Euripides We Should All Be Feminist

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Euripides’ play, Medea, is an ambiguous narrative relating to feminism. Depending on one’s viewpoint, the title character, with her twisted sense of morality, can either be one of the most unconventional delegates of women’s rights or an oblivious saboteur willing to undermine the cause. With all factors from the play taken into account, signs point toward the former. Medea was a pioneer of feminism, acting as the original driving force behind breaking the stereotypes assigned to women. It can be claimed that she is classifiable as a “self-serving feminist”, although she still succeeds in being a benefactress even if it wasn’t the goal she had in mind.
In her 2012 Tedx lecture titled We Should All Be Feminists, Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi …show more content…

Although she is dysfunctional and unorthodox, she’s still able to stand as a virtually perfect caricature of a feminist. Through her self-assured demeanor, she fails to give in to oppression in a male dominated society. Medea’s goal may have been somewhat egocentric, although her selfish actions helped to project that women can be just as strong-willed as men. This may not have helped any of her contemporaries, though it would help build a basis for future feminists. This basis started to begin assemblage when Jason, Medea’s unfaithful husband, revealed to her that he’s ending their marriage. Jason is in line to marry the princess of Corinth, Glauce, in order to elevate his position socially. Although on Jason’s account, he’s doing it for their children stating “I wanted above all to let us live in comfort, not be poor (62)”. This can be disproven by the fact that Jason felt competent to Medea leaving Corinth with their children after her exile demanded by King Creon. Jason stated “But you, Madam, obstinate in folly, have continuously reviled our royalty, and so you are banished. (59)”. Medea is left unaided through this all as she’s unable to leave Jason solely due to the …show more content…

In ancient Greece, women were unable to assert any power in marriage or divorce which is a large problem dealt with by Medea. The Nurse remarks in the beginning of the Greek Tragedy that “[Medea] was in everything Jason's perfect foil, being in marriage that saving thing: a wife who does not go against her man. (1)”. This quote reflects the ancient Greek ideology that a healthy marriage is one where men have all the control. As long as women followed orders, the marriage was seen as ideal. Aside from Medea’s serious problem with Jason, other women of Corinth were likely to have marital problems that they were unable to deal with since they were seen as inferior. Medea also faced the problem of being a foreigner in Corinth. Regarding this, the Nurse says “Yes, now [Medea] knows at a terrible first hand what it is to miss one's native land. (1)”. Although she has lived in Corinth for a fair amount of time, Medea is still seen as an outsider. With already being a woman, being an outsider due to her heritage is one of the last things Medea needs. She’s doomed to be met with much discrimination and prejudice which would greatly influence and affect her character. It’s plausible to assume that Medea wasn’t the only female foreigner in Corinth which gives some of her contemporaries yet another injustice to relate to. Medea and her peers may

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