Greek Drama Questions

1. What kind of prize is given for dancing choruses of worshippers?

They competed for a bull or a goat.

2. How many spectators would gather in the open-air theater of Dionysos?

As many as fourteen thousand spectators gathered in the open-air Theater of Dionysos.

3. How does the mask affect the voices of the actors?

The actors' masks had exaggerated mouthpieces that amplified the actors' voices. It was used as a solution to the problem resolved today by microphones.

4. Why was Antigone suspenseful to viewing audiences?

The suspense came from the audience's knowledge of things the characters on stage did not know. As these characters spoke in their ignorance, the audience pitied them and wanted to warn them of their impending doom.

5. How is the shepherd to leave the infant on the mountainside?

The shepherd was ordered to leave the infant to die on a lonely mountainside with his ankles pinned together.

6. What is the riddle the Sphinx gave Oedipus?

The riddle was, "What creature goes on four legs in the morning, two legs in the afternoon, and three legs in the evening?"

7. Who are Oedipus' kids?

Oedipus had two sons named Polyneices and Eteocles, and two daugheters named Antigone and Ismene.

8. After Oedipus is exiled, who takes over Thebes?

After Oedipus is exiled his uncle, Creon, takes over as regent of Thebes.

9. What did the family do to the dead body?

The family closed the dead person's eyes and mouth and began to prepare the body for the wake.