Ancient Greek Drama Trivia

1. Name these three great playwrights in chronological order.

From Quiz Ancient Greek Tragedians

Answer: Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides

The correct chronological order is : Aeschylus (525 BC-456 BC) Sophocles (c.496 BC - 406 BC) Euripides (c.484 BC- 406BC).

From Quiz Various Greek Drama

Answer: Jocasta

Jocasta is not only Oedipus' wife, she is also his mother. He was, of course, doomed to sleep with her.

From Quiz Ancient Theatre

Answer: Menander

"The Grouch" helped to establish comedy as it is today.

From Quiz Ancient Greek Tragedians

Answer: Eleusis

Aeschylus, the first of classical Athens' tragic dramatists was born at Eleusis, close to Athens, while Sophocles was born at Colonus, near Athens as well. Euripides was born at Athens or maybe in the Island of Salamis.

From Quiz Various Greek Drama

Answer: Clytemnestra

Clytemnestra is Agamemnon's wife. She kills him because he has been away for ten years, has killed their daughter, and brings back a slave concubine in the celebratory parade.

From Quiz Ancient Theatre

Answer: Dionysus

Dionysus, also knows as Bacchus to the Romans, encouraged the making of more good Greeks. Yearly, after the festival was over, mating was strongly encouraged.

From Quiz Various Greek Drama

Answer: Medea gives her poison garments

Medea is a very very very scary lady. She utilizes the power of Greek fire in the garments to kill Jason's fiancee. The ensuing fire also kills Jason's father-in-law to be.

From Quiz Well Known Greek Plays

Answer: Agamemnon, The Libation Bearers, Eumenides

They tell the story of Orestes who murders his mother Clytemnestra and her lover Aeigisthus, to avenge his father Agamemnon. The trilogy was written by Aeschylus. 'Electra' by Euripides is written about the same myth.

From Quiz Various Greek Drama

Answer: Odysseus

Odysseus is of course the main character of "The Odyssey". He inherits the armor in a case of brains versus brawn against Aegis. In a rare scenario, brains win.

From Quiz Well Known Greek Plays

Answer: Antigone

The play 'Antigone' was written by Sophocles. She is punished for burying her dead brother Polynices, because he was considered an enemy of the city of Thebes, by King Creon. She hangs herself while in prison.

From Quiz Ancient Greek Tragedians

Answer: Aeschylus

Aeschylus' plays are of lasting literary value in their lyrical language, in the intricate architecture of their plots, and in the universal themes which they explore so honestly. Aeschylus' language in both dialogue and choral lyric is marked by force, majesty, and emotional intensity.

From Quiz Various Greek Drama

Answer: Yellow

Aristophanes, a satirist, was ridiculing contemporary Greek drama. Dionysus, who is the god of drama, was wearing yellow to imply that he was a homosexual and a fool. Aristophanes was mocking the lack of respect for the gods and the terrible and inferior drama that was being presented to the Greek public.

From Quiz Ancient Theatre

Answer: Aristotle

Aristotle was the first to write a book on how to analyze plays. His elements were: 1) plot, 2) character, 3) theme or thought, 4) diction, 5) music, and 6) spectacle. Easily remembered with "Please Close The Door My Son."

From Quiz Greek To Us - Comedy, Tragedy and Satire

Answer: A satyr play

The vulgar and cheeky satyrs appear early in "Cyclops" and signal the audience that what follows is a satyr play and not to been taken seriously. In order to compete in the Athenian Dionysia a playwright was required to submit a satyr play in addition to three tragedies. The satyr play provided comic relief. Usually a satyr play mocked a serious myth as Euripides did in "Cyclops". "Cyclops" is the only complete satyr play surviving from the era. The meaning of the word "satire" was influenced by these early plays. The Latin "satura", originally used to describe a mixture, came to be applied to a medly of poems denouncing vice. In the middle ages, satire was thought to be associated with the ancient Greek satyr plays; and as a result the word came to have a second meaning of sarcastic wit applied to various human foibles. Dictionary.com summarizes the etymology in this way: "Altered in L. by infl. of Gk. satyr, on mistaken notion that the form is related to the Gk. satyr drama." Satyr plays should not be confused with comedies. Satyr plays mocked heroes and gods, were shorter than full comedies or tragedies, and presumably bore a greater similarity to "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" than to "Saturday Night Live". Satyr plays notably lacked the references to and implied criticism of contemporary issues and personages that were common in comedies of the era.

From Quiz Well Known Greek Plays

Answer: Jocasta

Oedipus was cursed from birth to kill his father and marry his mother. When she finds out the truth about her husband and son, Jocasta commits suicide. Oedipus then gouges out his eyes with the pins from her dress.

