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WorksheetsGreek Theatre Concepts and Terminology
Total questions: 50
Worksheet time: 25mins
Greek theatre originally developed as part of festivals honoring which god?
Ares
Apollo
Dionysus
Zeus
Where did Greek theatre originate?
Athens
Delphi
Corinth
Sparta
What is the term for the circular performance space where the chorus performed in Greek theatres?
Orchestra
Parados
Theatron
Skene
The skene in a Greek theatre was used primarily for:
Musical performances
Ritual sacrifices
Costume changes and scenery
Seating the audience
What were Greek actors known for wearing to portray different characters?
Masks
Face paint
Crowns
Helmets
Which type of Greek drama is known for serious themes and flawed heroes?
Comedy
Farce
Satyr
Tragedy
Who is considered the “father of tragedy”?
Sophocles
Aristophanes
Euripedes
Aeschylus
What was the primary function of the Greek chorus?
To conduct sacrifices
To replace actors
To comment on the action and express public opinion
To provide comic relief
Which of the following is a characteristic of Greek comedies?
No chorus involved
Use of gods only as tragic figures
Serious, moral themes
Lighthearted and humorous stories
What is the theatron in a Greek theatre?
The raised stage
The audience seating area
The musicians' platform
The actors' dressing room
Which playwright is known for writing Greek comedies?
Thespis
Aeschylus
Aristophanes
Sophocles
What innovation is Thespis credited with?
Building the first stone theatre
Creating theatrical masks
Introducing the first actor
Inventing stage lighting
Which type of play featured crude humor and half-human, half-goat characters?
Mystery play
Satyr play
Comedy
Tragedy
What was NOT allowed for actors in ancient Greek theatre?
Singing during performances
Being female
To show character types and amplify voices
Wearing masks
Why were masks used in Greek theatre?
To hide the identities of criminals
To honor fallen soldiers
To make actors more intimidating
To show character types and amplify voices
What is a tragic hero?
A hero who defeats all enemies
A noble character with a fatal flaw
A character who exists only for comedy
A character who begins weak but becomes strong
What does the word “chorus” literally mean in Greek?
“Hero’s companion”
“Sacred space”
“Group of dancers or singers”
Stage platform
Which part of the theatre did actors use to make entrances onto the orchestra?
Parados
Pneuma
Skene
Proskenion
The elevated shoes worn by tragic actors were called:
Himation
Chiton
Cothurni
Peplos
What was the City Dionysia?
A celebration of the harvest
A competition for athletes
A festival featuring dramatic performances
A military parade
Who is Oedipus?
Jocasta's brother
The leader of Thebes
The leader of Corinth
The Oracle at Delphi
How did Oedipus save Thebes once before?
Fulfilling an ancient prophecy
Finding Laius' murderer
Destroying the horcruxes
Solving the riddle of the Sphinx
As the play begins, what has been happening in Thebes that brings all members of the community to Oedipus’s palace for answers?
A raging volcano has sent rivers of lava through the streets
Gigantic swarms of locusts have descended upon the city
A terrible beast, the Sphinx has been terrifying the city
A plague has descended upon the entire city; death and decay is everywhere
What do the people of Thebes want Oedipus to do for them?
They blame him for the problems and want him to leave town
They want him to offer his youngest daughter to the fiery volcano
They want him to rid Thebes of the problems and restore the city
They want him to make a sacrifice to Zeus to appease the gods
Who is Creon?
He is Oedipus’s brother and second in command in Thebes
He is co-squad leader
He is Jocasta’s, Oedipus’s wife’s brother
He is Oedipus’s eldest son
Who does Oedipus send to Delphi to learn how to save Thebes?
Laius
Bilbo
Creon
Jocasta
Who is Laius?
Creon's brother
Oedipus' eldest son
Jocasta's first husband
a prophet
No one attempted to find out the truth about what had happened to Laius because:
they were too busy trying to defeat the Sphinx that was terrifying Thebes
everyone who tried to learn the truth ended up dead
they thought they already knew the truth
Jocasta told the people that she was distraught enough without learning more
What promise does Oedipus make to anyone who comes forward with information about Laius’s murder?
