The purpose of the paper is to compare and contrast the characters of Penelope in the epic, The Odyssey, Lysistrata in the comedy, Lysistrata, and Medea in the tragedy, Medea. The writer will first give a brief synopsis of each character, followed by a comparison and climaxing with the contrast. Penelope, a loyal, faithful and patient wife is faced with suitors pressuring her daily to remarry. She uses her wit and cleverness to hold them off. She assures the suitors that she will remarry as soon as she finishes the burial shroud for her husband, which she has no intention of finishing until her husband returns. Upon realizing that her husband had returned she makes an announcement to marry the winner of the archery contest. Lysistrata is portrayed as a typical commander of war that gives orders and does not take part in the war. While being the mastermind behind the sex strike, she is able to separate her self from the other women in her ability to resist her attraction for men. The women are used as pawns by this cunning and powerful, Lysistrata, who is victorious in establishing peace in Greece. Courageous, powerful, and reckless, Medea left her home without her father's blessing to accompany Jason to the land of Corinth, after using her magic powers to slay the dragon that guarded the golden fleece. She also killed her own brother to slow Jason's chasers. For a while, Medea and Jason lived in harmony in Corinth where they had two children. Later, Jason left Medea for Kreon's daughter. She became grief-stricken at her loss and filled with rage at Jason's betrayal. This, is explained by her nurse during the prologue in World Literature Volume A (pg697), "she'll not stop raging until she has struck at someone", Each o... ... middle of paper ... ... discuss war with her (728). The discussion of war is not something that females in Greece are accustomed to, that lies in the domain of the male. Medea unlike the other two females was a murderer. She murdered her own brother, Jason's wife, Kreon, and her own children. She was also a sorcerer who used her power mostly for evil. Penelope and Lysistrata possessed powers too but they never used their power to harm anyone. They used their power to achieve good. Penelope used her power to guarantee her husband's victory over the suitors while Lysistrata used hers to achieve peace in Greece. Although these three women may have similar characteristics their differences make them unique individuals. Reference Lawall, Sarah,et al. The Norton Anthology of World Literature. 2nd ed. Volume A (slipcased). Norton, 2001. W.W. Norton and Company Inc. New York, NY.
Through the readings of the Odyssey and “Medea,” I have recognized parallel patterns in both the marriages between Penelope and Odysseus and Medea and Jason. Odysseus left Penelope with a newborn child while he went off to war. During this time, many eligible suitors, ready to prove their standing and take Odysseus’ place as husband, congregated in the palace constantly. Medea was abandoned and left for another women of higher standing. The way Medea and Penelope carry out deception and trickery differ. Medea and Penelope, both wives whose husbands left them, turned into women consumed with deception, trickery, and cleverness, while differing in their way of implementing their desires, one through murder and the other through mind games.
The title character first shows her dominance and desire to escape the gender roles society placed on her by developing her plan to abstain from sex to boycott the war. She expresses no fear and is willing to do whatever was necessary to get the males home, undoubtedly breaking away from the typical female mold. However, she notes that when the other women eventually show up to their meeting, they are very apprehensive and she states, “you bite your lips, and shake your heads, eh? Why these pale, sad looks? Why these tears?” (Aristophanes 7). They do not feel it was appropriate for them to be taking such a drastic action against their husbands, who most likely only married them to give birth to the children and carry on the family name. In fact, Lysistrata even goes as far as to say, “I blush for our sex. Men will have it we are tricky and sly” (Aristophanes 1). This shows that she feels the women act even more subservient than the men expect them to be and she wishes to not be defined by her gender. Generally, women do not get involved in the wars whatsoever, so she is showing her masculinity by attempting to make both sides
Penelope: In the opening chapters of The Odyssey Penelope is angry, frustrated, and helpless. She misses her husband, Odysseus. She worries about the safety of her son, Telemakhos. Her house is overrun with arrogant men who are making love to her servants and eating her out of house and home, all the while saying that they are courting her. She doesn't want to marry any of them, and their rude behavior can hardly be called proper courtship. She has wealth and position; she has beauty and intelligence; most of all she has loyalty to her husband. But against this corrupt horde who gather in her courtyard shooting dice, throwing the discus, killing her husband's cattle for their feasts, and drinking his wine, she is powerless.
Penelope, the wife of Odysseus, can be compared in a various ways to the other characters in Homer’s poem The Odyssey. In many ways, Penelope symbolizes the ideal woman, in that she follows to the values and ideals of her society. These ideals include faithfulness, devotion, and determination; pride your home and family, and warmth to strangers. Their dedication to each other, their power to stay together through times of happiness and times of sad, and their will to survive the test of time.
