during his absence, conspiring with Penelope’s suitors and becoming their lovers

Question 27

Eumaeus the Swineherd

Answer 27

Eumeaus was the swineherd and friend of Odysseus. In the Odyssey, Eumaeus was the first mortal that Odysseus encounters upon his return to Ithaka after fighting in the Trojan War. He has four dogs who protect his pigs. Although he does not recognize his master Odysseus, who is in disguise, he treats him well by offering food and shelter, thinking he was a poor soul. Odysseus, who was disguised as a beggar, informed Eumaeus that he was the son of Castor, and informed him that Odysseus will soon return. However, Eumeaus perceived this news as false for he has been hearing the same news for too long. Meanwhile, upon Telemachus’ return to Ithaka, he went to Eumaeus’ hut as he was instructed by Athena. There, Eumaeus greeted Telemachus warmly, who expressed worries while he was away. Odysseus then revealed his true identity to both men, and all together, made their plan to kill Penelope’s suitors

Question 28

The bed of Odysseus

Answer 28

The final confirmation of Odysseus’ identity orchestrated by Penelope is the test of the olive tree bed. To provoke Odysseus, Penelope tells Eurycleia to “…move the bed from the bedroom / that he himself built. Bring it out now and make it / up for him, with a mattress, soft sheets, and blankets” (23. 148-150). Predictably, the implication that his bed had been potentially demolished caused Odysseus to become sad and angry. Odysseus states the intricate process that he underwent into making the bed (23. 151-172). The marriage bed is a symbol of their fixity. This final test enabled Penelope to identify her husband through the secret that they shared; the complexity of the bed. As a result, Penelope and Odysseus undergo an ecstatic reunion that both had been longing for. The motive behind Penelope’s tests demonstrates Penelope’s awareness that the beggar is Odysseus, and the tests are methods she utilizes to confirm her findings. Penelope’s logic is a manifestation of her intelligence and cunning. Through her actions, Penelope demonstrates the similarities in characteristics that she and Odysseus share

Question 29

Ismene

Answer 29

Ismene was the daughter of Oedipus and Jocasta, and sister of Antigone, Eteocles, and Polyneices. When Oedipus decided to release the throne to let his two sons command; Eteocles and Polynices agreed that they would share the throne in an alternating fashion. However, when Eteocles’ time to reign was over, and it was Polyneices’ turn, Eteocles refused to give away the throne. This angered Polyneices, who then gathered an army outside of Thebes to later attack the city. During the battle, both brothers died and Creon became King of Thebes. Creon decided that Eteocles deserved a proper funeral rite, while Polyneices is perceived as a traitor, who did not deserve any funeral rite as punishment for turning against the city. Despite the King’s commands, Antigone defied the law and performed a burial for her brother Polyneices. On the other hand, Ismene is the law-abiding sister who despite her love for her brother, could not allow herself to defy her sense of duty to the state. Ismene’s loyalty is evidently limited as she is afraid to risk her own life to bury her beloved brother

Question 30

Jason’s new bride

Answer 30

He abandons his wife, Medea, in order to marry Glauce, the beautiful young daughter of Creon, King of Corinth. Her acceptance of the poisoned coronet and dress as “gifts” leads to the first murder of the play. Although she never utters a word, Glauce’s presence is constantly felt as an object of Medea’s jealousy. This second marriage, he only fuels Medea to a revenge that includes the deaths of his new bride, her father, and his children

Question 31

Tiresais the prophet

Answer 31

There are 2 different stories that explains why Tiresais became blind. One story says that he stumbled onto a sacred grove and saw Athena naked. Insulted and offended, Athena slapped him across his eyes, blinding him. The second story is that he was walking along the woods and saw a couple of snakes reproducing. His punishment was giving the experience of being a woman for 1 year. At the end of the punishment, Hera and Zeus asked Tiresais which of woman or man liked sex more. Tiresais responded with ‘women’, angering Hera and causing her to slap him across the face, blinding him
As compensation, Zeus gave him the power of prophecy
Tiresias meets Odysseus when Odysseus journeys to the underworld in Book 11 of the “Odyssey”. He shows Odysseus how to get back to Ithaca and allows Odysseus to communicate with the other souls in the Underworld. Tiresias also tells Odysseus his prophecy: warns Odysseus to control his appetite and men (self control and respect for gods), it will be a long time for Odysseus to reach home but it will come eventually, Odysseus will take revenge on the suitors and punish them, he has to take an oar and put it on his shoulder and travel to where people have never heard of the sea and gives it as sacrifice to Poseidon, and lastly an easy death will come to him from the sea

