Test 3: Agon

1. Test 3: Agon • Extract A 2005: • Bdelycleon [making a further note]: No, you’re not held to account, and that’s the first [top of pg 59] • …finished, I’ll tell you where you can put your precious power. [midway down pg 59]

2. a) (i) Give the Greek term for the part of the play that this extract is taken from. (ii) What is the purpose of this part of the play?

3. b) (i) What has Bdelycleon stopped Philocleon from doing at the start of the play? (ii) What reason did Bdelycleon give for his decision to act in this way?

4. (c) Describe THREE actions taken by Philocleon to avoid being ‘shut away’.(1) (2) (3)

5. (d) (i) Why was Cleon called “the Great Roarer” (line 9)? (ii) Explain ONE reason, not mentioned by Philocleon in this extract, for the gratitude of the jurymen towards Cleon.

6. (e) Explain ONE feature of Philocleon’s costume that might help the audience to understand his character.

7. (f) What additional arguments are advanced by Philocleon to justify his belief in the supreme power of the jurymen? Explain in detail THREE points not made in this extract. Provide evidence from the play to illustrate your answers. (1) (2) (3)

8. (g) Explain in detail THREE arguments advanced by Bdelycleon to persuade Philocleon that he does not have real power. Provide evidence from the play to illustrate your answers. (1) (2) (3)

9. (h) (i) Philocleon and Bdelycleon, the main characters of Wasps, are father and son. What does this extract reveal about their relationship? Provide evidence from the extract to support your answer.

10. (h) (ii) Analyse the relationship between Philocleon and Bdelycleon as it is revealed in the rest of the play. You must refer to at least THREE other episodes and provide evidence from the play to illustrate your answers. RELATIONSHIP IN THE REST OF THE PLAY • At the start of the play, before the parodos, Bdelycleon is a domineering, authoritarian son. He has confined his father to the house and posted slaves to guard the exits. He has taken charge so Philocleon cannot leave at dawn for jury service and will not be swayed from what he thinks is his duty: “But if only you’d keep quiet and listen … I could convince you that you’re quite wrong”. • In the mock trial following the agon, Bdelycleon tries to please his father by providing an alternative form of jury service at home, which also helps to entertain Philocleon. He is cunning in the way he tricks his father into putting his voting pebble in the ‘not guilty’ urn, when Philocleon wanted to vote for conviction. • In the comic episode following the parabasis, Bdelycleon is well-meaning, but very assertive and controlling. He attempts to reeducate his father so that he is socially acceptable at fashionable dinner parties. He wants to strip Philocleon of his juryman’s cloak and replace it with a Persian “fullwaister”, to teach the old man how to recline “with supple athletic grace”, and to make complimentary remarks on the rugs and bronzes of his host. • In the episode before the second parabasis, Bdelycleon acts in a staid manner, reproving his father for kidnapping a flute girl. He acts like a responsible adult when faced by an exuberant Philocleon. He shows a certain amount of vitality and strength by carrying his father indoors, but he does not see the funny side of Philocleon’s drunken actions. He takes life seriously. “More troubles, more fines to pay, all because you’ve been drinking.” (Other answers are possible – eg analysis of the time and effort he devotes to curing his father’s litigious mania.)