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Tragic qualities of Medea by Euripides
Tragic qualities of Medea by Euripides
Tragic qualities of Medea by Euripides
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Gender Differences in in Medea versus Wide Sargasso Sea
Stereotypical attributes traditionally associated with women, such as having a propensity to madness, or being irrational, frivolous, dependent, decorative, subordinate, scheming, manipulative, weak, jealous, gossiping, vulnerable and deceitful were common in the times relevant to both works, i.e. Ancient Greece and in the 19th and early 20th Century.
Masculine attributes in Euripides' time were more along the lines of being valiant, heroic, noble, dominant (over women,) politically powerful, assertive, and competitive. The 19th Century white British male was also expected to be domestically and politically dominant, stiff upper lipped, virile, authoritative, somewhat forbidding... patriarchal.
Though written millennia apart, both Euripides' "Medea," and Rhys's "Wide Sargasso Sea" portray the subjugation of women (by men,) in a patriarchal society, along with its inherent suspicion of women, their sexuality and power over men's perceived weaknesses. In both works, the leading man's financial status is enhanced by the relationship, his partner's wealth/dowry passing to him on betrothal, as was the status quo. "I assure you that it belongs to me now," Rochester underscores to Antoinette, referring to her wealth, ("Wide Sargasso Sea," Part 2 p103)
This affords him control of her, rendering her dependant upon him, a disempowerment for Antoinette, a figurative enslavement.
Both men are unfaithful to their partners, though not in a `moment of weakness,' but premeditated, instilling jealousy in their spouses. Neither of them meets the strengths of character expected in their day. Jason displays no physical strength, valour or bravery. Indeed, Medea accuses him ...
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...//www.gradesaver.com/ClassicNotes/Titles/medea/about.html
(Used to help understand the play, and gain an insight into character analysis.)
and subpage:
http://www.gradesaver.com/ClassicNotes/Titles/medea/themes.html
Patke, R. S. (2003, January 29). EN3262 POSTMODERNISM & POSTCOLONIALITY. Singapore: Rajeev S Patke. D.Phil., M.Phil.: Oxford; M.A., B.A.: Poona
Awards: Fulbright Junior Scholar, Yale (1985); Rhodes Scholar, Oxford (1976-78,79-80)
Retrieved October 9, 2004, from National University of Singapore Web site:
http://courses.nus.edu.sg/course/ellpatke/en3262/rhys.htm
(Used to get another perspective on the psychology of Rhys' characters in "Wide Sargasso Sea.")
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.
Medea was wronged by Jason, she was a loyal wife and mother who was betrayed by her husband and reacted in a way...
Over the course of time, the roles of men and women have changed dramatically. As women have increasingly gained more social recognition, they have also earned more significant roles in society. This change is clearly reflected in many works of literature, one of the most representative of which is Plautus's 191 B.C. drama Pseudolus, in which we meet the prostitute Phoenicium. Although the motivation behind nearly every action in the play, she is glimpsed only briefly, never speaks directly, and earns little respect from the male characters surrounding her, a situation that roughly parallels a woman's role in Roman society of that period. Women of the time, in other words, were to be seen and not heard. Their sole purpose was to please or to benefit men. As time passed, though, women earned more responsibility, allowing them to become stronger and hold more influence. The women who inspired Lope de Vega's early seventeenth-century drama Fuente Ovejuna, for instance, rose up against not only the male officials of their tiny village, but the cruel (male) dictator busy oppressing so much of Spain as a whole. The roles women play in literature have evolved correspondingly, and, by comparing The Epic of Gilgamesh, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, and The Wife of Bath's Prologue, we can see that fictional women have just as increasingly as their real-word counterparts used gender differences as weapons against men.
As a child, I was fascinated by Greek mythology and history, and I made it my business in elementary school to read as much as possible about the subject, including the outstanding stories and the pantheon of gods presented. I thought of them as fantastic, supernatural tales with fitful gods and brave heroes, and I never stopped to consider that the mythologies could be representative of the cultural views and habits of the Greeks, specifically regarding gender roles. One such representaton is Virgil's epic Aeneid, which contains depictions of women in positions of power, and also characterizes these women as irrational, emotional to the point of hysteria, and consequently, unfit rulers.
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.
