Greek Tragedy: Study Questions
Aeschylus' Oresteia
1. What motivates Clytemnestra's murder of
Agamemnon?
2. How is this version of the story different from
that of the Odyssey? Why?
3. What is Electra's role in the Libation
Bearers?
4. Which gods support Clytemnestra and which support
Orestes?
5. What arguments does Apollo use to defend Orestes?
6. What values are upheld by the final resolution of
the Eumenides?
Article by Foley
1. How does the portrayal of
women in Athenian drama differ from that of prose texts and physical evidence?
2. What 2 major methods to
explain these differences are presented by Foley?
3. In traditional
structuralist analyses, what does woman symbolize?
4. How is the alignment of
women with nature or with domesticity important for Athenian drama?