Question 32

Medea in her chariot

Answer 32

By the ending of Medea, Medea commits four murders, two of them being her own children. Her decision to slaughter her children in order to get payback for Jason leaving her and marrying a local princess, end with her dragging her children in her dragon chariot given by the god Helios. The act of dragging her children’s corpses in her chariot is a mock towards Jason pitilessly, foretelling embarrassment for him. Also, she refused to give him the bodies of their children to mock Jason’s helplessness and as a poor father. There was nothing Jason could do, and with her chariot, Medea escapes to Athens

Question 33

Medea as a helper to Jason

Answer 33

Jason, a great Greek hero and captain of the Argonauts, led his crew to Colchis in search of the Golden Fleece. King Aeetes, lord of Colchis and Medea’s father, kept the Fleece under guard. The traps set by Aeetes made the Golden Fleece all but impossible to obtain. Presenting himself in front of Aeetes, Aeetes informs Jason that if he is able to take the golden fleece, it is his, but he must overcome three tasks. Aetees’ three tasks for Jason. First, he must plow the field with fire-breathing oxen. Medea gives him protective oil. Secondly, sow the dragon teeth of Cadmus. Medea tells him the stone trick. Finally, get the golden fleece from the dragon. Medea charms the dragon to sleep (Medea enchants the dragon with a potion). By Medea’s aid, Jason overcame these obstacles. Then, to buy time during their escape, Medea killed her own brother and tossed the pieces of his corpse behind the Argo as they sailed for Greece. Her father, grief-stricken by his son’s death and his daughter’s treachery, had to slow his pursuit of the Argo so he could collect the pieces of his son’s body for burial

Question 34

Medea and her children

Answer 34

Exiled as murderers, Jason and Medea settled in Corinth, the setting of Euripides’ play, where they established a family of two children and gained a favorable reputation. All this precedes the action of the play, which opens with Jason having divorced Medea and taken up with a new family. The play charts Medea’s emotional transformation, a progression from suicidal despair to sadistic fury. She eventually avenges Jason’s betrayal with a series of murders, concluding with the deaths of her own children. Famously, the pleasure of watching Jason suffer their loss outweighed her own remorse at killing them.Medea and Jason returned to his hereditary kingdom of Iolcus. Jason’s father had died, and his uncle Pelias sat, without right, on the throne. Medea, to help Jason, convinced Pelias’ daughters that she knew a way to restore the old king’s youth. He would have to be killed, cut into pieces, and then put together and restored to youth by Medea’s magic. The unwitting daughters did as Medea asked, but the sorceress then explained that she couldn’t really bring Pelias back to life

Question 35

Odysseus as a beggar

Answer 35

In the Odyssey, Odysseus must disguise himself as a beggar because he wants the element of surprise when he returns to Ithaka and confronts the suitors. With the help of goddess Athena, Odysseus is able to wander around Ithaka as a beggar in order to learn the conditions of his city and household. As a beggar, Odysseus did not pose any threat to the suitors, deeming him irrelevant in the eyes of his targets. Furthermore, as a beggar, Odysseus was able to observe his wife Penelope’s fidelity during his absence. His disguise enabled him to gain access information about the suitors and his wife, allowed to plan his scheme to murder the suitors, and observing the strengths and weaknesses of his plan. Overall, this act is the ultimate weapon that Odysseus utilizes to perform his plan, thus perceiving Odysseus as a cunning character

Question 36

Odysseus’ journey to the Underworld

Answer 36

In Books 10 of the “Odyssey”, odysseus follows the instructions of Circe and performs an animal sacrifice. He stands over blood with weapon and forces the ghosts and creates order and makes them get in line, meets one at a time