One can hardly deny that in Euripides’ plays women are often portrayed as weak, uncertain, and torn between what they must do and what they can bring themselves to do. Other women appear to be the root of grave evils, or simply perpetrators of heinous crimes. In a day when analysis of characters and plot had yet to be invented, it is easy to see why he might have been thought to be very much against women. However, when looking back with current understanding of what Euripides was doing at the time, armed with knowledge of plot devices and Socratic philosophy, this argument simply does not hold up. In fact, a very strong argument can be made to the opposite, that Euripides was in fact very much in support of women’s rights, and thought they were treated unfairly.
In Medea, a play by Euripides, Jason possesses many traits that lead to his downfall. After Medea assists Jason in his quest to get the Golden Fleece, killing her brother and disgracing her father and her native land in the process, Jason finds a new bride despite swearing an oath of fidelity to Medea. Medea is devastated when she finds out that Jason left her for another woman after two children and now wants to banish her. Medea plots revenge on Jason after he gives her one day to leave. Medea later acts peculiarly as a subservient woman to Jason who is oblivious to the evil that will be unleashed and lets the children remain in Corinth. The children later deliver a poisoned gown to Jason’s new bride that also kills the King of Corinth. Medea then kills the children. Later, she refuses to let Jason bury the bodies or say goodbye to the dead children he now loves so dearly. Jason is cursed with many catastrophic flaws that lead to his downfall and that of others around him.
Griffiths, Gareth. "Being there, being There: Postmodernism and Post-Colonialism: Kosinski and Malouf." Ariel 20.4 (1989): 132-48.
In the plays Medea and Hippolytus, both by Euripides, the female psyche is a point of focus that is not explored in many other Greek tragedies. Through these plays, we can discover the way women were viewed in Ancient Greek society as well as their concerns. We can also pay attention to how women are portrayed differently between the two plays.In Medea and Hippolytus, the women we spend the most time with are Medea and Phaedra. These women have vastly different values, but the cunning and determination they use to get their ways are not as different as one may believe.
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.
46) When Jason abandoned Medea and ran off with another woman—a princess, no less—Medea was justifiably enraged. Because of her anger, she is banished from Corinth by the princess’s father. While her decision to make Jason suffer for his infidelity is harsh, it is understandable; many a scorned lover has exacted revenge even today, though perhaps a bit less severe. However, her anger goes much farther than just being cheated on: Medea had left her entire family behind, betraying friends and destroying relationships in order to follow Jason. (Luschnig, 2007, p. 1) Jason in return is not grateful, but instead “upgrades” to a better relationship once he believed he had expended Medea’s usefulness. He chose to “turn Medea into a useless dependent and reclaim their story as his story.” (Luschnig, 2007, p.
As the audience finished the play from the beginning to end, they could see the importance of the role of women. Unlike the protagonist, they were suppressed and didn’t have any authority. Medea’s characteristics were in opposition to the Corinthian women. Medea was the ultimate uncommon woman portrayed in the Greek theater. She was not an ordinary house wife because she killed her children and caused many other dreadful events. In the end, Euripide was showing a side of a woman that was different from the stereotypical role that women during the time was suppose to play.
Medea and Lysistrata are two Greek literatures that depict the power which women are driven to achieve in an aim to defy gender inequality. In The Medea, Medea is battling against her husband Jason whom she hates. On the other hand, in Aristophanes' Lysistrata, the protagonist Lysistrata plotted to convince and organize the female gender to protest against the stubbornness of men. In terms of defining the purpose of these two literatures, it is apparent that Euripedes and Aristophanes created characters that demonstrate resistance against the domination of men in the society.
The novel Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte and Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys were produced at different times in history. Indeed, they were created in different centuries and depicted extensively divergent political, social and cultural setting. Despite their differences, the two novels can be compared in the presentation of female otherness, childhood, and the elements that concern adulthood. Indeed, these aspects have been depicted as threatening the female other in the society. The female other has been perceived as an unfathomable force that is demonic in nature but respects these enigmatic threatening characters. The female other has been portrayed as intensely alienated while grows knowing that their actions are subject to ridicule, rumor,
... If one is to read this literature in a way which will shed some light on the postcolonial condition, one must understand and adopt the theory that we are all walking amalgamations of our own unique cultures and traditions. We are all always struggling with our own identities, personal and national. We must understand that there is no "one true voice" representing an easily identifiable postcolonial condition, but, instead, each author is his or her own voice and must be read as such.