How was your understanding of cultural and contextual considerations of the work developed through the interactive oral? The interactive oral aided my understanding of the work in the aspect of its mythical background rooted in the legend of Jason and Medea- how the dynamic of the couple as equals in a patriarchal society, the use of literary techniques, largely concerned with sophistry and his usage of the Chorus throughout the play lend themselves to the plot and dramatic nature of the work. Another topic of discussion was the ethical issue behind Medea's actions in the play and their justification as supported by the cultural norms of society at the time. While analysing the cultural context of the play, it becomes apparent that the play …show more content…
It provides an outlet for Euripides to add moral complexity to the characters and allows the discussion of themes such as jealousy, manipulation, misogyny and exile into the play. The chorus serves as the ideal audience, crafted by the playwright to create a logical progression of the plot by justifying and condemning Medea's intentions throughout the play, providing arguments and admirations intended to be reflected in the …show more content…
The purpose of the playwright in employing an all-female chorus is to garner respect for the female protagonist, by having them support and identify themselves with the oppressed heroine. The connection between Medea and the chorus is seen in the exposition as the women step forward to help, "advise a friend" and again later in the play as they appeal to her maternal instincts to prevent her from becoming an "unholy child-killer" ; and even though they do fail in stopping her (owing solely to her unwavering determination), the significance of their bond of sisterhood is shown as they manage to make Medea hesitate in the execution of her plans in her only moment of true weakness in the play, by alluding to great women like "Harmony" and "Aphrodite" and speaking of how morally just they had been, contrasting them with her despicable, unholy actions in an attempt to make Medea comprehend the severity of the sin she was about to commit. Through this sisterhood, the playwright enables a sensitive approach to feminism and uses it as the foundation of the plot while avoiding its inclusion as a central theme, to which the Greek audience could have reacted
The stories characters, Medea and Jason, can be seen as representations of two different responses to life. For hundreds of years, society has judged each others actions and reactions based on just cause. This story, to me, has a type of underlying theme that drags the reader into a moral debate, which forces you to really question your own belief system.
In Euripides Medea, readers are introduced to a woman overtaken by the desire to seek revenge against her husband. To best appreciate Medea, one must take note of how the play reflects a variety of elements seen in Aristotelian tragedy. In Aristotle’s Poetics, he introduces tragedy as, “the imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude… through pity and fear effecting the proper purification of these emotions” (1153). He also indicates that
The tragic play Medea is a struggle between reason and violence. Medea is deliberately portrayed as not a ‘normal woman’, but excessive in her passions. Medea is a torment to herself and to others; that is why Euripides shows her blazing her way through life leaving wreckage behind her. Euripides has presented Medea as a figure previously thought of exclusively as a male- hero. Her balance of character is a combination of the outstanding qualities of Achilles and Odysseus.
In the play Medea by Euripides, Medea is abandoned and betrayed by her husband, Jason, with the King’s daughter. Devastated by Jason’s decisions and Medea is consumed over by anger, rage and jealousy. Medea seeking for revenge against Jason, she plots an evil scheme that involves a lot of trickery and persuasion. Her plot will result in the death of the King’s daughter, The King, Creon, and Medea’s two children, which Jason loved dearly. This essay will show how gifts are more persuasive than words to Medea and how Medea is persuasive.
Euripides shows his views on female power through Medea. As a writer of the marginalized in society, Medea is the prime example of minorities of the age. She is a single mother, with 2 illegitimate children, in a foreign place. Despite all these disadvantages, Medea is the cleverest character in the story. Medea is a warning to the consequences that follow when society underestimates the
Aristotle, a philosopher, scientist, spiritualist and passionate critic of the arts, spent many years studying human nature and its relevance to the stage. His rules of tragedy in fact made a deep imprint on the writing of tragic works, while he influenced the structure of theatre, with his analysis of human nature. Euripides 'Medea', a Greek tragedy written with partial adherence to the Aristotelian rules, explores the continuation of the ancient Greek tales surrounding the mythology of Medea, Princess of Colchis, and granddaughter of Helios, the sun god, with heartlessness to rival the infamous Circe. While the structure of this play undoubtedly perpetuates many of the Aristotelian rules, there are some dramatic structures which challenge its standing with relevance to Aristotle's guidelines, and the judgment of Medea as a dramatic success within the tragic genre.