1. elpanor
   - the crewman who broke his neck falling from Circe’s roof. He begs Odysseus to return to Circe’s island and give his body a proper burial
2. Tiresias
   - reveals that Poseidon is punishing the Achaeans for blinding his son Polyphemus. He foretells Odysseus’s fate—that he will return home, reclaim his wife and palace from the wretched suitors, and then make another trip to a distant land to appease Poseidon. He warns Odysseus not to touch the flocks of the Sun when he reaches the land of Thrinacia; otherwise, he won’t return home without suffering much more hardship and losing all of his crew
3. Antykleia
   - updates him on the affairs of Ithaca and relates how she died of grief waiting for his return
4. Agamemnon
   - tells him of his murder at the hands of his wife, Clytemnestra and that he shouldn’t trust Penelope as well.
5. Achilles
   - odysseus sees him and flatters him, he wants to be alive working the earth, who asks about his son, Neoptolemus
6. Ajax
   - an Achaean who killed himself after he lost a contest with Odysseus over the arms of Achilles, but Ajax refuses to speak and slips away

Question 37

Odysseus’ journey with the oar

Answer 37

By the end of The Odyssey, Prophet Tiresius had forewarned him that once he had re-asserted himself as King of Ithaca, he should travel inland holding the oar of a ship. Indeed, after a few years, Odysseus crowned Telemachus King of Ithaca and left him and his wife Penelope to travel on the opposite inland. Many days did he wander with the oar in hand seeking for people who would not know what it was but wherever he went, people recognized it as an oar. One day, far inland, opposite the shores of Ithaca, Odysseus came across those people who had never seen the sea and hence did not know what an oar was. There it was that Odysseus finished his life travel and took a local princess for his bride. For many years, he lived amongst these people and it was here that he breathed his last, far from the sea, his family and his beloved Ithaca

During Odysseus’ journey to the underworld in the Odyssey, the prophet Tiresias, instructs Odysseus that he must eventually pursue yet another quest, carrying his oar inland until he meets a race of men who know so little about the sea that they think the oar is “a fan to winnow grain” (11.146). At that place, Odysseus is to make certain sacrifices to Poseidon. If he follows these and other instructions, Odysseus can live out his life and die in peace.According to Tiresias, only by making his peace with Poseidon will Odysseus be able to return home to stay and live to a prosperous old age.This episode of planting the oar is not actually included in The Odyssey.Its fulfillment is left to the reader’s imagination.Whenever Odysseus does plant that oar he will be marking the end of his life on the sea, his life of adventure that has been dedicated to learning about strange lands and peoples.Odysseus will essentially come home to die, having set up his oar to mark the end of his journey in this life

Question 38

Diotima

Answer 38

Diotima is mentioned in Plato’s Symposium by philosopher Socrates. Her name means ‘divine power’, and is marked as a mystical person, who may possess power or magic. She is perceived as an expert in love, which is evident as Socrates channels Diotima as he gives his speech about the truth of Love. In Socrates’ speech about Love in reference to Diotima, it is implied that Love presents the figure of the feminine. Furthermore, Diotima is a female because if Socrates was learning from a man, it would create a homoerotic relationship, therefore setting a different tone. In the speech, Love is manifested as neither attractive, sensitive, rich, repulsive, old, young, object or person. Love represents a middle ground. Also, Love has parents; Poverty and Plenty. This implies that Love can either be lacked or received. Furthermore, Love possesses characteristics that are in relation to both man and woman. the man represents wealth and wisdom (being full), while the woman represents the want and need (being empty). In addition, Diotima provides another description of Love, in essence of a young boy’s philosophy in life. This means being pregnant in the mind’ giving birth to ideas, creativity, and pushing out widsom. This description of Love can be achieved through proper guidance to love physical body so he may realize that all bodies are the same, therefore realizing that mentality is more important than physical love. This enables an individual to see beauty everywhere, resulting in the birth of reasoning and wisdom. In reference to Diotima, the audience is in awe over Socrates’ speech. Diotima’s philosophy about Love suggests that she is a character with wisdom and is respected due to her teachings

