Misc

Question 1

which gods have connections to the orphic mysteries

Answer 1

Dionysus and Persephone

Question 2

what is written on the orphic burial tablet

Answer 2

instructions on what to do (and not to do) in the afterlife

Question 3

who is Mithras?

Answer 3

persian god of light

Question 4

what is Tauroctony?

Answer 4

ceremonial killing of a bull that is depected in many temples

Question 5

when and why did mystery cults die out?

Answer 5

in the 4th century, as the roman empire declined and Christianity spread

Question 6

what does Aristotle include in his ‘Poetics Checklist’?

Answer 6

1. Include an action that is serious & has magnitude
2. Characters should make decisions that seem logical
3. Protagonist should not be 100% good or evil, and their downfall should not be caused by vice or depravity, but by some error or frailty
4. Accomplish catharsis through pity and/or terror

Question 7

what city is cursed?

Answer 7

Thebes

Question 8

What is Hamartia

Answer 8

A character’s fatal flaw that led to their downfall

Question 9

where does the word labyrinth come from?

Answer 9

ancient Greek word for double-headed axe

Question 10

how do the different versions of Electra vary thematically?

Answer 10

Aesclyus: passive, acts as a foil for Clytemnestra
Euripides: more active, morally ambiguous
Sophocles: focuses more on killing Aegisthus (Clytemnesta’s new boyfriend), embodies conflict between revenge & justice