Oedipus will give a handsome reward of gold
He will give a formal pardon for the treason of withholding information
Oedipus offers no rewards; he demands that anyone with information come forward or be banished
He says that no harm will come to anyone who comes forward
When Oedipus asks the prophet to reveal the name of the murderer, what is the prophet’s response?
He claims that he does not know because Apollo has kept the name from him
Although Teiresias knows the answer, it is better that no one else ever learns the truth
He claims that Jocasta murdered her husband
The king was never murdered at all; he is still alive in another land
Who does the Chorus suggest could help Oedipus locate the whereabouts of the murderer?
Jocasta
Apollo
Creon
Teiresias
Whom does the prophet finally reveal as the murderer of King Laius?
Oedipus
Jocasta
Teiresias
Creon
Who does Oedipus accuse of being behind a plot to destroy him?
Creon
Jocasta
Apollo
Teiresias
What “proof” does Jocasta offer that prophets do not tell the truth?
She had been told that she would marry her own son, but she had the child killed instead.
The gods create “fate” at their whim; the prophets cannot foresee the gods’ intentions
The rains never come exactly when they are predicted to
The Oracle gave her a different prophecy
What is Oedipus’s reaction to hearing that Laius was killed in a place where three highways met?
He remembers an altercation he once had in the same location
He is angry that a king would die in such an undignified manner
He wants to erect a monument at the place in Laius’s memory
He wants to go to the spot and search for clues to the murder
What became of the only surviving member of the attack on King Laius’s traveling party?
He was executed for failure to protect the king
He begged Jocasta to send him as far from Thebes as possible
He became the leader of the new king’s sentries
He hanged himself as soon as he returned
Why had Oedipus fled Corinth, the city of his birth, many years before?
He wanted to go out and explore the world
He was wrongly accused of treason by King Polybus
An oracle told him that he would kill his father and marry his mother
He had killed a man
What happened at Phocis (where the three roads meet)?
Oedipus killed the King of Thebes
Oedipus fulfilled the first part of his fate
Oedipus killed his biological father
All of the above
When Oedipus interacts with Tiresias and with the Shepherd from Thebes, what side of the protagonist's personality becomes clear to the audience?
His compassion
His temper
His ignorance
His cowardice
Which of the following is an example of a conflict that Oedipus has with himself?
His fear of the gods at the end of the story
His feelings toward Creon
His fear of the Sphinx
His refusal to look within himself
What makes this play a tragedy?
The downfall of the main character
The sins committed by the protagonist
The downfall of someone once proud & powerful
This is not a tragedy; it is a comedy
Who is the author of Oedipus Rex?
Euripedes
Aeschylus
Sophocles
Aristophanes
What did the playwright want audiences to question/consider?
The power of the gods over one’s destiny
The role and power of one’s fate
The role of an individual’s free will
All of the above
Why did the playwright choose to structure his story around someone as powerful as a king rather than a common man?
To show that kings are often not as they appear
To show that anyone, regardless of the power they hold, may crumble
To show his disgust with people in power
To show how sinful and deceiving royalty may be
What makes Oedipus Rex still relevant so many centuries later?
Many people today still debate over the power of fate and free will
The prideful personality of the protagonist makes him a relevant character, even in modern times
The play explores what it means to be a good leader
All of the above
What is Jocasta’s initial reaction to the possibility that the prophecy may be true?
Denial and disbelief
Anger towards Teiresias
Panic and hysteria
Calm acceptance
What does Jocasta do when she realizes the truth?
She takes her own life
She runs away from Thebes
She prays to the gods for forgiveness
She attempts to kill Oedipus
What does Oedipus do after discovering the truth about himself?
Blinds himself
Burns down the palace
Flees to Corinth
Exiles Creon
At the end of the play, what does Oedipus ask Creon to do?
Kill him
Take Jocasta’s body to Delphi
Let him remain king
Exile him from Thebes
Exile him from Thebes
To replace the main characters
To comment on the action and represent the voice of Theban citizens
To act as judges of the king
To provide comic moments
