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Euripides is chronologically positioned as one of the earliest Greek tragedians, preceding both Aeschylus and Sophocles.
Answer: False
Explanation: Euripides was a prominent tragedian of classical Athens, but Aeschylus and Sophocles preceded him in their major works and careers.
Traditional accounts suggest Euripides's father, Mnesarchus, was a renowned philosopher who personally tutored him.
Answer: False
Explanation: Traditional accounts identify Euripides's father, Mnesarchus, as a retailer, not a philosopher, and mention his tutelage by philosophers like Prodicus and Anaxagoras.
Euripides's father, Mnesarchus, misinterpreted an oracle's prophecy, believing it foretold athletic victories for his son.
Answer: True
Explanation: Mnesarchus was told by an oracle that his son would win 'crowns of victory,' which he interpreted as athletic achievements, contrary to Euripides's eventual career as a playwright.
According to traditional accounts, Euripides experienced only one marriage, which ended amicably.
Answer: False
Explanation: Traditional accounts state that Euripides had two marriages, both of which reportedly ended disastrously due to infidelity.
Euripides is said to have lived as a recluse in a cave on Salamis Island, dedicating his time to writing and studying nature.
Answer: True
Explanation: Tradition holds that Euripides became a recluse, residing in a cave on Salamis Island, where he reportedly built a library and communed with nature.
The exact circumstances and location of Euripides's death are definitively known and universally agreed upon by scholars.
Answer: False
Explanation: The precise details surrounding Euripides's death remain uncertain, with traditional accounts of his retirement to Macedonia and subsequent demise being subject to scholarly debate.
Biographical details about Euripides are primarily derived from reliable ancient historical records and official documents.
Answer: False
Explanation: Biographical information about Euripides largely stems from unreliable sources such as folklore, comic parodies, and inferences from his plays, rather than definitive historical records.
Euripides's life and career occurred entirely after the conclusion of the Peloponnesian War.
Answer: False
Explanation: A significant portion of Euripides's life and career coincided with the Peloponnesian War, though he died before its conclusion.
The comic tradition portrayed Euripides's mother as a humble vegetable vendor, contrasting with his sophisticated plays.
Answer: True
Explanation: Comic portrayals, particularly by Aristophanes, depicted Euripides's mother as a humble vegetable seller, contrasting with the intellectual sophistication of his dramatic works.
The 'Cave of Euripides' was a public theatre where his plays were first performed.
Answer: False
Explanation: The 'Cave of Euripides' on Salamis Island is traditionally believed to be a place of retreat for the playwright, not a performance venue.
Who is recognized as one of the three great playwrights of Greek tragedy, alongside Aeschylus and Sophocles?
Answer: Euripides
Explanation: Euripides is esteemed as one of the three canonical playwrights of Greek tragedy, alongside Aeschylus and Sophocles.
According to traditional accounts, what was Euripides's father's occupation?
Answer: A retailer
Explanation: Traditional accounts identify Euripides's father, Mnesarchus, as a retailer.
Which philosophers are mentioned as having taught Euripides?
Answer: Prodicus and Anaxagoras
Explanation: Euripides received philosophical instruction from figures such as Prodicus and Anaxagoras.
What traditional biographical detail about Euripides's personal life is mentioned?
Answer: He had two marriages that ended disastrously due to infidelity.
Explanation: Traditional accounts suggest Euripides experienced two marriages that concluded disastrously due to alleged infidelity by his wives.
Where did Euripides supposedly retreat to in his later years, according to tradition?
Answer: A cave on Salamis Island
Explanation: Tradition holds that Euripides retreated to a cave on Salamis Island in his later years, becoming a recluse.
Which of the following is NOT listed as an unreliable source for Euripides's biographical details?
Answer: Official Athenian census records
Explanation: Official Athenian census records are considered reliable historical documents, unlike folklore, comic parodies, or inferences from plays, which are cited as unreliable sources for Euripides's biography.
Euripides revolutionized the portrayal of mythical heroes by depicting them as flawed, complex individuals grappling with internal struggles.
