DRAMA FLASH CARDS, Set 1 (sequential order)
(pp. 5-17 of the L&L Resource)
 
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Question

Answer

Page

1.    

What and when was the Age of Pericles?

about 480-430 B.C.; it was a peaceful period in ancient Greece when the arts flourished

5

2.    

What historic events generally mark the beginning of the Age of Pericles?

Battle of Marathon in 490 BC, and the Battle of Salamis in 480 BC

5

3.    

What historic event generally marks the end of the Age of Pericles?

the Peloponnesian War (approx. 430 BC)

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4.    

What were preserved in the library at Alexandria that allowed some ancient Greek literature to survive?

papyri

4

5.    

What was the earliest literary genre in ancient Greece and when did it develop?

poetry, in the 12th century BC

5

6.    

What forms of poetry arose during this time?

odes, hymns, and eventually epic poetry (e.g. Homer’s Iliad)

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7.    

In what century did drama develop in ancient Greece?

5th century BC

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8.    

From what did ancient Greek tragedies develop?

poetry and dithyrambs

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9.    

What god was honored in early dramatic pieces?

Dionysus, the god of wine and fertility

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10.   

What is a dithyramb?

a piece combining dance and song performed by a chorus in honor of Dionysus; early pieces were based on an event in the god’s life

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11.   

What did early choruses consist of and how were they dressed?

50 men dressed in goatskins (Dionysus  received goat sacrifices in his honor back in the day J)

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12.   

Why is the word “goat” important when thinking about ancient Greek drama?

aside from the Dionysus tie-in, the word “tragedy” is derived from the Greek word for “goat”

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13.   

How did the chorus evolve in later dithyrambs?

their performances moved away from being just about events in Dionysus’s life and they stopped wearing the goatskins

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14.   

To whom do we attribute the invention of the tragedy?

Thespis (556-500 BC)

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15.   

How did dialogue develop in ancient Greek drama?

Thespis’s actor (a listener) who performed between the dances of the chorus eventually evolved to sometimes converse with the leader of the chorus; voila!  dialogue

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16.   

What do actors and chorus members do differently during a dramatic performance?

actors speak lines of verse; chorus members sing lines of verse

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17.   

When was the first tragedy introduced into the festivals of Dionysus?

534 BC

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18.   

Describe the order of events during a festival of Dionysus.

day one:  procession in honor of the god;

day two: 10 dithyrambs were performed;

last 3 days: three tragedies were performed followed by a satyr play

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19.   

What is a satyr play?

a burlesque comedy performed as comic relief after classical Greek tragic trilogies

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20.   

What are the Choregi?

wealthy patrons of the arts who would help the state award prizes to the winning poet and star actor who took part in the festivals of Dionysus

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21.   

What did the Choregi help make happen?

professional theater; actors and playwrights could make a living at what they did

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22.   

How many people could the Theater of Dionysus seat and where was it located?

17,000; Athens

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23.   

Describe the earliest theaters.

they occurred in a circular space (orchestra) surrounded by a natural slope (theatron) where spectators sat on wooden seats

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24.   

Describe what was later added to theaters.

a building called a skene was added to serve as a background and as dressing rooms; the proscenium was its front wall and it had 3 doors (no curtain); and projecting wings of the building called parascenia; building was 2-stories tall

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25.   

In what part of the theater did the chorus and actors perform?

the orchestra

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26.   

Where does the chorus go during the play?

nowhere; the chorus stays on stage from the moment it enters (parados) until it leaves at the end (exodus)

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27.   

What function did masks serve in ancient Greek drama?

they allowed actors to play multiple parts in a play

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28.   

Were women allowed to perform in ancient Greek plays?

no; only men

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29.   

Where did ancient Greek authors go for material to write about?

history and mythology

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30.   

What was the main interest for an audience going to see and ancient Greek play?

how the author adapted and interpreted the subject he wrote about; authors drew on subjects already very familiar to the audience so going to see what was going to happen wasn’t a factor; the audience already knew what was going to happen which allowed for many moments of dramatic irony in the plays

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31.   

What is dramatic irony?

when the audience knows or understands something that a character or characters in the play/text do not

reference on. pg. 5, but see basic guide

32.   

