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?