Answer: True
Explanation: Euripides humanized mythical heroes by exploring their inner lives and psychological complexities, a significant departure from earlier traditions.
The dramatic 'cage' attributed to Euripides refers to the physical limitations of the ancient Greek theatre stage.
Answer: False
Explanation: The dramatic 'cage' associated with Euripides refers to characters being psychologically confined by the intensity of their emotions, such as love and hate.
Euripides's plays reflect an outlook influenced by the archaic worldview, similar to Aeschylus.
Answer: False
Explanation: Euripides's outlook, influenced by the Sophistic enlightenment, differed significantly from the more archaic worldview characteristic of Aeschylus.
The sequencing of Euripides's plays suggests a consistent progression towards increasingly optimistic themes.
Answer: False
Explanation: The sequencing of Euripides's plays suggests a progression through various phases, including periods of disillusionment and tragic despair, not consistently optimistic themes.
Euripides expanded his vocabulary and dialogue style to explore intellectual and psychological subtleties in his characters.
Answer: True
Explanation: Euripides utilized a richer vocabulary and more natural dialogue rhythms to delve into the intellectual and psychological dimensions of his characters.
Euripides never used irony for purposes of amusement, focusing solely on foreshadowing and dramatic tension.
Answer: False
Explanation: Euripides uniquely employed irony not only for foreshadowing and tension but also for amusement, distinguishing his style from earlier tragedians.
The number of syllable resolutions in Euripides's iambic trimeter generally decreased over the course of his career.
Answer: False
Explanation: The frequency of syllable resolutions in Euripides's iambic trimeter generally increased over his career, serving as a metric for dating his plays.
Euripides used stichomythia, a rapid exchange of short lines, less frequently than Sophocles.
Answer: False
Explanation: Euripides extensively utilized stichomythia, often employing longer passages than Sophocles, who frequently interrupted such exchanges.
Euripides's innovation in portraying mythical heroes involved:
Answer: Presenting them as ordinary people facing extraordinary circumstances and exploring their inner lives.
Explanation: Euripides revolutionized hero portrayal by depicting them as complex individuals grappling with internal struggles, humanizing them and exploring their psychological depth.
What does the dramatic 'cage' associated with Euripides represent?
Answer: Characters being psychologically confined by the intensity of their emotions, like love and hate.
Explanation: The 'cage' refers to the psychological confinement of characters by their own intense emotions, a hallmark of Euripides's dramatic depth.
Euripides's outlook, influenced by the Sophistic enlightenment, differed most significantly from the perspective of which earlier tragedian?
Answer: Aeschylus
Explanation: Euripides's outlook, shaped by the Sophistic movement, contrasted most sharply with the archaic worldview characteristic of Aeschylus.
Which of the following is NOT among the five periods suggested for Euripides's dramatic output?
Answer: A phase focused exclusively on comedies
Explanation: Euripides wrote tragedies; a phase focused exclusively on comedies is not among the proposed periods of his dramatic output.
What unique function did Euripides employ irony for, distinguishing him from other tragedians?
Answer: For amusement, in addition to foreshadowing and tension.
Explanation: Euripides uniquely employed irony not only for foreshadowing and dramatic tension but also for purposes of amusement.
The increasing frequency of 'resolutions' in Euripides's iambic trimeter is a metric used by scholars to:
Answer: Estimate the approximate date of composition for his plays.
Explanation: The increasing frequency of syllable resolutions in Euripides's iambic trimeter serves as a scholarly metric for estimating the chronological order of his plays.
During the Hellenistic Age, Euripides's plays were primarily studied by military strategists for their tactical insights.
Answer: False
Explanation: During the Hellenistic Age, Euripides's plays were considered essential for literary education, studied alongside canonical works like Homer and Demosthenes.
Aristotle's description of Euripides as 'the most tragic of poets' was intended to criticize his frequent use of unhappy endings.
Answer: False
Explanation: While Aristotle's comment might allude to tragic outcomes, scholars like Bernard Knox interpret it as recognizing Euripides's profound portrayal of human suffering and intense dramatic experience.
Plutarch recounts that Spartan generals decided against destroying Athens after hearing lyrics from Euripides's play 'Electra'.
