Oedipus - Pre Quiz

Question 1

Genre: Greek Tragedy

Answer 1

-Tragedy originate from“tragos”, which means “goat”.

~Winners of festivals would receive a goat as a prize

Question 2

Tragedy focused on:

Answer 2

Myths and legends
Ex: (Oedipus, Hercules, Perseus)
and the gods and goddesses

Question 3

Tragedy examined=

Answer 3

• Consequences of individual actions
• the relationship of people to gods
• and of the role fate place in life

Question 4

Best known writers

Answer 4

~Aeschylus
~Euripides
~ Sophocles

Question 5

Genre characteristics

Answer 5

• A tragedy is a serious drama featuring a tragic hero, often noble, he strives to achieve something and, because of their own fault, is ultimately defeated

Question 6

Prologue

Characteristics

Answer 6

The opening scene of the play

Question 7

Parados

Characteristics

Answer 7

The first of the Chorus’s lyric Songs, or coral odes

Question 8

Dialogue

Characteristics

Answer 8

Conversation of the plays characters.

Question 9

Choral odes

Characteristics

Answer 9

Lyrics songs are Choral Odes Example: Sophocles treated his chorus as collective “actor”

Question 10

Exodos

Characteristics

Answer 10

The concluding scene of the play

Question 11

History

Answer 11

•Plays were part of festivals to honour the gods.

• Sometimes up to 15,000 people
• The end of the festivals, judges voted the best play

Question 12

Sophocles

Answer 12

• Considered the greatest playwright from Ancient Greece
• Believed to have won 18 times
• Involved in politics and military affairs
• ”Oedipus Rex” is part of a trilogy
• life= 496-406 BCE

Question 13

Sophocles (continued)

Answer 13

• added 3rd actor
• reduce chorus size to 15 men
• Never showed violent scenes on stage

Question 14

Tragic Hero

Answer 14

• Hamartia
• Hubris
• Catharsis

Question 15

Catharsis

Answer 15

Self-realization + self-awareness

Question 16

Hubris

Answer 16

Excessive pride or arrogance

Question 17

Hamartia

Answer 17

Weakness or flaw in a character

Question 18

Background to Play:

Answer 18

•King Laius and Queen Jocasta learn from oracle that King is doomed to be killer by his son

Question 19

Bckgnd:

Answer 19

•Jocasta cannot kill her own child so she orders the servant to take care of it

Question 20

In Corinth: (background)

Answer 20

This is told by the Oracle that he’s doomed to kill his father and marry his mother

Question 21

Background (run away):

Answer 21

Oedipus runs away after hearing the oracles prophecy

-He runs into his father and kills him on the road

Question 22

Sphinx

Answer 22

• Oedipus hears that Thebes has troubles with the sphinx

- he must solve it’s riddle to save Thebes

Question 23

Save Thebes (background)

Answer 23

He saves Thebes= then receives the throne and the queen as a reward
~fulfilling the prophecy

Question 24

Play Opens to:

Answer 24

• Oedipus married to his mother
• has 4 kids
• King of Thebes

~Thebes suffers a Plague

Question 25

Sophocles (accomplishments)

Answer 25

• wrote 123 or + plays during his life
• for almost 50 years, he was the main competitor of ancien Athens
• (not certain) 1st victory was 468 BCE

Question 26

Sophocles trilogy

Answer 26

• Oedipus the King
• Oedipus at Colonus
• Antigone