Medea, a barbarian woman who once complied with Jason to acquire the Golden Fleece betrays her country by killing her brother and father to run in exile to Corinth. Jason takes Medea, who is not from a Greek background to Greece, a male-dominated society, where he then betrays her for a royal bed. This causes Medea to seek revenge and kill individuals around Jason including her own children. Medea is considered a tragic drama where the protagonist, Medea, atrociously murders innocent individuals in order to get revenge on Jason who betrayed her by marrying a princess. Although Jason’s betrayal causes Medea sorrow, there is overwhelming evidence throughout the play of characters who heard Medea’s evil plans of revenge towards innocent victims, therefore, her immoral actions shall be given a trial in Corinth where
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.
“Let’s quickly swear an oath, my friend, and set our concord up unbendable as bronze,” Lysistrata declared, when the other women of Athens and Sparta decided to ban together to with her (Puchner, Akbari, Denecke, and Fuchs 790). The Peloponnesian War had raged on for years and the women of Athens and Sparta were ready for their husbands to come home (Puchner, Akbari, Denecke, and Fuchs 788). Lysistrata assembled all the women to devise a duplicitous disposition to end the war. The women of Athens and Sparta barricaded their selves in a temple and refused to give in to their husbands’ sexual desires (Puchner, Akbari, Denecke, and Fuchs 788). Lysistrata and the women of Athens and Sparta used their sex appeal for to benefit both Athens and Sparta
Medea’s madness spirals out of Jason’s actions to marry the young daughter of Kreon, who is the princess of Corinth. This leaves Medea in despair and those around her fear for her children. The nurse exclaims:
Because of Medea’s strange way of thinking, the reader is able to identify with her. Although she wishes to harm Jason, Medea does not care who else gets hurt along the way. “Ah, lost in my sufferings, I wish, I wish I might die,” (pg. 692, line 97-8). She is able to convince the reader with her first line that her suffering has been so awful, that there is no longer any point in living. Before truly understanding what is going on in the game, Medea is able to get many people on her side.
She was the daughter of King Aeetes and the former wife of Jason, until he decided to abandon his family and duties as the head of the household by marrying Glauce, the Princess of Corinth. In the beginning, when Medea and Jason ran away to Corinth, she tried to play the part of the good wife and conform to the ancient Greek societal values regarding gender roles. As a woman, her purpose in society was to get married, have children, and raise them. Medea tried to comply and obey those norms that had been long engrained in society. However, due to Jason’s betrayal and the renouncement of her and their children, the catalyst for full-fledged murder arose and unraveled the stagnant and deeply inbred issue of gender inequality, especially in terms of marriage. Medea even said, “For separations bring disgrace on the woman and it is not possible to renounce one 's husband” (42). While getting divorced was an easy procedure for men, it was extremely difficult for women to accomplish separation successfully from their husband. Men were not only able to freely and easily divorce their wife without any issues, but also did not experience any reparations for their actions. Whereas,
... know, and does not cause commotion outside of her home. On the other hand, it is quite clear that Medea is far from the depiction of the “ideal” woman because of her vengeful spirit, her uproar causing ways, and the fact that she actually ended up hurting her children, regardless of the amount of pain or sorrow she went through beforehand, not to mention that she also killed her brother, according to many of the stories about her.
"Power and Women in Lysistrata: Character Analysis of Lysistrata." Article Myriad. Web. 25 Mar. 2011. .
The character of Penelope in Homer's Odyssey reflects the faithful wife who waits twenty years for the arrival of her husband. Only a strong woman could sustain the stress, anxiety and confusion resulting from the chaos of a palace with a missing king whose fate is unknown. Her responsibilities and commitments toward the man she loves are particularly difficult to keep, under the strain of the situation. Although she does not actively pursue an effort to find him, her participation in the success of Odysseus' homecoming can be seen in her efforts to defend and protect the heritage, reputation and the House of Odysseus in his absence. As Odysseus withstands his trial, Penelope withstands her trials against temptations to give in to the many anxious suitors, to give up on her faith and respect for her religion, her husband and even her self. Penelope's strength in keeping the highest standards in her function as a wife, woman and mother contributes to the success of Odysseus' homecoming by keeping the home and family for him to come back to.
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 it was she who was in a disadvantaged position.
The Evil Character Medea in Euripides' Medea. Euripides created a two-headed character in this classic 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.