Question 39

Oedipus the tyrant

Answer 39

Oedipus Tyrannus is a play that touches on the topic of murder mystery and politics. Oedipus is a man of swift action and great insight. At the opening of Oedipus the King, we see that these qualities make him an excellent ruler who anticipates his subjects’ needs. When the citizens of Thebes beg him to do something about the plague, for example, Oedipus is one step ahead of them—he has already sent Creon to the oracle at Delphi for advice. But later, we see that Oedipus’s habit of acting swiftly has a dangerous side. When he tells the story of killing the band of travelers who attempted to shove him off the three-way crossroads, Oedipus shows that he has the capacity to behave rashly. At the beginning of Oedipus the King, Oedipus is hugely confident, and with good reason. He has saved Thebes from the curse of the Sphinx and become king virtually overnight. Oedipus’s swiftness and confidence continue to the very end of Oedipus the King. We see him interrogate Creon, call for Tiresias, threaten to banish Tiresias and Creon, call for the servant who escaped the attack on Laius, call for the shepherd who brought him to Corinth, rush into the palace to stab out his own eyes, and then demand to be exiled. He is constantly in motion, seemingly trying to keep pace with his fate, even as it goes well beyond his reach. In Oedipus at Colonus, however, Oedipus seems to have begun to accept that much of his life is out of his control. He spends most of his time sitting rather than acting. Most poignant are lines 825–960, where Oedipus gropes blindly and helplessly as Creon takes his children from him. In order to get them back, Oedipus must rely wholly on Theseus. Once he has given his trust to Theseus, Oedipus seems ready to find peace. At Colonus, he has at last forged a bond with someone, found a kind of home after many years of exile. The single most significant action in Oedipus at Colonus is Oedipus’s deliberate move offstage to die. The final scene of the play has the haste and drive of the beginning of Oedipus the King, but this haste, for Oedipus at least, is toward peace rather than horror

Question 40

Orestes murder of Clytemnestra

Answer 40

In the second play of Aeschylus’ The Oresteia, many years after the murder of Agamemnon, his son, Orestes returns to Argos with his cousin Pylades to exact vengeance on Clytaemnestra, as an order from Apollo, for killing Agamemnon.Upon arriving, Orestes reunites with his sister Electra at Agamemnon’s grave, while she was there bringing libations to Agamemnon in an attempt to stop Clytaemnestra’s bad dreams.Shortly after the reunion, both Orestes and Electra, influenced by the Chorus, come up with a plan to kill both Clytaemnestra and Aegisthus. Orestes is then able to enter the palace where he then kills Aegisthus,Clytaemnestra then enters the room. Orestes hesitates to kill her, but Pylades reminds him of Apollo’s orders he eventually follows through. Consequently, after committing the matricide (killing his mother), Orestes is now the target of the Furies’ merciless wrath and has no choice but to flee from the palace. Orestes is sent to the oracle at Delphi to be cleared of the persecuting rage demons

Question 41

The performance of Athenian tragedy

Answer 41

Greek tragedy was a popular and influential form of drama performed in theatres across ancient Greece from the late 6th century BCE. The most famous playwrights of the genre were Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides and many of their works were still performed centuries after their initial premiere. Greek tragedy led to Greek comedy and, together, these genres formed the foundation upon which all modern theatre is based. Some have linked the rise of the genre, which began in Athens, to the earlier art form, the lyrical performance of epic poetry. Others suggest a strong link with the rituals performed in the worship of Dionysos. Dionysos became known as the god of theatre

Question 42

Theseus’ curse against his son

Answer 42

In Euripides’ Hippolytus, Theseus opens the letter Phaedra left over her body and he discovers that Phaedra has accused Hippolytus of raping her and thereby leaving her no choice but suicide.In a rage, he invokes Poseidon who once promised him three curses. He asks that one of these curses destroy Hippolytus, killing his son in revenge for Phaedra’s death. The chorus leader urges Theseus to swallow his curses, but he refuses. Instead, he banishes Hippolytus as well, just in case Poseidon’s curse fails. Thus, Hippolytus will either die or live in exile

Question 43

The tragic chorus

Answer 43

The Chorus, in the context of Greek tragedy, comedy, and modern works, are homogenous, non-individualised group of performers, who comment with a collective voice on the dramatic action. The chorus consists of between 12 and 50 players, who variously danced, sang, spoke their lines in unison and sometimes wore masks. Overall, their role is to set the mood of the play and provide the audience the themes that are displayed. They interpret the action in relation to the state and the law of the gods, and divide the action and offer reflection on events, as well as give background information on the characters, events, or setting of the plays.