From Quiz Ancient Greek Tragedians

Answer: Aeschylus

"The Persians" is unique among surviving tragedies in that it dramatizes recent history rather than events from the distant age of mythical heroes. The play treats the decisive repulse of the Persians from Greece in 480, in particular their defeat at the Battle of Salamis.

From Quiz Ancient Theatre

Answer: Swollen foot

In the play, the messenger tells us Oedipus means 'swollen foot'. He was bound at the ankles by Jocasta, so the messenger named Oedipus himself before sending him to Merope and Polybus.

From Quiz Well Known Greek Plays

Answer: Hippolytus

Aphrodite caused his step-mother Phaedra to fall in love with him. When he finds out about this from Phaedra's meddling nurse, he threatens to tell Theseus (his father and Phaedra's husband). To preserve her dignity and her children's future, she kills herself and leaves a note saying that Hippolytus raped her. Theseus calls down a curse upon him and he is killed by a monster from the sea.

From Quiz Ancient Greek Tragedians

Answer: Euripides

Euripides is regarded as the forerunner of the modern psychological drama. In "Hippolytus", in fact, and in "The Bacchae", for example, he explores the psyche of men attempting to deny a natural life-force such as sexuality or emotional release. In another timeless classic, "Medea", he takes a penetrating look at the frenzied jealousy of a woman.

From Quiz Ancient Theatre

Answer: Aristophanes

'Lysistrata' was written by Aristophanes and performed more than any other Greek comedy.

From Quiz Well Known Greek Plays

Answer: Clytemnestra

Clytemnestra was both praised and feared by men because she was intelligent and powerful. This is said of her in 'Agamemnon'.

From Quiz Ancient Greek Tragedians

Answer: "Ajax", "Antigone", "Oedipus the King", "Electra", "Women of Trachis", "Philoctetes", "Oedipus at Colonus"

Only seven of Sophocles' tragedies ("Ajax", "Antigone", "Trachinian Women", "Oedipus the King", "Electra", "Philoctetes", and "Oedipus at Colonus") survive in their entirety; all are works of his maturity.

From Quiz Various Greek Drama

Answer: Poseidon

After Odysseus had blinded Poseidon's son, he shouted out his name (the son's) and the Cyclops called upon his father to punish Odysseus, which Poseidon did for ten years.

From Quiz Ancient Theatre

Answer: Sex

It was indeed reproduction. Lysistrata and the rest of the women believed that if the men were needy, they would no longer feel the need to fight amongst one another. In the end, there was a return to stasis.

From Quiz Greek To Us - Comedy, Tragedy and Satire

Answer: Aristophanes, writer of comedies

The ancient Greek comedy writer is credited with that 2500+ year old gem. Funny how seriously adults have come to take the comment over the years. Some might draw parallels between the Athens of Aristophanes and our own time. There was unrest over ongoing wars. The public seemed to feel that their present leaders were only pale shadows of the great Pericles. Aristophanes not only had the audacity to satirize such iconic figures as Socrates and Euripides, but Aristophanes even had the temerity to parody the tyrant Cleon. One account holds that Aristophanes himself performed the part of the dictator after the other members of his company refused to do so, fearing for their lives.

From Quiz Well Known Greek Plays

Answer: Medea

Even though she knows it will hurt her more than it will hurt her husband Jason, she still murders her children to make him suffer. She also murders his wife-to-be and King Creon.

From Quiz Ancient Greek Tragedians

Answer: seven

Aeschylus wrote approximately 90 plays, including satyr plays as well as tragedies; of these, about 80 titles are known. Only seven tragedies have survived entire: "The Suppliants", "The Persians", "Seven against Thebes", "Prometheus Bound", "Agamemnon", "The Libation Bearers", "The Eumenides". Please note that I do not agree with modern theory that attributes "Prometheus Bound"("Prometheus desmotes", in Greek) to another tragedian, maybe Euphorion, one of Aeschylus' sons. In fact such a theory is not proved right now. On the contrary I agree with classical scholars Albin Lesky (A History of Greek Literature) and Gilbert Murray (Aeschyli Septem quae supersunt tragoediae, Oxford University Press) who attribute "Prometheus Bound" to Aeschylus, though it's difficult to date this play.

From Quiz Various Greek Drama

Answer: tragedy & comedy

During the festival of Dionysus, in any given day, three tragedies were presented and one comedy was presented. Comedy was considered a type of drama, unlike today.

From Quiz Ancient Theatre

Answer: Aeschylus

'Agamemnon' was written by Aeschylus. Agamemnon was killed by his wife upon his return from Troy.

From Quiz Various Greek Drama

Answer: Edith Hamilton & Hamilton

Hamilton is one of the definitive sources on the ancient world. She also wrote "The Roman Way" and "Mythology".

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Last Updated Nov 30 2024 5:47 AM

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