How was the development of comedy similar to the development of tragedy in ancient Greece?

both evolved out of worshipping Dionysus

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33.   

What are the three eras of comedy and their corresponding years?

Old Comedy (beginning to 400 BC)

Middle Comedy (400-336 BC)

New Comedy (336-250 BC)

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34.   

Describe the style of the earliest comedies.

they generally followed the format of the tragedies; they involved a chorus and a contest between two parties; often they ended with a marriage (b/c Dionysus was the god of fertility); they are full of wit and coarse humor

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35.   

Who wrote the only surviving comedies from the earliest era?

Aristophanes (c. 448-385 BC); there are 10 surviving plays all by him

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36.   

Describe the style of the comedies from the middle era.

these were based on mythology and downplayed the role of the chorus; Aristophanes has one play from this period

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37.   

Describe the style of the later comedies.

these were based on ordinary life and usually had a romantic plot; the chorus supplied musical interludes

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38.   

What is Meander known for, when did he live, and what kind of texts have survived?

he is known to be the greatest writer of New Comedy; c. 342-291; only parts of his plays have survived

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39.   

Describe the structure of an ancient Greek tragedy.

they begin with a prologue that gives background and introduces the theme; next comes the parados (entrance of the chorus); then three or more episodes, each followed by a choral song called a stasimon; and finally, the exodus (exit of the chorus); the events that happen in the play are almost always set during a single day

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40.   

What kind of plays have their origin in the structure of traditional ancient Greek tragedies?

the European 5-act plays

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41.   

What was the purpose of tragedy?

to examine the great religious and ethical issues of humankind

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42.   

Name 3 or more archetypal themes found in Greek tragedies.

fate (divine will) and free will, family relationships, vision and blindness, truth and falsehood, civil disobedience

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43.   

What is the term for a tragic hero’s pride?

hubris

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44.   

How does the archetypal theme of divine will (or fate) factor into traditional tragedies?

the tragic hero generally follows his/her own will to start, but must ultimately accept the will of the gods

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45.   

How is the archetypal theme of free will a factor in traditional tragedies?

even though a tragic hero’s fate plays a great role in his/her downfall, s/he also makes a choice (free will) that contributes to the fall

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46.   

Give an example of a free will choice in a Greek tragedy.

Oedipus chooses to leave Corinth to “avoid” his fate of killing his father and marrying his mother; the choice ultimately leads to the fulfillment of his fate in Thebes

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47.   

Give an example of how the archetypal themes of vision and blindness factor into one of the three plays.

In Oedipus, Teiresias is physically blind but can see the situation in Thebes for what it is; however, Oedipus who can physically see is blind to the fact that he has fulfilled his fate; furthermore, once Oedipus does “see” the situation he is in, he chooses to blind himself physically as a symbolic action of the blindness he’s exhibited in his life

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48.   

Explain how the archetypal themes of truth and falsehood factor into one of the three plays.

In Antigone, Creon disbelieves the guard, his son, and Teiresias, but later discovers they have all told the truth.

In Oedipus, Oedipus single-mindedly searches out the truth; however, when it is told to him early in the play by Teiresias and Creon, he refuses to believe; he then continues searching for the truth from the shepherds even when he starts to suspect how devastating it might be to know (and against the wishes of his wife/mother Jocasta); and ultimately, Oedipus accepts the truth and chooses to punish himself and his eyes because his eyes have deceived him (lead him to believe in falsehoods) for so long.

6-7

49.   

Explain how the archetypal theme of civil disobedience factors into Antigone.

Antigone choose to defy the law for a higher moral good; as a result, she faces the consequences of committing a “crime” against the state which results in her death.

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50.   

Name the four conventions used in Greek drama.

the three unities;

prophecy, oracles, and soothsayers;

messengers;

the chorus

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51.   

What are the three unities and what is “unified” about them in Greek drama?

the three unities are time, place, and action;

time = play was almost always set within a single day;

place = play was almost always set within one place

action = the was only a single plot with no subplots or digressions

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52.   

