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Well Known Greek Plays Trivia Quiz

How well do you know your Greek plays and playwrights?

A multiple-choice quiz by silver_ego. Estimated time: 3 mins.

Author
silver_ego

Time
3 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
174,967

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
7 / 10

Plays
1703

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Which one of these is not a Greek playwright? Hint

Homer

Euripides

Sophocles

Aeschylus

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Question 2 of 10

2. Which of these plays was not written by Euripides? Hint

Hippolytus

Oedipus the King

Electra

Medea

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Question 3 of 10

3. Which of these playwrights wrote comedies and not tragedies? Hint

Sophocles

Euripides

Aristophanes

Aeshchylus

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Question 4 of 10

4. Which three plays make up the trilogy 'The Oresteia'? Hint

Oedipus the King, Hecabe, Electra

Agamemnon, Electra, The Libation Bearers

Agamemnon, The Libation Bearers, Eumenides

Agamemnon, Oedipus the King, Eumenides

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Question 5 of 10

5. Which young woman, in the play of the same name, was punished for burying her dead brother? Hint

Phaedra

Ismene

Antigone

Medea

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Question 6 of 10

6. Who was both mother and wife to Oedipus? Hint

Euridice

Jocasta

Hecabe

Phaedra

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Question 7 of 10

7. Which young man was doomed for scorning Aphrodite (goddess of love) by refusing to worship her, and remaining a virgin? Hint

Theseus

Haemon

Hippolytus

Jason

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Question 8 of 10

8. Of which woman is it said that she 'manoeuvres like a man'? Hint

Phaedra

Clytemnestra

Medea

Antigone

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Question 9 of 10

9. Who murders her own children to hurt her husband? Hint

Hecabe

Ismene

Euridice

Medea

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Question 10 of 10

10. In Greek plays all the characters are played by men, but more plays were written with female choruses than male choruses. True or false?

True

False

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Which one of these is not a Greek playwright?

Answer: Homer

Homer is a poet. The works 'The Odyssey' and 'The Iliad' are attributed to him.

2. Which of these plays was not written by Euripides?

Answer: Oedipus the King

'Oedipus' was written by Sophocles.

3. Which of these playwrights wrote comedies and not tragedies?

Answer: Aristophanes

Two of his most famous comedies are 'The Frogs' and 'The Wasps'.

4. Which three plays make up the trilogy 'The Oresteia'?

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.

5. Which young woman, in the play of the same name, was punished for burying her dead brother?

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.

6. Who was both mother and wife to Oedipus?

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.

7. Which young man was doomed for scorning Aphrodite (goddess of love) by refusing to worship her, and remaining a virgin?

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.

8. Of which woman is it said that she 'manoeuvres like a man'?

Answer: Clytemnestra

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

9. Who murders her own children to hurt her husband?

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.

10. In Greek plays all the characters are played by men, but more plays were written with female choruses than male choruses. True or false?

Answer: True

Of all the surviving Greek plays, 21 have female choruses and 10 have male choruses.

Source: Author silver_ego

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor MotherGoose before going online.
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