Myth Post-Midterm Material

Front 1

Agamemnon

Back 1

Greek commander during the Trojan War, husband of Clytemnestra; sacrificed his daughter to the dismay of his wife; returns home after the War to be murdered by his wife

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Clytemnestra

Back 2

wife of Agamemnon, who murders him upon his return home from Troy with the help of her lover Aegisthus; feels justified in the murder because Agamemnon killed their daughter

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Cassandra

Back 3

Trojan priestess who Agamemnon brought home with him as his lover- predicts both Agamemnon's death & her own (she is murdered by Clytemnestra & Aegisthus as well); had been Apollo's lover- he gave her the gift of prophecy but cursed her so that no one would believer her predictions, after she refused to bear his child

Front 4

Aegisthus

Back 4

lover of Clytemnestra & Agamemnon's cousin; murders Agamemnon & Clytemnestra; Agamemnon's father had served Aegisthus brothers to his father as dinner, so Aegisthus has been waiting for revenge

Front 5

Watchman from Agamemnon

Back 5

reports the homecoming of Agamemnon, when it is signaled by the beacons; is joyful but feels some foreboding

Front 6

Herald from Agamemnon

Back 6

brings the chorus news of Agamemnon's homecoming & give information about others in the war

Front 7

Chorus of the Eumenides = the Furies

Back 7

terrifying primal goddesses, who are bitter towards the newer gods who contradict ancient laws; it is their job to ensure justice by hounding & punishing the wicked; later come to an agreement with Athena that they will bless Athens & live underneath it & preside over it with her

Front 8

Orestes

Back 8

son of Agamemnon & Clytemnestra; after being exiled by his mother, returns to avenge his father by killing Clytemnestra & Aegisthus (at the orders of Apollo) - is accordingly hounded by the Furies, until his case is judged by Athena

Front 9

Athena (in Eumenides)

Back 9

judge at Orestes' trial; judges him to be justified in his killing of his mother, because she will always side with the father/man

Front 10

Apollo (in Eumenides)

Back 10

god who tells Orestes to avenge his father by killing his mother & her lover & then protects him from the Furies

Front 11

Clytemnestra's ghost (Eumenides)

Back 11

killed her husband on his return home after the Trojan War & exiled her children; spurs the Furies on to punish her son

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Pythia

Back 12

in the Eumenides, priestess of Apollo who opens the play praising the gods, & enters the temple to discover Orestes in the supplicant's chair, with bloody hands & sword

Front 13

Second Chorus of Eumenides

Back 13

women of Athens who escort the Furies to their new home in the Underworld

Front 14

Hermes in Eumenides

Back 14

helps Orestes travel safely to Athens for his trial

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Oedipus

Back 15

as a baby, it was prophesied that he would murder his father & marry his mother; to avoid that, he was abandoned on a mountain, with his ankles pierced together; later, becomes king of Thebes after saving the city by solving the riddle of the Sphinx & takes his mother as his bride (vacancy left for King spot because, on the way to Thebes, Oedipus murders the King/his father)

Front 16

Jocasta

Back 16

wife/mother of Oedipus, who tries to convince him not to believe Tiresias' revelations, for her sake & his own

Front 17

Antigone

Back 17

Oedipus' daughter/sister; (daughter of Oedipus & Jocasta)

Front 18

Creon

Back 18

Oedipus' brother-in-law, brings word from Apollo's temple that a murder has caused the bane upon the city, which must be avenged by murder or banishment of the murderer; Oedipus accuses Creon of being jealous of his power & conspiring with Tiresias in his "false" prophecy

Front 19

Tiresias

Back 19

blind soothsayer of Thebes, tells Oedipus that he is the murderer of the king & prophesies that Oedipus will be proven to be his wife's son & his children's brother

Front 20

Dionysus

Back 20

god of wine, son of Zeus & Semele (when Semele died due to Zeus's revelation of himself in full glory, Zeus saved his son, sewed him into his thigh until he was ready to be born); associated with feminine dress & wearing fawn skin; many women worshipers

Front 21

Pentheus

Back 21

King of Thebes, son of Agave & grandson of Cadmus; very strict, preserver of order, jails Dionysus (doesn't believe him to be a god), orders troops against Bacchae; punishment- torn apart & killed by his own mother, in her Bacchae-driven passion

Front 22

Agave

Back 22

mother of Pentheus, daughter of Cadmus; in her worshiping madness, she does not recognize her son & tears him apart, thus killing him & places his head atop her wand like a trophy; grieves greatly when she comes back to her senses & realizes what she has done; it is resolved at the end that she will leave the city, as she is a murderer

Front 23

Cadmus

Back 23

former king of Thebes, father of Agave & grandfather of Dionysus & Pentheus; only one of his family who willingly proclaims allegiance to Dionysus & leaves for the mountains to worship with Tiresias; only one who maintains his right mind

Front 24

Tiresias (Bacchae)

Back 24

famous blind Theban prophet & friend of Cadmus who worships Dionysus with Cadmus

Front 25

Bacchae chorus

Back 25

group of women Dionysus has led from Asia, worshiping him (Bacchae)

Front 26

maenad

Back 26

worshiper of Dionysus

Front 27

Aeneas

Back 27

hero of the Aeneid, founder of the Roman race; very obedient to duty & submissive to the gods

Front 28

Dido

Back 28

queen of Carthage, lover of Aeneas; when he leaves her to continue on his journey to found Rome, she kills herself with her sword; later, he encounters her in the underworld & is shocked that she actually followed through with her threat to die

Front 29

Ascanius

Back 29

Aeneas' son by his first wife, Creusa; symbol of the Roman race Aeneas will found

Front 30

Anchises

Back 30

Aeneas' father; dies on the journey to found Rome but guides Aeneas through the underworld & shows him his descendants' fate

Front 31

Creusa

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Aeneas' Trojan wife (mother of Ascanius); she is lost as her family leaves the city

Front 32

Sinon

Back 32

Greek youth who stays behind with the Trojan horse, pretends he has been left behind by the Greeks as a sacrifice & convinces the Trojans to bring the horse into their walls to protect the sacrifice to Minerva so Troy will not be destroyed

Front 33

Juno

Back 33

queen of gods (eq. to Hera); hates Trojans because Paris decided against her in a divine beauty contest; patron of Carthage & opposes Aeneas because she knows Romans (his descendants) will destroy Carthage

Front 34

Venus

Back 34

goddess of love (eq. of Aphrodite) & mother of Aeneas; likes Trojans; defends her son against Juno - conflict among gods

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Jupiter

Back 35

king of the gods (eq. to Zeus); has ultimate control over Aeneas' destiny-moderates Juno & Venus' effects; makes sure Aeneas never gets too far off his course to founding Rome

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Neptune

Back 36

god of sea; generally on the side of Aeneas & Venus, helps Aeneas journey safely

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Aeolus

Back 37

god of the winds, helps Juno to blow Aeneas' ship off course

Front 38

Cupid (Aeneid)

Back 38

disguises himself as Ascanius & makes Dido fall in love with Aeneas

Front 39

Minerva

Back 39

(eq. to Athena) favors/helps Greeks during the Trojan War; (anti-Trojans because Paris also decided against her in the divine beauty contest)