Greek Society of Women

In “Stereotype and Reversal in Euripides’ Medea,” Shirley A. Barlow asserts that Medea is a foreign woman who does not want to accept to adapt to the labels that are placed on women of Greek society, unless it allows her to gain favor for her to accomplish her revenge on those who have ruined her life.

Barlow affirms that Medea has equal conditions as every women in Greek society, but she segregate herself from the labels that Greek society has for female behavior and everyday living. Medea talks with the chorus, the Corinth’s women, and gets support and compassion from these women because of the betrayal Jason placed upon Medea this how “she differs from them by implication the general run of Greek women in that she will not acquiesce in her circumstance and will not, therefore, stay in labelled pigeon-hole into which society has put her.” Women of Greek society are bound to their husband. They are to stay domestic and to be blissful with a stress free life; with no outside contact with anyone unless their husband gives them permission.

Barlow states that Medea is outrage with vicious passion about how the Greek society views her situation that she disperses and argues the illusion and concoctions on how Greek women should act. She plays the submissive woman to get what she wants out of the situation. Medea has full knowledge of the negligence that is around her and has acknowledged the fact that the situation is beyond her own doing. Medea is ready to go through desideratum to make Jason suffer her wrath for breaking their oath, even if it is inevitable, because she is aware of her pride and reputation. She is willing to go to the battle field to have what Greek men have such as: “Adventurous, dominant, aggressive, and to be ...

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...ek men. The only control she has is over her family and why the stereotype of a Greek woman does not hold true for Medea, because there “lies eternal human truth,” rather than “clichés” in what Medea had done for her dignity. Her dignity “not only destroys herself as well as her enemies.”

Barlow show Medea playing the submissive woman and the behavior that is what Greek society wants to see from Medea, but they don’t realize that she manipulated them to gain what she wanted to act upon her revenge. By “show[ing] her love as a mother fighting for mastery,” from her compassion for Jason that turns into hatred, with other character portrayed such as “bravery, treachery, loyalty, friendship, cleverness, callousness, reckless, calculation, [and] despair.” Even though fate took her away imagine the “emotional punishment she has inflicted on herself,” in the end.