Hedda Gabler written by Henrik Ibsen and Medea written by Euripides both present the ideas of women who have either been wronged in life or simply have lives which have taken a turn for the worse, who find themselves in times of distress. The playwrights therefore use different techniques to portray them, their suffering, and what they resort to do to ease this pain, and in Medea’s case, to fulfil her revenge.
The former play is set in late nineteenth century Norway. Hedda Gabler must deal with a various number of situations which eventually build up and lead to her demise. She is General Gabler’s daughter, but no longer lives the upper-class life that she is used to. Upon getting married to Jorgen Tesman, she falls to a middle-class life with a man she does not love and shares nothing with. Hedda is unable to adjust to her new life and only seems to find entertainment when imposing her superiority and power on others. The tragedy of this play is that she can never adjust to this, and with time, she simply can not take it anymore and gathers the courage she needs to end it all.
Medea presents a different situation. Set in Classical Greece, Medea, the protagonist, is betrayed by her husband Jason. He has found a second wife in the daughter of King Creon and has dishonoured Medea. Upon realizing this, she falls in a state of distress, swearing upon the gods that she will get her revenge. This is how she schemes to kill both King Creon and his daughter, in addition to her own children. The murder of her two sons is the way to deal Jason the most painful blow, and although it causes her remorse and anguish, the pleasure she gets from Jason’s suffering is greater than this.
One of the most important literary techniques used by ...
... middle of paper ...
...” (p. 59)
In the end, both playwrights are very effective in portraying women in times of distress. This can be observed in Hedda Gabler who leads Lövborg to his death, destroys the manuscript of his book burning his and Mrs. Elvsted’s child, and in the end, ends her own suffering by committing suicide. However, I feel Euripides is much more successful in this since he transmits Medea’s feeling of despair more strongly throughout the whole play, and his powerful and tragic imagery, bringing about the death of innocent children, and the controversial end where the gods do indeed favour Medea, are all more successful.
Works Cited
Ibsen, Henrik. Hedda Gabler, trans. Una Ellis-Fermor, in Hedda Gabler and Other Plays. London: Penguin 1961. Pp. 261-364.
Euripides. Medea, trans. Philip Vellacott, in Medea and Other Plays. London: Penguin, 1963. Pp. 17-61
In Euripides Greek tragedy, Medea, it is the civilised values of Greek culture, which govern all facets of Corinthian life, yet Medea’s triumph is not a celebration of such values, but a mockery of them. While on the surface, Medea’s triumph appears an act of personal revenge out of pure passion, the implications of her actions extend far beyond one individual to encompass an entire civilisation. In committing “vile” acts of infanticide, Medea not only absolves herself from the one- dimensional role of women in a patriarchal society, but also transcends the social orders of that society. Moreover, it also serves as a warning to sacrificing all reasoning and rationality, and allowing
In Medea, the ancient Greek tragedy written by Euripides, the main character Medea is shown as a double personality character in this tragedy. Upon reading Medea, one finds that Medea has many untraditional characteristics for a woman. Medea started her marriage as the perfect loving wife who gave and sacrificed so much for her husband. After Medea’s husband betrays her by marrying another woman, Medea accumulate so much hatred against Jason and every one involved with him. Half-way into the reading Medea becomes a villainous murderer that demands respect and sympathy even after all she has done. By the end of the play, Medea has killed every one that has crossed her
Even in today’s society, gender roles play a part in how people view the world. Although more important than the gender roles are the emotions that antagonize the psyche of the human. Medea shows how jealousy can lead to revenge and influence bad decisions and ruin or even end lives. Ironically, the decisions she makes to kill her children, leaves Jason helpless much like a Greek wife during this time. She removes the opportunity for him to voice his opinions, needs, and desires. This flip of traditional gender roles shows how gender roles are not a reliable way to view a society.
In the play Hedda Gabler and A Doll's House, Ibsen tackles sociological issues that were troubling in the 19th century. The main problem both Hedda Gabler and A Doll's House refer to is the position of women in society. This issue is represented by the main characters of both plays: Nora Helmer and Hedda Gabler. At first glance, Nora Helmer and Hedda Gabler are complete opposites, but both women are actually quite similar in how they coped with their very limited life opportunities, and in the way they were victims of being women in the 19th century. In this essay, the first thing discussed will reflect how Nora and Hedda are different. The second topic discussed will present how these women both use their fantasies to entertain themselves. The final topic discussed will be the similar restrictions put on both women because of their gender.
