Deck 12: The Ancients

Question 1

Which of the following most accurately describes the central tension in Prometheus Bound?

A)The contrast between Prometheus' need to give mankind fire and Zeus' jealousy of having mankind like Prometheus better.
B)The contrast between Prometheus' will to freedom and the chains that bind him to the rock symbolize rebellious humanity straining against the shackles of oppressive authority.
C)The contrast between Prometheus' isolation on the mountaintop and the visitors who come to speak with him symbolizes the need for the all-powerful to sustain social relations.
D)The contrast between Prometheus' isolation on the mountaintop and the visitors who come to speak with him shows the importance of courtesy in social situations.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Which of the following is NOT true about the use of actors on the stage?

A)Aeschylus increased the number of actors on stage to two.
B)Sophocles added a third actor to enable "overheard" dialogue situations.
C)Sophocles increased the dithyrambic chorus to fifteen.
D)Aeschylus added female actors.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Dramatic irony is a term that describes

A)the reversal in a character's fate from bad to good.
B)a theatrical contrivance which enables the audience to understand the characters' situation better than the characters do.
C)a soliloquy that is overheard by other characters.
D)the clash in color used to separate characters that have different points of view.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

From the word for hut or tent,the Greek version of dressing room was a wooden changing room called the

A)skene.
B)orchestra.
C)auditorium.
D)theatron.

Question 5

Which of the following is NOT true of the Greek chorus,as exemplified in Prometheus Bound?

A)The chorus permitted the insertion of internal monologues as well as incendiary public addresses.
B)The chorus stood metaphorically and literally between the principal characters and the audience.
C)The chorus enabled the playwright to bridge narrative and dramatic forms.
D)The chorus ignores Prometheus,giving no counsel,and leaves him often alone to figure things out by himself.

Question 6

The device used at the beginning of the play by which the playwright offers revelations about past events is called

A)denouement.
B)crisis.
C)prophecy.
D)exposition.

Question 7

A tetralogy was a group of four plays composed of

A)a comedy,a tragedy,a tragicomedy that linked the themes,and a burlesque.
B)three tragedies and one satyr play,all Greek based.
C)two comedies and two tragedies,all Roman based.
D)a short operetta,two comedies,and a tragedy.

Question 8

The dithyramb was

A)an austere religious sacrifice involving the burning of incense and the consecration of a bull to Apollo.
B)a combination song and dance routine performed on the spring equinox and celebrated with flowers,grasses,and the blessing of ships.
C)an ancient,drunken,dance-chant fertility ritual that celebrated the birth of the wine god that lasted for many days.
D)a rite of passage symbolizing the transition from virginity to marriage sanctified by the reading of oracles from Delphi.

Question 9

A satyr play was

A)a play that featured a sprite,a satyr,or a wood nymph as its central character.
B)a short bawdy farce that parodied the events of tragedy.
C)a play located in a woodland setting where satyrs were believed to live.
D)any play with at least one character who was a composite being of any type,whether satyr,centaur,or mermaid.

Question 10

Which contribution to Greek drama did Thespis NOT make?

A)the invention of the mask
B)the adoption of impersonation
C)detailed makeup
D)dialogue

Question 11

The main difference between tragedies and satyr plays,on the one hand,and the dithyramb,on the other,was that

A)the dithyramb preserved religious tone;the tone of the tragedies and satyr plays was secular.
B)the tragedies and satyr plays added an actor to the performance.
C)the dithyramb was always performed by women,whereas only men were permitted to perform in a tragedy or satyr play.
D)the dithyramb was always keyed to special dates on the astronomical and religious calendar;the tragedies and satyr plays could be performed at any time of the year.

Question 12

Historically,traditional drama begins when

A)spoken drama-drama is introduced into shamanistic rites.
B)rituals begin to incorporate shamanistic trances.
C)whole tribes of audiences begin to gather to hear storytellers relate their tales.
D)dramatic competitions are introduced in Athens.

Question 13

Rituals are

A)used in ancient times to control other people.
B)only enacted around sad events.
C)broad collective practices to observe important life events.
D)scripted dramas using large props.

Question 14

What kind of sexy,audacious,political,scatological comedy was considered fit material for translation or publication only in recent times?

A)old comedy
B)new comedy
C)Egyptian comedy
D)Senecan comedy

Question 15

The god of fertility,wine,and sexuality was

A)Apollo.
B)Athena.
C)Mercury.
D)Dionysus.

Question 16

The flaw of overweening pride is known as

A)lamor propre.
B)hubris.
C)malignant narcissism.
D)peripeteia.

Question 17

From the Greek word for dancing,what was the name given to the rectangular or circular ground-level playing space in Greek theatre used primarily by the chorus?

