Medea Social Flaws

1234 Words3 Pages

The people of today greatly envy the ancient times. They study, idolize, and imitate its culinary, fashion, and social aspects due to believing these had been exemplary. As with any given time period, however, inherent flaws indeed existed, particularly concerning the society of Ancient Greece. Euripides, the renowned Ancient Greek playwright who lived in this period himself, recognized the existence of various social flaws and in suit wrote the allegorical play Medea in 431 B.C.E., a popular work studied by many in its current translation today. In the play, Euripides employs the protagonist, Medea, to provide transparency into the social flaws of Ancient Greek society and culture. He executes this by placing Medea into situations of discord …show more content…

Power necessitates responsibility; yet with the greatest power bestowed upon them, Ancient Greek rulers would not show the slightest hint of meeting this expectation. Euripides showcases this social flaw through conflicts between Medea and Corinthian ruler King Creon. King Creon orders Medea “out of Corinth [and] into exile” (Medea 316) on the basis that she is “a clever woman / […] experienced in evil ways / […] grieving the loss of [her] husband’s bed” (330-333), and he is simply “taking […] precautions” (337). This occurs out of the public eye, conceding Creon to make such ignorant remarks to she who is innocent. He abuses his power in such a way that he does not fulfill his responsibilities to protect and benefit his own people; on the contrary, he hurts them in order to secure personal comfort. Moreover, he continues to say “it’s better that [she hates him], than for [him] / to grow soft now” (338-339). Despite being the ruler of such bountiful land as Corinth, King Creon feels that it is necessary to maintain a prideful demeanour even towards his own people. The play’s Nurse observes that “the pride of rulers is something to fear / they often order […] but seldom listen” (144-145).

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