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 is a tragedy written by acclaimed Greek playwright Euripides.fortunately, had the opportunity to view last night's performance. Euripides cleverly uncovers the reality of Ancient Greek society, shining a light on the treatment of women and the emotions and thoughts that provoked during their time in society. As they were voiceless, Euripides acted as a voice. The scene is set during a male- dominated society, Medea the protagonist challenges the views and chooses to ignore the normality of civilisation. Treated as an outsider her passion for revenge conquers the motherly instincts she possesses, provoking a deep hatred and sparking revenge towards her once loved family.
...ars. Jason begins to question why Medea has killed their children. In the stage directions it is noted, “Medea appears above the roof, sitting in a chariot drawn by dragons” (Euripides 1316- 1319). Only gods and prophets could command such creatures in Greek mythology. This action signifies the character Medea freeing herself from the guilt of killing her children and emotionally impairing her husband. Only through purity can one achieve such divinity. This makes Medea’s rebellion divine. Medea’s actions are a proof of mythology as symbolic of rebellion.
Euripides, one of Ancient Greece’s most famous playwrights, could be considered as one of the earliest supporters of women’s rights. With plays such as Alcestis and Medea, he clearly puts an emphasis on the condition of women, and even integrates them in the Chorus of the latter play, a feat that was not often done in Ancient Greece. Throughout the years, it has been argued that the two central characters in each of those plays offer conflicting representations of women in those times, and I can safely say that I agree with that argument. I will expand on my view by pointing out an important similarity between Alcestis and Medea, followed by a key difference, and will finish it off by contrasting them with the Ancient Greek depiction of an “ideal woman.”
Most people would define a great female protagonist as intelligent, strong minded and willing to fight for what she believes in. Both Bernarda Alba from Federico Garcia Lorca’s The House of Bernarda Alba and Medea by Euripides fit this description. One is a tyrannical mother who imposes her choices on her five daughters, the other is arguably the strongest non-Olympian woman in all of Greek mythology. If we take a closer look, we notice that these two characters have many things in common. From their positions of strength, to the masculine aspects of their personalities; from the way they deal with situations to the part they play in the deaths of their children. In this essay we will attempt to seek out their similarities, as well as discover how two playwrights, who wrote for distinct audiences millennia apart, could have created two women so alike.
In ancient Greece women were viewed as many things. They were not viewed as equivalent to males by any means. Women were portrayed usually as submissive domestic, and controlled. They played supporting or secondary roles in life to men, who tended to be demanding of their wives, but expected them to adhere to their wishes. In the tragedy Medea, written by Euripides, Medea plays the major role in this story, unlike most Greek stories with women playing only minor roles, but she also demonstrates many behavioral and psychological patterns unlike any other Greek women. In Euripides’ Medea the main character, Medea, Displays many traits that breakdown traditional Athenian misogyny by displaying her as proactive in taking her revenge, having cruel and savage passions, and being a very manipulative women.
The problem set at the beginning of the play is that Jason has decided to marry another wife, Glauce. Medea is angered and will not let Jason off without punishment. The loss of Jason is not only a matter of passion; Medea has been completely humiliated by Jason's decision to take a new bride. Her pride shows again when she refuses Jason's aid. Though her situation is difficult, she would rather destroy all than accept help from one who has wronged her so horribly. Living as a barbarian among Greeks has made her more defensive, more full of hurt pride. To punish Jason, Medea had her children deliver poisoned gifts to the new bride, to kill her children, Glauce, and Creon. . Medea is not without feeling, nor is she a sociopath. She comprehends the difference between right and wrong, but chooses to follow the dictates of rage.
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.
When Jason left Medea to marry Glauce, Medea was plagued with sadness and then with anger. The man she loved, the man that she gave up her life for, had betrayed her. In the patriarchal society that Medea lived in, it was not acceptable for a woman to protest any decision made by her husband. Medea went against all social standards and took revenge on Jason for the wrongs that he had committed. She was willing to take any chance and sacrifice even her most valued possessions. Medea knew that the best way to avenge the wrongs of Jason was to kill Glauce and the children. It was a huge sacrifice for Medea to kill the children that she loved, but she allowed herself to look past that love and only see her hate and contempt for Jason. Medea was willing to go against every rule that society set, so that her husband wouldn't get away with leaving her for political reasons.
Between Medea, a Greek tragedy by Euripedes (484- 407), and Hedda Gabler, a play written by Norwegian Henrick Ibsen (in 1890) there is small difference in language between both plays as even though they were written in different eras and both have been translated from their original languages to English, they show similar uses of language, like sarcasm, speeches, lies, figurative language and vocabulary that expresses the character’s personality and emotions, which shows what they are really feeling: anger, unhappiness, resentment, boredom, jealously, amongst others.
It has been suggested that Hedda Gabler is a drama about the individual psyche -- a mere character study. It has even been written that Hedda Gabler "presents no social theme" (Shipley 333). On the contrary, I have found social issues and themes abundant in this work.