Final Jeopardy Clues: 5-17 to 5-21-21

Here are the Final Jeopardy clues and daily payouts for the quarterfinals of the 2021 Tournament of Champions for the week of May 17 through May 21, 2021.

Mon, May 17 – Correct answers: 2
ANCIENT GREEKS: Plutarch quotes this man who sentenced many to death: “Small ones deserve that, and I have no higher for the greater crimes” show

Tue, May 18 – Correct answers: 2
ANIMALS: German settlers in Texas called this animal “Panzerschwein” show

Wed, May 19 – Correct answers: 2
MIDDLE EASTERN GEOGRAPHY: Of the 6 countries that border the Red Sea, it’s last alphabetically show

Thu, May x – Correct answers: 0
COLONIAL AMERICA: Milestones along the eastern end of the Mason-Dixon Line were marked on either side with the crests of these 2 men show

Fri, May 21 – Correct answers: 1
AMERICAN AUTHORS: The year before his 1809 birth, his parents acted in “King Lear”, leading scholars to believe he was named for a “Lear” character show

There were no triple solves in the quarterfinals, which was kind of sad when the first three clues were rather easy. This is the Tournament of Champions, after all, and these players are the cream of the crop. Thursday and Friday’s final clues were the hardest of the bunch. It’s hard to say which was hardest. Both require a bit more than shallow knowledge: of the early history of two eastern states on Thursday; and of a Shakespeare play plus the occupation of an early 19th century author’s parents.

Here is Jeopardy!’s video recap of the semi-finalists and wild card winners. Wouldn’t you know that Jeopardy! would include Ryan’s “go for the kill” comment that offended some people in this video but they probably made it before the controversy occurred. Ryan has since said he was sorry for ruining some people’s viewer experience and that was covered by every news outlet you can imagine, including Good Housekeeping. I’m not sure if I should be sorry that I find that pretty hilarious but I do. Also, Ryan confirmed my assumption that when he saw his Daily Double, he was displaying his joy in getting one about Pennsylvania.