Philocleon

The Wasps

ID Quiz

1. In the Prologue who explains to the audience what the play will be about? What’s his civil status?

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2. 2. To what two activities is Philocleon addicted (ultimately two passions)?

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3. 3. A number of examples are adduced to illustrate the severity of Philocleon’s disease. Give one.

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4. 4. Why does Philocleon never acquit a defendant?

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5. Who are the members of the Chorus? Give their approximate age and current occupation.

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6. 6. How many layers are they wearing? What does each costume represent?

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7. The members of the Chorus are wealthy.

___ True ____ False

8. In the course of the parodos the Chorus initially suspects that Bdelycleon is guilty of certain unsavory political leanings. Name two.

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9. By the end of the agôn, Bdelycleon fails to convince the Chorus of the soundness of his arguments.

___ True ____ False

10. What does Bdelycleon propose to his father as a substitute for sitting on public juries and convicting every defendant who comes before him?

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11. What are the names of the first two litigants to come before Philocleon’s domestic court.

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12. What is the outcome of the first case tried by Philocleon in this new court?

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13. How does it come about that Philocleon arrives at this verdict?

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14. 14. In the parabasis the audience is informed that Aristophanes started out in show biz as a joke writer.

___ True ____ False

15. In the parabasis the audience is also informed that back in the day Aristophanes would attack the fiercest monsters. To what contemporary political figure does the Chorus refer? And to what well-known mythic figure is Aristophanes compared?

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16. Name three things about Philocleon that Bdelycleon attempts to change in order to give his father a make-over before sending him out into high society.

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17. Philocleon has to learn how to comport himself while dining at a fashionable dinner or drinking party. Instead of sitting at table he must:

____ recline on a couch. ____ swing from the ceiling.

____ sit on the floor. ____ stand at attention.

18. How does Philocleon react to his son’s insistence that he drink alcohol?

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19. Name three characters who follow Philocleon home after the party, threatening to take him to

court?

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20. Who is Philocleon’s new “girlfriend”?

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