Answer: True
Explanation: Plutarch records an anecdote where Spartan generals, contemplating Athens's destruction, were moved by lyrics from Euripides's 'Electra' to spare the city.
The comic poet Aristophanes consistently portrayed Euripides in a positive light, admiring his intellectualism.
Answer: False
Explanation: Aristophanes frequently satirized Euripides in his comedies, often lampooning his intellectualism and dramatic style rather than admiring it.
Comic poets suggested that Euripides's plays were co-authored by the philosopher Plato.
Answer: False
Explanation: Comic poets, including Aristophanes, suggested a connection between Euripides and the philosopher Socrates, not Plato, implying collaboration.
In Aristophanes's play 'The Frogs', Dionysus chooses Euripides over Aeschylus to bring back to Athens.
Answer: False
Explanation: In Aristophanes's 'The Frogs,' Dionysus ultimately chooses to bring Aeschylus back to Athens, deeming him wiser than Euripides.
Euripides achieved his first victory in the City Dionysia competition in 455 BC.
Answer: False
Explanation: Euripides first competed in the City Dionysia in 455 BC but did not achieve his first victory until 441 BC.
Euripides won significantly more first prizes in dramatic competitions during his lifetime than Sophocles.
Answer: False
Explanation: Euripides won only five first prizes in his lifetime, considerably fewer than Sophocles, who won at least twenty.
Scholars universally agree on a single, consistent interpretation of Euripides's character and work.
Answer: False
Explanation: Scholarly interpretations of Euripides are diverse and often contradictory, reflecting the complexity and multifaceted nature of his work.
Euripides's reputation remained consistently high from antiquity through Renaissance Europe without significant criticism.
Answer: False
Explanation: Euripides's reputation fluctuated; while highly regarded in antiquity and influencing Renaissance drama, his standing faced criticism in later periods.
Euripides's low number of competition victories definitively proves he was unpopular in Athens.
Answer: False
Explanation: The low number of victories does not definitively prove unpopularity; factors like the judging system and his sustained performance indicate significant recognition.
Aristotle's description of Euripides as 'most tragic' refers solely to the frequency of unhappy endings in his plays.
Answer: False
Explanation: Aristotle's description is interpreted more broadly, encompassing Euripides's intense portrayal of human suffering and the emotional impact of his dramas, not just unhappy endings.
During the Hellenistic Age, Euripides's works were considered essential for which type of education?
Answer: Literary education
Explanation: In the Hellenistic Age, Euripides's plays were a cornerstone of literary education, studied alongside other canonical authors.
What did Aristotle mean when he referred to Euripides as 'the most tragic of poets'?
Answer: He recognized Euripides's unflinching portrayal of human suffering and the intensity of dramatic experience.
Explanation: Aristotle's comment is interpreted as acknowledging Euripides's profound depiction of human suffering and the intensity of the dramatic experience he conveyed.
According to Plutarch, how did Euripides's lyrics impact Athenians after the disastrous Sicilian expedition?
Answer: They were traded to enemies for food and drink.
Explanation: Plutarch recounts that Athenians, after the Sicilian expedition, traded verses from Euripides's lyrics to their enemies in exchange for sustenance.
Aristophanes frequently targeted Euripides in his comedies, often lampooning his:
Answer: Intellectualism and style
Explanation: Aristophanes frequently satirized Euripides in his comedies, particularly targeting his intellectualism and distinctive dramatic style.
Comic poets suggested a connection between Euripides and which philosopher, implying collaboration?
Answer: Socrates
Explanation: Comic poets suggested that Euripides's plays were co-authored by the philosopher Socrates, implying a close intellectual connection.
In Aristophanes' play 'The Frogs', who does Dionysus ultimately choose to bring back from Hades?
Answer: Aeschylus
Explanation: In Aristophanes's 'The Frogs,' Dionysus chooses Aeschylus over Euripides to return to Athens, valuing Aeschylus's wisdom.
How many times did Euripides win first prize in dramatic competitions during his lifetime?
