Divine Drama — The Gods and Fate
According to Theogony, who was the first being to emerge from Chaos?
Gaia (Earth).
What heroic quality best defines Odysseus, distinguishing him from Achilles?
Metis (cunning intelligence).
Odysseus’ faithful swineherd who shelters him upon his return to Ithaca.
Eumaeus.
This queen kills her husband upon his return from Troy.
Clytemnestra.
The oracle warns Oedipus he will commit which two crimes?
Kill his father and marry his mother.
Which god in the Odyssey remains angry with Odysseus and delays his nostos?
Poseidon.
Agamemnon shows hubris when he walks on what object in Aeschylus’ play?
Purple (crimson) tapestries reserved for the gods.
Agamemnon’s homecoming ends not in joy but in what?
His murder by Clytemnestra.
In Antigone, why does the title character defy Creon’s decree?
To obey the gods’ unwritten laws and bury her brother.
Tiresias serves as a symbol of what recurring theme across tragedies?
Blindness and insight — the limits of human knowledge.
In Bacchae, Dionysus punishes this mortal king for denying his divinity.
Pentheus.
Oedipus’ downfall comes from what combination of traits?
Pride and relentless pursuit of truth (hubris and determination). Also, ignorance.
Orestes’ return to Mycenae in Libation Bearers is motivated by what divine command?
Apollo’s oracle to avenge his father’s murder.
In Medea, what is Medea’s most shocking act of vengeance against Jason?
She kills their children.
In Eumenides, the Furies become the “Eumenides.” What does this transformation signify?
The reconciliation of divine vengeance and civic justice.
In Oedipus Tyrannus, which god’s oracle delivers the fatal prophecy about Oedipus?
Apollo.
In Medea, Jason’s hubris leads him to believe he can do what without consequence?
Abandon Medea and marry Glauce/Creusa for political gain.
What symbol proves Odysseus’ identity to Penelope?
The secret of their marriage bed built from a living olive tree.
Agave’s role in Bacchae inverts maternal devotion — how?
In her frenzy, she kills her own son, Pentheus, thinking he’s a lion.
What lesson about justice does Zeus’ punishment of Prometheus (from Theogony and Works and Days) reinforce?
The gods punish human overreach and preserve cosmic order.
In Eumenides, Athena establishes this new civic institution to replace blood vengeance.
The Areopagus (court of law / trial by jury).
In Helen, the “true” Helen never went to Troy. What does this revision suggest about the nature of heroism and illusion?
It questions heroic glory, implying that war and reputation may be built on false appearances.
In Eumenides, how is Orestes’ “homecoming” completed through justice rather than blood?
Athena’s court acquits him, ending the curse of the House of Atreus and transforming vengeance into law.
In Helen, what does Helen’s phantom double symbolize about female reputation in myth?
That women’s honor and guilt are often shaped by male narratives and illusion.
In Medea, what divine figure aids Medea’s escape, suggesting ambiguous divine justice?
Helios (the Sun god), her grandfather, who provides her a chariot.