1. Agamemnon: murder of Agamemnon and Cassandra
   a. Chorus = old men of Argos
2. The Libation Bearers Choephorio): Orestes kills Clytemnestra in revenge
   a. Chorus = slave women of Argos
3. The Furies (Eumenides/Kindly Ones: Orestes faces trial for his actions
   a. Chorus = the Furies

Question 44

Place where the three roads meet

Answer 44

In Oedipus the King, Jocasta says that Laius was slain at a place where three roads meet. This crossroads is referred to a number of times during the play, and it symbolizes the crucial moment, long before the events of the play, when Oedipus began to fulfill the dreadful prophecy that he would murder his father and marry his mother. A crossroads is a place where a choice has to be made, so crossroads usually symbolize moments where decisions will have important consequences but where different choices are still possible. In Oedipus the King, the crossroads is part of the distant past, dimly remembered, and Oedipus was not aware at the time that he was making a fateful decision. The crossroads touches upon the notion of memory and location. Also, in the play, the crossroads symbolizes fate and the awesome power of prophecy rather than freedom and choice

Question 45

Phaedra’s last words

Answer 45

In Euripides’ Hippolytus, Phaedra is the wife of Theseus and therefore Queen of Athens. She is the daughter of Minos, king of Crete, and came to Athens after Theseus killed the Minotaur. After marrying Theseus, she falls in love with his illegitimate son Hippolytus. Phaedra tells her nurse about her passion for her stepson, who then reveals this to Hippolytus. In order to preserve her honour, Phaedra commits suicide by hanging herself, but not before writing a letter accusing Hippolytus of rape and incest. Phaedra speaks her last words after her death with a written accusation of him and then hangs herself.

Question 46

The Crimson Cloth

Answer 46

In Aeschylus Agamemnon, the crimson cloth symbolizes the long carpet in the house.In Aeschylus’ play, Agamemnon’s wife Clytemnestra lays down a carpet, red or purple, to trick her husband into thinking he’s getting a suitable welcome before she murders him. Agamemnon does speak of his suspicion and the temptation to anger the Gods by such treatment. Its colour representing the blood he spilt by sacrificing his virginal daughter, and the blood that is about to be spilt. For the carpet leads him into his palace and to his own death. The carpet takes him through the palace door which Clytemnestra closes behind him

Question 47

Dionysus

Answer 47

Dionysus was the god of the grape harvest, winemaking and wine, of ritual madness, religious ecstasy and theatre. He was born in Thebes. He may have been worshipped as early as 1500-100BC by Mycenean Greeks according to very old scripts inscribed with his name. Earlier images and descriptions of Dionysus depict him as a mature male, bearded and robed holding a fennel staff tipped with a pine-cone. However, in later images the god is show to be a beardless, sensuous, naked or semi-naked androgynous youth. He is described in literature as womanly or “man-womanish”. The festival for Dionysus was held in the spring when vines would start bearing leaves. It became one of the most important events of the year and its primary focal point was the theater. Most of the great Greek plays were initially written to be performed at the feast of Dionysus. All participants, writers, actors, spectators, were regarded as sacred servants of Dionysus during the festival

Question 48

Oedipus self-blinding

Answer 48

In Sophocles’ Oedipus. Oedipus unknowingly murdered his father and married his mother (as the prophecy was first told to Jocasta and king Laius). The messenger enters again to tell the Chorus what has happened in the palace. Jocasta is dead, by suicide. She locked herself in her bedroom, crying for Laius and weeping for her monstrous fate. Oedipus came to the door in a fury, asking for a sword and cursing Jocasta. He finally hurled himself at the bedroom door and burst through it, where he saw Jocasta hanging from a noose. Seeing this, Oedipus sobbed and embraced Jocasta. He then took the gold pins that held her robes and, with them, stabbed out his eyes. He kept raking the pins down his eyes, crying that he could not bear to see the world now that he had learned the truth.Oedipus blinds himself for several reasons. One reason is a simple irrational response to learning the truth about himself and the life he has lived. He suffers a temporary insanity when he learns the truth. Another reason is out of guilt. Oedipus feels terrible guilt and sorry over what he has done. He takes his eyes out as a form of self punishment