Answer: Five times
Explanation: Euripides achieved first prize in dramatic competitions only five times during his lifetime.
All nineteen plays attributed to Euripides that have survived are definitively confirmed by scholars as authentically his work.
Answer: False
Explanation: While nineteen plays attributed to Euripides survive, scholars often question the authenticity of 'Rhesus', suggesting it may not be his work.
Charting Euripides's spiritual development through his plays is straightforward due to the large number of surviving works.
Answer: False
Explanation: Charting Euripides's spiritual development is complicated by the loss of approximately 80% of his plays and the inconsistency found even within the extant works.
The 'Lineage' column in the table of extant plays refers to whether the play was originally written in verse or prose.
Answer: False
Explanation: The 'Lineage' column indicates whether a play survived from a 'Select' edition (S) or an 'Alphabetical' edition (A), relating to its textual transmission history, not its composition format.
The 'Resolutions' column in the table of extant plays tracks the number of actors used in each play.
Answer: False
Explanation: The 'Resolutions' column quantifies the number of resolved feet per hundred trimeters, a metric used for chronological dating, not actor count.
Euripides's satyr plays, like 'Cyclops,' were known for their simple, jovial tone, similar to earlier works.
Answer: False
Explanation: While earlier satyr plays were jovial, Euripides's 'Cyclops' incorporated critical irony and a structure more akin to tragedy, diverging from simple tones.
'Alcestis' was unique because it served as the traditional satyr play slot in Euripides's tetralogy but blended tragic and satyric elements.
Answer: True
Explanation: 'Alcestis' uniquely occupied the satyr play slot in its tetralogy, integrating tragic elements with satyric conventions and concluding with a happy ending.
The fact that more plays by Euripides survive than those of Aeschylus and Sophocles combined suggests Euripides was less popular in antiquity.
Answer: False
Explanation: The greater survival rate of Euripides's plays suggests his popularity grew over time, making him a cornerstone of education, rather than indicating lesser popularity.
The transmission of Euripides's plays from ancient times to the printing press was a perfectly preserved and straightforward process.
Answer: False
Explanation: The transmission of Euripides's plays was complex and prone to loss and corruption, involving numerous challenges before reaching the printing press.
Aristophanes of Byzantium was a contemporary playwright who competed against Euripides.
Answer: False
Explanation: Aristophanes of Byzantium was a later scholar (circa 200 BC) who compiled an edition of Euripides's plays, not a contemporary competitor.
The 'select' edition of Euripides's plays, compiled around 200 AD, contained works primarily focused on mythology.
Answer: False
Explanation: The 'select' edition, compiled around 200 AD, contained ten plays often used for educational purposes, distinct from the 'alphabetical' compilation of nine others.
Modern technology has not contributed to the recovery of Euripides's fragmented works.
Answer: False
Explanation: Modern technologies, such as multi-spectral imaging, have significantly aided in recovering previously illegible text from ancient papyri fragments of Euripides's works.
The 'New Euripides' refers to a newly discovered complete play identical to one previously known.
Answer: False
Explanation: The 'New Euripides' refers to recently discovered fragments of previously unknown plays, such as 'Ino' and 'Polyidus', not a duplicate of a known work.
How many plays attributed to Euripides have survived in a more or less complete state?
Answer: Nineteen
Explanation: Nineteen plays attributed to Euripides have survived in a state that allows for substantial study, although the authenticity of 'Rhesus' is debated.
What major challenge complicates the charting of Euripides's 'spiritual biography'?
Answer: Approximately 80% of his plays are lost, and the extant ones are not always consistent.
Explanation: The significant loss of Euripides's plays, coupled with inconsistencies among the surviving works, complicates the charting of his 'spiritual biography'.
What contribution did Aristophanes of Byzantium make regarding the texts of Euripides?
Answer: He compiled a standard edition of Euripides's extant plays around 200 BC.
Explanation: Aristophanes of Byzantium compiled a standard edition of Euripides's extant plays around 200 BC, which became foundational for subsequent scholarship.
What modern technologies have recently aided in recovering previously illegible writing from ancient papyri fragments of Euripides's works?