*Although Medea is arguably the most intelligent character in Euripides’s piece, shown in her dialogue with Creon, she has become ridiculed, and viewed as barbarous and less desirable following her separation from Jason. She is no longer a wife to a Greek man. She is simply an outsider, and a burden on a prosperous
In Greek society, the role of women was considered to be insignificant compared to the Greek men. The women had very few rights, no room to voice personal opinions, and a very bleak future with few options for a better life. According to Moses Hades, professor of Greek studies, women in ancient Greek plays are known to be the main characters and take the role of the villain, victim, or the heroine. In Euripides’ play Medea, Medea, the main character, plays all these roles. She represents the heroine by helping her husband secure the Golden Fleece prior to their marriage, and then portrays the victim by being betrayed by her husband, and finally the villain by murdering her loved ones. Therefore, Euripides follows the standard format for a Greek tragedy.
The play in all entirety is a major spectacle but Medea’s burning desire for revenge was what captivated viewers the most. As spectators we watch with fascination and horror how the series of events unfold. The chorus also watches Medea’s cutthroat destruction of her enemies. Some might perceive this as an unsettling spectacle. Nonetheless the genius and cunningness of her action is revered not only b...
Retribution drives the plot of both plays. The chorus cites Jason’s “disregarding [of] right and loyalty” (Medea 47) as the reason that Medea needs to take revenge on Jason, and also as a reasonable justification for her original grief. Here, the women of Corinth who make up the chorus of Medea find a point of sympathy, the victimization of a wife or any other woman, which allows them to understand Medea’s anger towards Jason. The women of the chorus see her as “that unhappy woman from Colchis” (21), and their “own heart suffers” (21) for her pain at her husband’s betrayal. They “do not wonder that [she] take[s] such wrongs to heart” (25), and they also say that “to punish Jason will be just” (25). In Medea, the chorus’s identity as women gives them a predetermined inclination towards a belief in Medea’s idea of justice for Jason. The chorus of The Libation Bearers also cons...
Despite the contrast in the characters of Euripedes' Medea and Aristophanes' Lysistrata, the two playwrights depicted how gender inequality can start a fire. As with Medea and Jason, the battle between the two lead to former's madness, leading to the death of the enemies she considered, and, unfortunately, leading as well to the death of her own children. Medea felt betrayed and left behind by her husband Jason, as well as continuously aggravated by Creon despite the fact that i...
Euripides created a two-headed character in this classical tragedy. Medea begins her marriage as the ideal loving wife who sacrificed much for her husband's safety. At the peak of the reading, she becomes a murderous villain that demands respect and even some sympathy. By the end, the husband and wife are left devoid of love and purpose as the tragedy closes.
Medea’s illegitimate marriage and the betrayal of Jason drive Medea to extreme revenge. Medea chooses to act with her immortal self and commit inhumane acts of murder rather than rationalize the outcomes of her actions. Medea see’s this option as her only resort as she has been banished and has nowhere to go, “stripped of her place”. To create sympathy for Medea, Euripides plays down Medea’s supernatural powers until the end of the play. Throughout the play Medea represents all characteristics found in individual women put together, including; love, passion, betrayal and revenge. Medea’s portrayal of human flaws creates empathetic emotions from the audience. The audience commiserates with Medea’s human flaws as they recognize them in themselves. Medea plays the major role in this play as she demonstrates many behavioral and psychological patterns unlike any of the other Greek women in the play; this draws the audience’s attention to Medea for sympathy and respect.
The Chorus, in this play, guides the audience. In the end, it is up to the individual as to what reaction they have to the play, but the Chorus is there to, in a way makes this reaction more complicated. One could leave the play totally condemning Medea, but the Chorus display’s Medea in a way that makes the audience sympathise with her, and so the moral conclusions that need to be come to side, become more complex. The audience has to base their reaction to Medea on what crimes they have seen her commit, and on what they have heard of her through the Chorus. Their integral part in the play acts in many ways, to follow, revise, and extend the plot of the play, and to influence the opinions and sympathies of the audience. It is a literary, and dramatic device that Euripedes uses, and uses well, to help portray a tragedy, and also a moralistic play, in which the Chorus is the voice that provides the morals.
... takes matters into her own hands and doesn’t wait for a man to handle things for her. Also, her internal conflict that is visible throughout the entire play signify that she actually thinks for herself, and is strong enough to need to make serious decisions on her own, regardless of her gender. All of this goes back on the traditional Greek society, and helps make Medea into a play that is ahead of its time. With Euripides challenging the notion of misogyny, he creates Medea to show how powerful and dangerous a woman can be in a story, even though it was never heard of in the modern eras.