A)skene
B)orchestra
C)vomitorium
D)theatron

Question 18

How was Greek Old Comedy characterized,as opposed to tragedy?

A)It reflected little,if any,religious origin
B)It refused to portray the Gods as benign characters
C)It was chaste and mild in its depiction of possible offensiveness
D)It was actually virtually identical to tragedy in tone

Question 19

According to the nineteenth century German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche,Greek drama could be appreciated as a combination of

A)the pastoral life of shepherds and the more urbane wit of the city dwellers.
B)Dionysian ecstasy (wild choral dancing)and Apollonian rationality (serious content).
C)the spirit of war loosed by the Peloponnesian War and the spirit of love exemplified by Venus.
D)the sensibilities of the ruling class and merchants.

Question 20

When theatre historians speak of the "Greek theatre" they are usually speaking about

A)Athens in the classic period that spanned 100 years (Fifth Century,B.C. ).
B)outdoor theatre that featured mostly comedies.
C)included many locations,both Greek and Roman,Egypt.
D)all classical (Greek,Roman,and neoclassical)drama.

Question 21

How does plot or character drive the play in Oedipus and Prometheus Bound? Compare and contrast the two along these lines.

Question 22

Which of the following is true of Titus Maccius Plautus (C.254-184 B.C. )?

A)His twenty-one plays are fast-paced,joke-filled,lusty stage romps filled with songs.
B)His twenty-one plays chronicle the founding and glory of Rome through noble and elevated language spoken by senators.
C)His twenty-one plays show his marriage of the existential themes of Greek tragedy with the light-hearted ambiance of the pastoral idyll.
D)His twenty-one plays,dealing with religious themes,were prohibited from performance owing to the Roman Emperor's claim to be both king and god.

Question 23

Explain the growth of the Greek drama in terms of the progressive increase in numbers of persons on the stage.What implications does this physical change hold for the dramaturgy?

Question 24

Which of the following would NOT describe the experience of catharsis as felt by an audience?

A)After witnessing ritualized suffering,it allows a perspective on our fears of what lies ahead.
B)It excites emotions and keeps them active,preparing spectators for vigorous or violent social action outside the theatre.
C)It purges the feelings of pity and terror aroused by the action.
D)Its aim is like that of primitive rituals of exorcism and some modern psychotherapy.

Question 25

Although much Middle Eastern Drama had disappeared by the third century,the spread of Islam,beginning in the seventh century,provided fertile ground for the development of live actor and puppet theatre in the Middle Ages.

Question 26

Most extant Roman plays were adaptations of Greek models with Greek characters in Greek costumes,acting out Greek legends.

Question 27

Catharsis refers to an experience at the end of a tragedy in which the audience feels

A)a heightened sense of pity,fear,and violence that they carry deep within themselves after the play is over.
B)a purgation of the feelings of pity and fear and a cleansing of emotions.
C)a freeing of uncontrolled,repressed Oedipal desires to kill one parent and sexually unite with the other.
D)all is put back into balance according to the gods.

Question 28

In Oedipus Rex,the audience is as lost as the main character of Oedipus.

Question 29

Senecan drama was characterized by its serene and elevated language,well-constructed plot,and expansive use of stage machines like the pulley to represent the intervention of the gods.

Question 30

The first word for actor was hypokrite.

Question 31

Briefly outline the plot of Oedipus in terms of pure action from first scene to final scene.(For example,who said what to whom,then what happened,etc. )

Question 32

Anagnorisis refers to

A)the audience's response to tragedy.
B)the physical configuration of the stage.
C)the central character's recognition.
D)the will of the gods.

Question 33

In his play,Oedipus Rex,playwright Sophocles,introduced

A)two-person scenes.
B)long epic monologues.
C)use of prophecy and dramatic irony.
D)comedic moments to break the tragic scenes.

Question 34

The Greek word for tragedy was tragoidia,which means goat song.

Question 35

Aeschylus,Sophocles,and Euripides are the three famous masters of Greek tragedy.

Question 36

Upon reflection of Greek Theatre,how does a contemporary outdoor Shakespeare festival compare or differ.List a minimum of three for each kind of theatre.

Question 37

In tragedy,the main character or hero falls due to a flaw in his character.

Question 38

The primary origins of theatre are ritual and dancing.

Question 39

The type of Greek play that most closely preserved the chaotic spirit of the dithyramb was tragedy.

Question 40

Ritualistic and storytelling origins of theatre are evident in dramas we see today.Compare how the actor as well as our use of technology in contemporary theatre function like a shaman.(Hint: Think transitions,staging,mood,etc. )