Answer: Multi-spectral imaging and infrared technology
Explanation: Modern technologies such as multi-spectral imaging and infrared technology have been instrumental in recovering illegible text from ancient papyri fragments of Euripides's works.
The survival of more plays by Euripides than by Aeschylus and Sophocles combined suggests:
Answer: His popularity grew over time, becoming a cornerstone of education.
Explanation: The greater number of surviving plays suggests Euripides's enduring popularity and his establishment as a key figure in Hellenistic literary education.
The speech delivered by Medea in Euripides's play 'Medea' is interpreted as the playwright's defense against criticism of his intellectual approach.
Answer: True
Explanation: Medea's speech in the play is often viewed as Euripides's self-defense, addressing the potential criticism of his intellectualism and innovative methods.
Euripides critically examined concepts like slavery, presenting it as fundamentally unjust.
Answer: True
Explanation: Euripides explored and critiqued societal concepts such as slavery, often portraying it as inherently unjust within his dramatic narratives.
Euripides's portrayal of women has attracted modern interest due to his sympathetic and perceptive depiction of their distinct personalities and societal challenges.
Answer: True
Explanation: Modern scholars find Euripides's depiction of women noteworthy for its sympathy, perceptiveness, and exploration of their unique personalities and societal constraints.
Euripides's characters often reinforced the traditional Athenian democratic order without critique.
Answer: False
Explanation: Euripides's characters frequently engaged with contemporary issues, sometimes challenging the traditional Athenian democratic order through their dialogues and actions.
Euripides's treatment of slaves differed from earlier tragedians by positing that an individual's worth was determined by their physical labor capacity.
Answer: False
Explanation: Euripides's treatment of slaves suggested that an individual's worth was determined by their mental state, not their social or physical condition, a departure from earlier conventions.
Euripides strictly adhered to traditional interpretations of myths without relating them to contemporary Athenian life.
Answer: False
Explanation: Euripides used traditional myths as a lens to examine and comment upon contemporary Athenian issues, ideals, and controversies.
The speech by Medea in Euripides's play 'Medea' is often interpreted as:
Answer: The playwright's self-defense regarding his intellectual approach and potential criticism.
Explanation: Medea's speech is frequently interpreted as Euripides defending his intellectualism and innovative dramatic methods against potential criticism.
Euripides critically examined which societal concept, presenting it as fundamentally unjust?
Answer: Slavery
Explanation: Euripides critically examined concepts such as slavery, often presenting it within his plays as fundamentally unjust.
What aspect of Euripides's plays has garnered significant modern interest regarding his portrayal of characters?
Answer: His sympathetic and perceptive depiction of women.
Explanation: Euripides's portrayal of women, characterized by sympathy and perceptiveness regarding their personalities and societal challenges, has attracted considerable modern scholarly attention.
How did Euripides's treatment of slaves differ from earlier tragedians?
Answer: He suggested their worth was determined by mental state, not social condition.
Explanation: Euripides's characters posited that an individual's worth was determined by their mental state rather than social or physical condition, differentiating his approach to slaves from earlier tragedians.
Athenian tragedy during Euripides's time was primarily a private affair, funded by wealthy individuals for exclusive performances.
Answer: False
Explanation: Athenian tragedy in the 5th century BC was a public event, part of state-funded festivals and competitions, accessible to a broad audience.
In 5th-century Athens, tragedy served solely as a form of popular entertainment with no educational or civic function.
Answer: False
Explanation: In 5th-century Athens, tragedy served a dual purpose: entertainment and a vital public forum for intellectual discourse, civic reflection, and education.
What was a key characteristic of Athenian tragedy performances in the 5th century BC?
Answer: They were public contests funded by the state.
Explanation: Athenian tragedy performances in the 5th century BC were public contests, integral to state-funded festivals like the City Dionysia.
In 5th-century Athens, the role of tragedy extended beyond entertainment to include:
Answer: Serving as a public forum for intellectual discourse and education.
Explanation: Tragedy in 5th-century Athens functioned not only as entertainment but also as a crucial public forum for intellectual discourse, civic reflection, and the education of citizens.