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Euripides portrayal of women
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Euripides portrayal of women
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While I enjoyed how Mills analyzed Medea’s action by bringing up relevant information regarding her historic roots and comparing her to several similar Greek characters, I disagreed with his heavy emphasis on her celestiality. She certainly does implore many aspects that a witch or mystical spirit would exhibit, such as her use of herbs and her method of escape, but I don’t think it is appropriate to blame her act of vengeance on aspects of alienation from humanity. Because Euripides’ intention of writing this play was to compel his audience to question social norms and gender roles in society, I don’t think he would have crafted Medea in a way that cast her outside of the human realm. While it certainly would have not been socially accepted
This distinction between men and women is emphasized in Euripides’ The Bacchae. It is the women, and not the men, who are allured to follow Dionysus and practice his rituals: dancing, drinking, etc. It is seen as problematic to Pentheus and something must be done: “Women are laving home / to follow Bacchus, they say, to honor him in sacred rites. / Our women run wild upon the wooded hills, dancing to honor this new God, Bacchus, whoever he is” (215-218). There is a sense of lost, a need to retrieve the women, and return them to their place. “Our women run wild” creates the comparison of what their women would do amongst men and their society, as well as a sense of possession of the women (217). Agave recognizes the freedom from her daily confinements of her home when amongst the Bacchantes: “I quit my shuttle at the loom / for a higher calling, the hunting of wild beasts / with my bare hands” (1214-1218). There is a contrast of sitting behind the machine, the loom, and creating, or in this case destroying, by her own hands. Is it this contrast what drives the women of Thebes towards Dionysus? For what better creates a feeling of accomplishment then achieving a finished product by one’s power alone? The women are consequently pushed towards Dionysus because of the freedom he offers.
As she is "Faced with her husband's cold pragmatism, Medea responds according to her nature." Euripides really stresses the "otherness" of Medea's nature: she is "of a different kind", described in terms of nature and animals: she is "a rock or wave of the sea'", "like a wild bull", "a tiger". Yes, she is a little dangerous, but she is driven by her hear; that vital force which distinguishes the body from the corpse and has been crushed by Jason's betrayal.
Personal Development, one of the core values at Saint Leo University, plays an important role in students’ daily lives. From the moment you step foot on campus to the day you graduate, you automatically become a different person. As a first year student, you are entering a new life and not knowing what to expect. Once you are in college, it is the start of a new chapter. You will become more mature and all the obstacles that you will go through will make you a different person. In order to have a successful Undergraduate experience, it is crucial to have a balance between personal life and school. Your personal development will strengthen your academics and the community. The Campus Life Handbook states, “Saint Leo University stresses the development of every person’s mind, spirit, and body for a balanced life. All members of the Saint Leo University community must demonstrate their commitment to personal development to help strengthen the character of our community” (Saint Leo 1). Based on the Saint Leo core values, personal development, responsible stewardship, integrity, respect, and community exemplifies Medea’s character as a Hero devolving throughout the play.
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.
The Euripides Play Medea the character of Medea does fit Aristotle’s Percepts because of the Aristotelian arc which States that a Character must be of a high class, must be relate able, and actions must follow that of the class they are in. [Aristotle Poetics]
In the play written by Euripides, Medea refuses Jason the right to bury his children. Jason pleads Medea, "give me the bodies to bury and to mourn"(111). Medea denies Jason, "no I will not I will bury themselves." The quote represents the difference in power between Jason and Medea. Jason and Medea completely switch gender roles, as at the beginning Jason is the one that hold the power in the relationship; however, by the end of the play Medea is the one in control. Medea rejecting Jason request to bury his own children is a symbol of Medea challenging patriarchy, as she is the one who has advantage and she is the one who power over Jason. Similarly, in Agamemnon, Clytemnestra also displaces power when she is talking to the Chorus, "If we end of suffering, we can be content broken as we are by the brute heel of angry destiny. Thus, a woman speaks among you. Shall men deign to understand?" (Source, 244). This passage shows the power that Clytemnestra possesses. She is displaying her power as she is directly confronting both Aegisthus and the Chorus to stop fighting. In this passage, she is portrayed as someone who is logical and in control, traits that are synonymous with males. She challenging the idea that women are not fit to be in power because they are too emotional and irrational. Ironically, she (a woman) is most reasonable one (and the most powerful) person
In Euripides ' play, Medea, tells a short story of the sufferings of a woman 's marriage life. In the play, Euripides develops the character, Medea , who is mentally abused by her husband, Jason, to show how women are mistreated in the Greek society. Jason 's action of leaving his wife and marrying the princess causes Medea suffering and shows us his selfishness. Jason also is not a good father figure to his own sons causing Medea to take care of them herself and taking all the burden. This shows us Jason is uncaring towards Medea and his sons. Lastly, Jason did not help Medea with problems that they’re having, this seems like he is excluding them from his life and everything else.
“A time comes when the female sex is honored” (29). In the history of ancient civilization, the roles of male figures seem to override the female counterpart in the social strata. Even in modern times, widely accepted premises distinguish womanhood as being composed of child-bearers and caretakers, dependent on the male head of the household. In the play Medea, Euripides challenges the cultural beliefs of women’s role in Athens, Greece through his characterization of Medea; moreover, her pursuit to revolutionize the way women are treated by men begins with Jason and comes to effect the Chorus of the Corinthian women. Medea constructs a plan of action based on her fervent emotions. She implements control in her life, even by sacrificing everything in her possession; consequently, she defies the instituted mannerisms for the women of ancient Greece as they do not have autonomy over their lives because they are granted a free will that falls far inferior to the Grecian males’.
Medea aids Jason in completing several dangerous tasks, in the process Medea falls in love with Jason and she dishonors her family by killing her brother to please and protect Jason.
Centuries of traditions has enabled men and women to define gender roles in society. Although some critics declare gender roles do not exist today, others believe they do. In society, men and women are defined by gender roles throughout their activities and emotions. A doctor is typically portrayed by a male while women rear the children and cook for the men. However, although still in existence, today these roles are less obvious but tend to have similar meaning when compared to the past. In ancient Greece, women suffered great hardships. Currently, females work, vote, and run for office. In comparison to ancient Greece, these activities are a phenomenal leap from being under the direct supervision of a male husband.
In Euripides' Medea, the main character of the same name is a controversial heroine. Medea takes whatever steps necessary to achieve what she believes is right and fair. She lived in a time when women were expected to sit in the shadows and take the hand that life dealt them without a blink of their eye. Medea took very radical steps to liberate herself and destroys the life of the man who ruined hers. She refused to accept the boundaries that a patriarchal society set upon her. Medea was a very wise and calculated woman who was brave enough to leave her homeland, along with everything she knew and loved, in order to follow her heart down the path of what she expected to be eternal happiness.
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.
... 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.
Medea is a tragedy of a woman who feels that her husband has betrayed her with another woman and the jealousy that consumes her. She is the protagonist who arouses sympathy and admiration because of how her desperate situation is. I thought I was going to feel sorry for Medea, but that quickly changed as soon as I saw her true colors. I understand that her emotions were all over the place. First, she was angry, then cold and conniving. The lower she sinks the more terrible revenge she wants to reap on Jason.
Medea was a very diverse character who possesses several characteristics which were unlike the average woman during her time. As a result of these characteristics she was treated differently by members of the society. Media was a different woman for several reasons; she possessed super natural powers , she was manipulative, vindictive, and she was driven by revenge. The life that Medea lived and the situations she encountered, (one could say) were partly responsible for these characteristics and her actions.