Studied by 70 people
Which two gods witnessed the abduction of Persephone?
Hekate and Helios
Where does Demeter go while she is grieving for her lost daughter?
Eleusis
Why does Demeter get upset at Metaneira?
Metaneira screamed when she saw Demeter dipping her baby into the fire
Elusinian Mysteries
a cult
Athenian tragedies and comedies were performed in a festival dedicated to which God/Goddess?
Dionysus
Before the plays started, the audience in the theatre witnessed which of the following?
A presentation of the tribute money that Athens had collected from its dependent allies, a ceremony that honored those who had benefited the city by giving them an honorary garland or Crown, and a parade of orphans whose fathers had died in battle defending Athens and who had been raised at state expense (all of the above)
Which of the following is NOT true of the choruses in Ancient Greek tragedies?
choruses were comprised of paid professionals
T/F The Athenians enjoyed portraying violent spectacles on stage for the audience to see.
False
In Sophocles’ Oedipus the King, who is Tiresias?
The bind seer who tells Oedipus the truth about his past
What is a Myth?
A story(muthos) with psychologically important to a communitee/society/culture (Can be factual)
What is etiology?
a way of explaining the world, proto-scientific explanation
Who was Pandora?
A women made for Epimetheus who released all the bad things into the world. Curiosity in essence.
Who was Epimetheus?
Brother to Prometheus. “Past sight” husband to Pandora punished for sins of brother. Gave animals their qualities.
Who was Prometheus?
“foresight” made humans and gave them fire. Punished by Zeus
Who was Zeus?
King of the Gods. God of the sky
Cronos
Saturn. Father of the Gods. Titan of Time. Ate his children.
Rhea
Mother of the Gods. Wife to Cronos. Saved Zeus by hiding him nd feeding Cronos a rock.
Uranus
Father of the Titans. Husband to Gaea. Cut up by Cronos.
Zeus
Jupiter. God of the Sky. Killed Cronos. King of Gods
Hera
Juno. Goddess of Marriage. Wife to Zeus.
Poseiden
Neptune. God of the Sea.
Demeter
Ceres. Goddess of agriculture. Mother of Persephone.
Hestia
Vesta. Goddess of the Hearth
Hades/Pluto
Dis. God of the Underworld. Husband to Persephone
Apollo
God of the sun, medicine, music, and Archery
Artemis
Diana. Goddess of the Hunt, maidens, and Archery
Hermes
Mercury. God of travelers, messengers, and thieves
Anthropomorphic
having human characteristics
Omniscient
knowing everything
Omnipotent
(of a deity) having unlimited power; able to do anything
Athens
Origins for Theatre 500 BC. Festival of Dionysus.
Tragedy
From Greek word Tragoidos for "Goat Song”. Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides
Comedy
From Greek work Komoidos meaning “Party Song. Aristophanes
City Dionysia
Theatre festival in Athens. A competition playwriters would enter 3 tragedies and 1 Comedy.
Outdoor Theaters
All theaters in Ancient Greece. The audience was raked, and the stage was flat
Chorus
Non-professional actors, 12-15 members, danced and sung mostly, didn’t ever leave the stage
Choregos
Wealthy Citizen who financed the chorus
Koryphaeus
Chorus Leader
Parodos
Entrance Song
Stasimon
Choral interlude
Strophe
part of a choral song
Antistrophe
another part of choral songs
Three actor rule
Only three people could be talking on stage at one time
Costumes and Masks
costumes were padded to make the characters look bigger. Masks also bigger and made to help with projection.
Agon
set piece debate long speeches (rhesis) followed by Stichomythia
Rhesis
long speeches
Stichomythia
dialogue between two actors each exchange just one line of meter
Mechane
crane, or something, that let actors fly in
Ekkyklema
wheeled platform
Orchestra
flat area of the stage in the center had an alter (thymele)
Peripeteia
reversal of fortune
Anagnorisis
recognition
Catharsis
cleansing of negative emotions
Aeschylus
Playwriter, 525-456BC, Acted in own plays, Veteran of Marathon, Prometheus Bound, Agamemnon, Eumenides
Sophocles
496-406BC, Antigone, Oedipus Rex, Strategos-General, 3rd actor?
Euripides
485-406BC, 19 extant plays, Bacchae, Medea, Surly and unconventional
Aristophanes
Comedy, 11 plays
Oedipus
Son of Jocasta and Laius. Abandoned by parents. Adopted. Ran away to avoid the prophesy. Ended up killing his father and sleeping with his mother. Blinds himself and goes into exile.
Jocasta
Wife and Mother to Oedipus. Kills herself when she realizes what had happened.
Creon
Oedipus’ uncle/ bro-in-law
Tiresias
Blind prophet, tells Oedipus the truth.
Laius
Oedipus’ Father. Dies by Oedipus’ hand on the road. Abandoned Oedipus in the mountains to avoid a prophesy.
The Shepherd
The one who gives Oedipus to another kingdom. Tells Oedipus the truth about who he is.
Role of Fate in Life
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“Nothing in excess”
Delphic Saying, Meden Agan
“Know thyself”
Delphic saying, Gnothi Seauton
Does Western Civilization even exist?
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The Necessity of understanding pour own identity and questioning our own personal myths
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Arnold meaning of culture
hierarchical, value based, best refinements of art literature, music, etc., subjective
Tyler meaning of culture
neutral, relativistic, objective, sum of daily tasks, habits, interactions, actions, priorities, etc.
Aristotle’s view of Oedipus
Tragic Hero. Lots of hubris and self righteous
Freud
Oedipus Complex. Believed that people had the primitive desire to kill their father and bed their mother.
Chrysippus
prioritized logic.
Thebes
The polis where Oedipus is born and reigned. Under a curse because someone killed the king.
Corinth
where Oedipus believes he is from
Polybus
Oedipus’ adopted father, also a king
Merope
Oedipus’ adopted mother
“Oida”
“I know” in Greek. a play on Oedipus’ name. He is said to be clever, solved a riddle. But his name could also mean something like bum foot
Delphi
A island in Greece. The location of Apollo’s most famous oracle.
Oracle
A prophetess, said to be given prophesies by Apollo. Sits on a stool in a subterranean cave.
Sphinx
A beast, prohibited the entrance to Thebes would kill anyone who answered the riddle wrong
Tyrant (Tyrannos)
A foreign ruler. Some who was foriegn born but now rules
Pollution/ Miasma
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Plauge/pandemic
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Murder Mystery
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Dramatic Irony
literary device by which the audience’s or reader’s understanding of events or individuals in a work surpasses that of its characters
Impact of past on present
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Origins and Identity
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Expositio in agendo
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Suppliants
written by Aeschylus. About a city who cannot burry the sons who have fallen in battle
Messenger speech
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What was Prometheus’ relationship to humankind?
Craftsman, Creator, knowledge, Technology
Io, Hera, Gadfly
Io was one of Zeus’ lovers she was turned into a cow, Hera sent a Gadfly to plague and torment Io.
Hephaestus
God of fire and blacksmithing. Chained Prometheus, didn’t think it was fair
Allegory
work of art, written or visual, which uses symbols to convey a hidden meaning: extended metaphor, author driven vs reader driven
Natural Allegory
gives insight into some natural phenomenon ex. Demeter and Persephone
Moral Allegory
teaches a moral lesson ex. Trial of Paris
Historical Allegory
suggests that the myth was based on something real, but the supernatural element is overdone, ex. The Trojan war
Transcendence
God transcends the material sphere, far removed
Immanence
divine encompasses and inhibits the material world. Everywhere
Note 
Flashcard (28)