SUMMARY QUESTIONS about Greek Theater
(potentially for use on Midterm
—and you can use them as basis for discussion on
Summarikis):
1. The Greek word for theater, ___________________,
means “seeing place.”
2. True or false? Reading plays is a recent
phenomenon. T or F
3. True or false? The categories that we appy to
drama and theater today—art versus entertainment,
popular versus classic, literary versus theatrical—have existed
forever. T or F
4. In Greece, plays formed part of a religious ritual
celebrating the god ___________________.
5. Theater became a secular, profit-making,
commercial enterprise during the following epoch:
_______________________.
6. Shakespeare’s plays were published in
______________ format,
which contemporaries generally reserved for classical authors.
7. Comedies usually conclude with
_____________________.
8. True or false? We still possess the majority of
plays from classical Athens. T or F
9. Classical Athens generally refers to the
___________ century B.C.E.
10. Greek tragedy featured only up to _____ main
actors (excluding the chorus),
and Sophocles is responsible for expanding the number of actors
SUMMARY QUESTIONS on Poetics:
1. What the six elements of tragedy, according to
Aristotle?
2. According to Aristotle, tragedy imitates men, not
action. T or F
3. Name the 3 Aristotelian unities of theater:
___________, _____________, and ___________.
SUMMARY QUESTIONS ABOUT OEDIPUS,
Slater, Theater Reviews:
1. Mimesis means ___________________ in English.
2. According to Slater, at the end of the 5th century B.C.E.,
_____________ were also judged in the City Dionysia contests.
3. Aristotle calls Oedipus Rex the model tragedy because it
features what he calls the protagonist’s “recognition” of a problem and
the reversal (peripeteia) of his or her fate. Give an example of
tragic recognition and reversal in Oedipus Rex.
4. T or F? Dare Clubb’s version of Oedipus, starring Frances
McDormand and Billy Cudrup, rewrites and inverts Sophocles’ original
play.
5. T or F? Even in the 5th century BCE, the actress playing Jocasta
would not have really killed herself.
Medea Summary Questions
1. Infanticide (and attempted infanticide) occurs in
two plays we have read, _____________ and _________________.
2. Medea came in third the same year that Oedipus the
King won the City of Dionysia contest, in ___________ BCE.
3. We surmised that Medea probably came in third because
_________________________________________________.
4. The Classical playwright ________________ is famous
for using female figures to explore and perhaps even critique
Greek values.
5. Neither Medea nor Jason can be considered a tragic heroine
or hero because
________________________________________________________.
6. The Russian ballet production of Medea from 1979 contains no
_______________.
7. In Fiona Shaw’s version of Medea and the Japanese
production,
Medea is depicted as an example of the _____________ woman because her
nationality is represented as Irish and Korean, respectively.
.
8. Performance Reviews are a good way to gauge ______________________
about plays.
Party Game—Play 20 questions (yes or no
answers only) to find out which
character, author, or actor you are. You may ask point-blank
if you are a
certain figure 3 times. Sit down when you find out
your identity. The purpose of this
exercise is to help familiarize you with different names we have
discussed, incl. and limited to:
Medea, Jason, Creon in Medea, Aegeus, Nurse to Medea, Euripides
Sophocles, Oedipus, Creon in Oedipus, Tiresias, Jocasta, Antigone
Aristotle, Fiona Shaw
Sample questions: Did I write Medea? Did I act in Medea?
Did I kill
anyone?
Summary Ques.
about Renaissance Theater
1. An example of how the English government
controlled the theater is
_______________________________________________.
2. There were two types of stages in London _________
theaters and _______________ theaters, in addition to
____________________ players who set up stages wherever they traveled.
3. In the 1990’s, a replica of Shakespeare’s
____________ Theater was rebuilt.
4. Renaissance theater differed from Classical
theater in that it ___________________________________________.
5. Sir Philip Sidney is disappointed in theater of
his era because _____________________________________.
Hamlet Summary Questions
1. In 2.1, Polonius mentions some of the new genres
of
Renaissance theater. One of these genres is ___________________.
2. Hamlet borrows a lot from the following genre:
________________________.
3. Hamlet is critical of acting in 3.2. His concerns
can
be summarized as follows:
___________________________________________________.
4. Hamlet is ________ years old at the time of the
play,
according to the gravedigger’s comments in 5.1.
Examples of Midterm Format:
5. Fill-in-the-blank questions: Jacobean court ____________
were performed by and for English royalty, and therefore not
open for public consumption.
6. Short-answer questions:
- The purpose of Hamlet opening with the guards might be
____________________________________________.
- Name a director from one of the plays, films, or productions we read,
discussed, or saw.
- - What is Hamlet’s tragic flaw?
7. True-or-false questions: Polonius played Brutus in Julius Caesar.
True or False (circle one)
Summary Questions for the Restoration
1. Dryden’s "Preface to Troilus and Cressida"
exemplifies a
neoclassical stance, in that he argues for Aristotle’s three unities.
2. The period after 1660 is called the Restoration
because _________________________________________________.
3. In commedia dell’arte, stock characters inhabit
roles such
as the capitano, pantalone, dottore, and zanni, and the role of
harlequin became a staple of English pantomime.
4. Give an example of a Restoration comedy.
FORMAT OF MIDTERM (3/8)
I. True or False Questions (circle correct answer);
points each, 25 points total
Actresses were allowed onstage after 1660 because
audiences were tired of pretending all the male actors
were women. TRUE or
FALSE (circle one)
II. Fill-in-the-blank Questions; 5 points each, 25 points total
Frank Rich declares that Aphra Behn is the first
___________________________.
III. Short Answer Questions; 10 points each, 50 points total.
You should be as specific as possible in your response.
While you should assume that your audience has read the
plays in question, you should provide relevant examples from
the plays, theater reviews, and commentary we have read.
In order to give a thorough answer that spotlights your
expertise on these issues, I think you should write 8 to 10
sentences for each response.
What are the “feminist” issues in Aphra Behn’s The Rover?
How Dryden makes Shakespeare more “Classical” in his
revision of Troilus and Cressida?
What is the purpose of theater reviews? Giving specific
examples, explain how performance reviews enhance our
understanding of the “art of drama.”
Wendy C. Nielsen, "Summary Questions Art of Drama." Last updated Feb.
2007