Describe how ancient Greek religious beliefs were incorporated into their drama.

the ancient Greeks believed that the fortunes of their cities and lives depended on the wills of the gods and that the will of the gods could be understood through oracles, prophecies, and soothsayers; therefore these appear as part of the plots in their plays

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53.   

What is the Oracle of Delphi?

it is Apollo’s oracle in the mountains of Delphi where Apollo’s priestess sat on a tripod over a crack in the rocks and absorbed the vapors, uttering the pronouncements of the god.

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54.   

Which of the three plays incorporate the Oracle of Delphi and how?

Oedipus and Electra; both Oedipus and Orestes travel to and consult the oracle before embarking on significant courses (Oedipus’s consultation with the oracle leads to his decision to leave Corinth)

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55.   

How do birds and sacrifices factor into Greek dramas?

Behavior of the birds were thought to be signs of the gods’ wills; also the gods’ reactions to sacrifices were signs that would often foretell what was going to happen

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56.   

Why are messengers so integral to Greek drama?

since the plays were set in one location, events that happened in other places (even inside houses) had to be reported by messengers in order to advance the plot of the play;

also, scenes of extreme violence (e.g., Jocasta’s suicide and Oedipus’s blinding himself) occurred off-stage due to religious concerns and had to be reported by a “messenger” or character who had witnessed the act

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57.   

What are the functions of a chorus in Greek drama?

they provide transitions from one scene to another, they comment on the action, the announce new characters who have arrived, and introduce messengers

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58.   

What major innovation did Sophocles introduce to Greek drama that was somewhat controversial in regards to the role of the chorus?

he added a third speaking character; some people thought that diminished the role of the chorus

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59.   

How does the chorus typically react to the protagonist in Greek drama?

the chorus is sympathetic to the protagonist

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60.   

How do some choral odes add complexity and depth to a situation?

by drawing analogies with mythological figures such as Niobe, Banae, and other characters who were incarcerated

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61.   

What is a kommos?

a lyrical dialogue involving the chorus and one of the speaking characters

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62.   

Describe several of the characteristics of a tragic hero.

a tragic hero is essentially a good person in a high position (may be noble); the hero has good qualities in which s/he takes pride, but these same good qualities (e.g., Oedipus’s compassion for his people and desire to discover the truth to alleviate their suffering) act against the hero and help bring about his/her fall; the hero’s misfortunes result from hamartia (a mistake; bad choice connected to good qualities); the hero also suffers, but learns from the suffering and ultimately reconciles with him/herself and the universe.

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63.   

Who wrote:  “A distinctive feature of Sophoclean tragedy is a titanic central heroic figure defiantly refusing to compromise and bend to other people’s different perceptions of reality.”?

Edith Hall (wrote the intro to the plays in the edition we’re reading)

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64.   

What keeps a tragic hero from being a pathetic figure?

taking responsibility for his/her downfall

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65.   

What is hamartia?

a tragic hero’s mistake that leads to his/her fall (not a vice)

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66.   

How might hubris play a part in a tragic hero’s downfall?

his/her hubris (pride) might cause the character to ignore warnings from the gods’ or to transgress the gods’ moral codes, even if the transgression is accidental

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67.   

How is the tragic hero’s suffering significant?

it is greater than that of an ordinary person and out of proportion to his/her error in judgment; however it is also meaningful: it offers a means of spiritual growth and reveals the essential greatness and nobility of humankind

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68.   

What precisely is meant to be seen as tragic in a tragedy?

the fall of a great human being (not death which would be a release from suffering)

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69.   

How are tragedy and comedy different when presenting the human condition?

tragedy applauds the human condition as it shows characters who strive heroically against impossible odds/obstacles; comedy diminishes human potential because it depicts human characters as limited, flat, shallow, and often ridiculous

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70.   

What text enhances our understanding of Greek drama, who wrote it, and when did this person live?  When was this text written?

Poetics by Aristotle, 384-322 BC; Poetics was written more than century after the plays of the great tragedians

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71.   

Where was Aristotle born?

Macedonia

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72.   

Who did Aristotle study under, when did he begin his studies, and where did he study?

Plato, age 17, in Athens

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73.   

Who did Aristotle tutor, who asked him to do so, and when?

