Gender Roles In Medea And Clytemnestra

The Medea written by Euripides and Agamemnon written by Aeschylus are classical Greek plays written in 5th century B.C. These plays include a strong backdrop of a patriarchal society that existed in ancient Greece. In ancient times, there was gender inequality amongst males and females; males were the breadwinner of the family and held most of the power. These two plays challenge the societal norms of that time-period. On particular, Medea in Euripides and Clytemestra in Agamemnon both challenge the patriarchy society that exists by confronting authority, displaying power, and confronting male authority. To being with, both Medea and Clytemnestra are extremely confrontational. They do not back down from males who have higher authority than

In the play written by Euripides, Medea refuses Jason the right to bury his children. Jason pleads Medea, "give me the bodies to bury and to mourn"(111). Medea denies Jason, "no I will not I will bury themselves." The quote represents the difference in power between Jason and Medea. Jason and Medea completely switch gender roles, as at the beginning Jason is the one that hold the power in the relationship; however, by the end of the play Medea is the one in control. Medea rejecting Jason request to bury his own children is a symbol of Medea challenging patriarchy, as she is the one who has advantage and she is the one who power over Jason. Similarly, in Agamemnon, Clytemnestra also displaces power when she is talking to the Chorus, "If we end of suffering, we can be content broken as we are by the brute heel of angry destiny. Thus, a woman speaks among you. Shall men deign to understand?" (Source, 244). This passage shows the power that Clytemnestra possesses. She is displaying her power as she is directly confronting both Aegisthus and the Chorus to stop fighting. In this passage, she is portrayed as someone who is logical and in control, traits that are synonymous with males. She challenging the idea that women are not fit to be in power because they are too emotional and irrational. Ironically, she (a woman) is most reasonable one (and the most powerful) person

Men are perceived to be more aggressive, dominate and stronger than females in a patriarchal society. However, Medea contradicts this notation by playing a leading role in the story. When Jason betrays her, she does not accept a passive role in the story. Instead, she seeks revenge, "To pay [her] Husband back for what he has done to [her]" (Source-72.) She is not a passive or weak stereotypical female character. Instead, Medea is dominant, aggressive and seeks an active role. She is the one that helps Jason steal the Golden Fleece, without her Jason might not have succeeded. Thus, showing that Medea plays a more active and aggressive role than her counterpart Jason, who is a male. Correspondingly, Clytemnestra also plays a very dynamic role in the story. She kills Agamemnon as she was seeking retribution for their daughter, showing dominance and an active role a male character would display. Moreover, she is the one to carry out the coup that was plotted by her and Agiestus. After learning about the treachery that had taken place the Chorus confront Agiestus and ask "How shall you be the lord of men, you who planned the murder of this man, yet could not dare to act it out, and cut him down with your own hand" (source 243). This passage has important implications character development. It highlights the fact the Clytemestra posses more "masculine characteristics" than Agiestus. Moreover, this portrays