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Who is Io? Why has she been turned into a cow?
Io was a mortal woman who Zeus fell in love with. Her father forced her to go to Zeus, against her wishes. Hera, Zeus's wife, found out about her, so to protect her, Zeus turned her into a cow. However, Hera also finds out about this and sends Argus, a herdsman, to follow Io, driving her all over the world. Hephaestus kills Argus, but then Hera sends a gadfly to continue to torment her.
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Why do you think Aeschylus includes Io's story in this play?
By including the story of Io's suffering, Aeschylus provides another example of something terrible Zeus (and the new gods) did. Because Zeus cannot control his desires, Io...
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