The Three Greek tragedians:
Sophocles, Aeschylus, and Euripides were the most celebrated ancient Greek tragedians in 5th century BC Athens. Aeschylus is considered the father of tragedy and revolutionized dramatic structure by introducing a second actor and costumes. Some of his landmark plays include the Oresteia trilogy. Sophocles greatly expanded the scope of tragedy with complex characters and themes in plays such as Oedipus Rex and Antigone. He achieved brilliant mastery over dramatic composition and choral song. Euripides was renowned for questioning myths and introducing psychological depth and debates on social issues into works like Medea and The Bacchae. All three playwrights made immense contributions through their surviving tragedies to establishing the genre as a supreme art form that profoundly shaped the development of subsequent European drama and literature.
Sophocles
1. What was Sophocles' full name?
**Sophocles son of Sophilus**
2. What year was Sophocles born?
**496 BC**
3. Where was Sophocles born?
**Colonus, which was a district of Athens**
4. How many plays did Sophocles write?
**Over 120 plays, but only 7 have survived in a complete form**
5. Which of his plays depicts the story of Oedipus?
**Oedipus Rex (Oedipus the King)**
6. Which other famous play by Sophocles involves Oedipus?
**Oedipus at Colonus**
7. Name the third play that makes up the Theban cycle involving Oedipus.
**Antigone**
8. What position of leadership did Sophocles hold in Athens?
**He served as a general, treasurer, and was elected one of the ten Strategoi in 440 BC.**
9. Sophocles was a younger contemporary of which other famous Greek tragedian?
**Aeschylus**
10. Sophocles competed in tragedies against which other famous playwright?
**Euripides**
11. How many times did Sophocles win first place at the Dionysian festivals?
**24 times, more than any other playwright**
12. Name one of Sophocles' plays that is not part of the Theban storyline.
**Electra, Philoctetes, Trachinian Women, Ajax**
13. What year is estimated to be Sophocles' year of death?
**406 BC**
14. Where is it believed that Sophocles died?
**At his estate in Colonus**
15. How old was Sophocles estimated to be when he died?
**Around 90 years old**
16. According to an anecdote, what prop did the aged Sophocles ask for while revising one of his plays?
**A wax tablet to make notes, showing his continued mental sharpness**
17. Sophocles introduced what new element or aspect into Greek drama?
**A third actor allowing for more complex dialogue and plotlines**
18. Sophocles was the first to arrange his choruses in what formation instead of a single block?
**Semicircles**
19. What mythical creature does folklore say helped distract spectators at a production of one of Sophocles' plays?
**A monster escaped from the production and caused a panic**
20. Sophocles supposedly had a romance with which mistress of Pericles?
**Aspasia**
21. True or false: Sophocles came from a wealthy family.
**True**
22. What famous quote is attributed to Sophocles: "One must wait until the evening to see how splendid the day has been."
**True**
23. Name three adjectives that could be used to describe Sophocles' style of writing tragedies.
**Complex, refined, psychological**
24. What is the estimated total number of characters that appear in the surviving works of Sophocles?
**Around 50 characters**
25. True or false: Sophocles is said to have died after choking on an olive pit at a wedding.
**False, this story likely stems from a mix-up with another Sophocles.**
Aeschylus
1. What century did Aeschylus live in?
**5th century BC**
2. In what country was Aeschylus born?
**Greece**
3. What was the name of Aeschylus' birthplace?
**Eleusis**
4. How many plays in total did Aeschylus write?
**Around 90 plays**
5. How many of Aeschylus' plays have survived intact to the present day?
**7 plays**
6. What was the name of Aeschylus' famous trilogy?
**The Oresteia**
7. Which of Aeschylus' tragedies was the first part of The Oresteia trilogy?
**Agamemnon**
8. Which Aeschylus play featured the judgements of the gods deciding on the fate of mortals?
**The Eumenides**
9. In which year is Aeschylus believed to have fought in the Battle of Marathon?
**490 BC**
10. What military achievement did Aeschylus participate in during this battle?
**He fought in the battle that was the first military encounter between Athens and Persia**
11. What is thought to be Aeschylus' earliest surviving play?
**The Persians**
12. What mythological creature does Aeschylus feature prominently in Prometheus Bound?
**Prometheus**
13. Where did Aeschylus die?
**Gela, Sicily**
14. How did Aeschylus reportedly die?
**He was killed when an eagle dropped a tortoise on his bald head, mistaking it for a rock suitable for shattering the tortoise shell**
15. What is the approximate year of Aeschylus' death?
**456 BC**
16. Aeschylus won how many times at the Dionysian festivals?
**13 times**
17. How many times did Aeschylus' works finish as runners up?
**Over 50 times**
18. Aeschylus introduced what device that is still used in modern tragedies?
**The use of a second actor**
19. How many actors performed in early Greek tragedies before Aeschylus' innovations?
**One**
20. Aeschylus' plays explored what important themes?
**Man's relation with the gods, morality, destiny, injustice**
21. In what year was Aeschylus born?
**525 BC**
22. Where was Aeschylus from?
**Greece, specifically Eleusis**
23. What major battle did Aeschylus fight in?
**The Battle of Marathon against Persia in 490 BC**
24. How many of Aeschylus' works have survived?
**7 plays**
25. What was the name of Aeschylus' famous trilogy?
**The Oresteia**
Euripides
1. When was Euripides born?
**485 BCE**
2. Where was Euripides born?
**Athens, Greece**
3. How many plays did Euripides write during his lifetime?
**Around 90**
4. How many of Euripides' plays have survived intact to the present day?
**18 or 19**
5. What was unusual about Euripides' plays compared to other tragedians like Aeschylus and Sophocles?
**He introduced human passions and domestic conflicts into his tragedies**
6. What was one of Euripides' most famous plays?
**Medea**
7. In Medea, what does Medea do to get revenge on her husband Jason?
**She kills their two sons**
8. What was another of Euripides' famous plays featuring a mythical female figure seeking revenge?
**Hecuba**
9. Name one of the few complete satyr plays by Euripides that has survived.
**The Cyclops**
10. What Greek god does the Cyclops play feature?
**Satyrs and Poseidon**
11. Euripides was known for critiquing and questioning what aspect of Greek society in his plays?
**Religion and war**
12. Euripides died in what year?
**406 BCE**
13. Where did Euripides spend his final years?
**In Macedon at the court of King Archelaus I**
14. Euripides is considered by some to be more _________ than Aeschylus or Sophocles.
**psychological**
15. Why was Euripides' emphasis on the inner lives and psychology of his characters considered groundbreaking?
**Prior tragedians focused more on heroic deeds and the gods**
16. Euripides won how many first prizes at the Dionysia festival?
**Four or five**
17. Name a well-known quote from one of Euripides' plays.
**"Whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad"** from The Bacchae
18. Euripides was known for incorporating what subjects rarely seen in tragedy previously?
**Slavery and women's issues**
19. The Alexandrians ranked Euripides as...
**The second of the three great tragedians after Sophocles**
20. True or false: Euripides' plays were more melodramatic than other tragedians.
**True**
21. What philosopher was strongly influenced by Euripides' plays?
**Socrates**
22. What Roman writer was heavily influenced by Euripides' tragedies as models for his own works?
**Seneca**
23. Which of Euripides' plays focused on the aftermath of the Trojan War?
**The Trojan Women**
24. Name one of Euripides' plays featuring cross-dressing.
**The Bacchae or Iphigenia Among the Taurians**
25. Complete the phrase: Euripides was known for "...
**subverting myths and traditions and focusing on mundane human passions and emotions.**
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