Alexander (later “the Great”), asked by Philip of Macedon (Alex’s father), between 343-340

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74.   

When did Aristotle first leave Athens and why?

347 BC, he left after Plato’s death to travel before being called back to a tutoring position in 343

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75.   

Why did Aristotle leave Athens for good and where did he go?

he left after Alexander’s death and Aristotle fell under suspicion of his relationship with Alexander; he fled to Calchis

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76.   

Where did Aristotle die?

Calchis in 322 BC

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77.   

Aside from poetry, what else did Aristotle write about?

logic, physics, psychology, politics, ethics, and other literature

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78.   

What does Aristotle analyze in Poetics?

he analyzes the significant features of poetry—dramatic poetry in particular—based on the writings of Greek tragedians of the previous century

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79.   

Where did the terms for discussing and understanding tragedy come from?

from Aristotle’s writing

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80.   

How does Aristotle define “tragedy”?

as “an imitation of an action that is serious, complete ,and of a certain magnitude…through pity and fear effecting the proper purgation of these emotions” (catharsis)

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81.   

What is the most important part of a tragedy’s plot according to Aristotle?

the peripeteia (the reversal of the situation; in this case the fall of the hero from a good situation to a bad one)

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82.   

What is the cause of the tragic hero’s fall according to Aristotle?

hamartia

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83.   

What does Aristotle say about plot in tragedy and why?

it is “the first principle and soul of a tragedy”; because only a good plot can cause catharsis (purge and cleanse)

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84.   

What is Aristotle’s definition of a whole tragic plot?

it must have a beginning, middle, and an ed with events ordered in an inevitable sequence

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85.   

What are the 5 subordinate elements of tragedies according to Aristotle?

personality, view of character, language, music, and spectacle

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86.   

What is the Greek word for “recognition” and what is it in dramatic terms?

anagnorisis—also spelled anagnoresis; it is the change from ignorance to knowledge (e.g., Oedipus’s final understanding that he has fulfilled his fate)

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87.   

What two emotions are central to a tragedy according to Aristotle and what elicits them from the audience?

pity and fear; pity is aroused by the unmerited misfortune experienced by the character(s); fear is elicited when we witness that the misfortune happens to a human being like us

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88.   

Name the three great tragic poets and when they lived.

Aeschylus (c 525-456 BC)

Sophocles (c. 496-405 BC)

Euripides (c. 480-405 BC)

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89.   

How many plays (supposedly) did Aeschylus write?

90

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90.   

How many plays (supposedly) did Sophocles write?

120

 

91.   

How many plays of Aeschylus’s and Sophocles’s survived?

7 each

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92.   

How many plays (supposedly) did Euripedes write?  How many survive?

90, 18

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93.   

Who initially preserved manuscripts of some of the plays?

Alexandrian scholars in Hellenistic Egypt

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94.   

Where and when were some of the surviving Greek plays first printed?

1502 in Venice, Italy

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95.   

How do the plots of Aeschylus’s and Sophocles’s plays differ?

Aeschylus preferred simpler plots; Sophocles’s plots were more complex

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96.   

What did Aeschylus add to Greek drama?

he added a second speaker and increased the importance of dialogue (thereby decreasing the importance of the chorus)

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97.   

What sort of themes did Aeschylus prefer?

noble themes of divine order and inexorable fate

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98.   

When did Sophocles defeat Aeschylus in the festival?

468 BC

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99.   

How does Sophocles’s language compare to Aeschylus’s?

it’s more grandiose

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100.           

What did Sophocles add to Greek drama?

a third speaker and more dramatic situations with examples of noble human conduct

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101.           

How do the series of plays that Aeschylus wrote differ from the series Sophocles wrote?

Aeschylus used three tragedies to tell one story; Sophocles’s plays are each independent works

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102.           

What did Sophocles do to the chorus?

fixed the number of chorus members at 15

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103.           

What major theme is most present in Euripedes’s plays?

love

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104.           

How does Euripedes’s language differ from Soph/Aesch.?

he’s more colloquial

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105.           

In terms of characters, how does Euripedes differ from his predecessors?

he doesn’t always use characters from history and mythology

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106.