Between Medea, a Greek tragedy by Euripedes (484- 407), and Hedda Gabler, a play written by Norwegian Henrick Ibsen (in 1890) there is small difference in language between both plays as even though they were written in different eras and both have been translated from their original languages to English, they show similar uses of language, like sarcasm, speeches, lies, figurative language and vocabulary that expresses the character’s personality and emotions, which shows what they are really feeling: anger, unhappiness, resentment, boredom, jealously, amongst others.
The use of sarcasm is used by the characters in both plays to hide their direct thoughts and emotions. For example in Medea whenever she is talking to Jason she uses a sarcastic tone that lets us understand her anger and resentment against Jason, she says phrases like: “I willingly deceived my father; left my home; with you I came to Iolcus by Mount Pelion, showing much love and little wisdom” (p 31), and when she talks she talks bitterly to criticize Jason and to put him down, instead of insulting him directly, as she also does in some sections, she also uses sarcasm to communicate her emotions. When Jason accuses it being her fault she was left alone Hedda retaliates using rhetorical questions with a sarcastic tone: “My choice? What did I do? Did I make you my wife and then abandon you?” (p 35). In Hedda Gabler, Hedda is extremely sarcastic when she speaks to characters like Miss Tesman. In the first scene when Hedda first meets Miss Tesman, she purposely confuses Miss Tesman’s hat for the maid’s (Berte) to irritate Miss Tesman and get a reaction out of her, Hedda says after apologizing: “Yes, it’s very nice. Charming.” (p 275). Her tone is fake and sarcasti...
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...se of Medea) or indirectly (Hedda Gabler) to understand their emotions. Medea uses a lot of bitter and spiteful language, negative vocabulary and dramatic figurative language. Medea prefers to use an eloquent high-class vocabulary to manipulate, lie and play games using other characters to get reactions or persuade them to drink, to tell her secreats, to love her…, do what she wants them to do The language in each play is very effective to show their emotions, their rage and even when they’re being sarcastic or lying, there’s evidence of the emotions their hiding and what they want to achieve: revenge, power, drama, justice. Hedda and Medea are portrayed as complicated characters with many emotions, this deepens them and the audience is able to know what they are feeling and what they are capable of doing because of their emotions through the language they use.
Throughout the entire play the majority of the events is based upon dramatic irony. This form of irony is developed from Tituba. The reader knows that Tituba is not a real witch, but a different cultured woman. The readers also know that Abigail is using Tituba as an escape to prevent herself from getting in trouble, and then on. As the irony continues this allows the reader to develop feelings and opinions towards the characters. No matter if one may have
Medea's first public statement, a sort of "protest speech," is one of the best parts of the play and demonstrates a complex, at times even contradictory, representation of gender. Medea's calm and reasoning tone, especially after her following out bursts of despair and hatred, provides the first display of her ability to gather herself together in the middle of crisis and pursue her hidden agenda with a great determination. This split in her personality is to a certain degree gender bias. The lack of emotional restraint is "typical" of women, and the strong attention to moral action is a common trait of heroes. Medea actually uses both of these traits so that her wild emotions fuel her ideals, thus producing a character that fails to fit into a clear mold.
Medea is often very demanding in getting what it is that she wants; Antigone, will do what she need to do in order to get what she wants. With Antigone she is defies the law of a king to uphold the law of her spiritual belief. In the middle of the night she lives the house and sneaks into a field to bury her dead brother. Medea killed many people, including her own sons and a princess, in order to only spite her unlawful and cheating husband. The two women are like alligators, waiting motionless for the right time to strike. In the case of Medea, swift, violent strikes. And with Antigone, a cool collected precise one. These women are always determined to get what they want.
Medea is a tragedy written by acclaimed Greek playwright Euripides.fortunately, had the opportunity to view last night's performance. Euripides cleverly uncovers the reality of Ancient Greek society, shining a light on the treatment of women and the emotions and thoughts that provoked during their time in society. As they were voiceless, Euripides acted as a voice. The scene is set during a male- dominated society, Medea the protagonist challenges the views and chooses to ignore the normality of civilisation. Treated as an outsider her passion for revenge conquers the motherly instincts she possesses, provoking a deep hatred and sparking revenge towards her once loved family.
We can see this in the play, as we read we learn more about the character of Hedda Gabler. She is the daughter of a General who expected a life if glamour and wealth and rebels against the boredom of a dull, narrow existence by vindictively scheming against everyone around her. Hedda also strives to ruin Eilert Lovborg, the intellectual she once rejected as a suitor. She is meddling in Eilert’s life for her own amusement and control.
When her past wit LØvborg is brought up the reader sees a different side of Hedda. We can see that with LØvborg she feels comfortable and therefor confident. This can be seen by her willingness to discuss her thought of herself being a coward seen when LØvborg says, “Yes, Hedda, you are a coward at heart. And Hedda replies, ”A terrible coward.” This shows that she think of herself as a coward. She thinks she has no power over anyone and is poor because of her choice to comply with society. She is able to show LØvborg this side of her because he knew her before the change in her life. She knows that he still thinks of her for who she was before Tesman and this is why the audience is shown Hedda’s coward side with LØvborg.
The tragic play Medea is a struggle between reason and violence. Medea is deliberately portrayed as not a ‘normal woman’, but excessive in her passions. Medea is a torment to herself and to others; that is why Euripides shows her blazing her way through life leaving wreckage behind her. Euripides has presented Medea as a figure previously thought of exclusively as a male- hero. Her balance of character is a combination of the outstanding qualities of Achilles and Odysseus.
Ibsen's Hedda Gabler." Modern Drama 51.1 (2008): 73-83. MLA International Bibliography. Web. 25 Nov. 2013.
Two tragedies from two different time period, Medea and Othello show similarities and differences in their characters, story plots and settings. Euripedes’ Medea written in the classical period and Shakespeare’s Othello written in the romantic era, the two tragedies shows different feel of what tragedies are.
Medea’s illegitimate marriage and the betrayal of Jason drive Medea to extreme revenge. Medea chooses to act with her immortal self and commit inhumane acts of murder rather than rationalize the outcomes of her actions. Medea see’s this option as her only resort as she has been banished and has nowhere to go, “stripped of her place”. To create sympathy for Medea, Euripides plays down Medea’s supernatural powers until the end of the play. Throughout the play Medea represents all characteristics found in individual women put together, including; love, passion, betrayal and revenge. Medea’s portrayal of human flaws creates empathetic emotions from the audience. The audience commiserates with Medea’s human flaws as they recognize them in themselves. Medea plays the major role in this play as she demonstrates many behavioral and psychological patterns unlike any of the other Greek women in the play; this draws the audience’s attention to Medea for sympathy and respect.
Throughout the whole story, you are torn with emotions between the characters. At first, you feel sorry for Medea. Her husband, who she has saved from death, has left her for another woman. She has been "all/obediant" their entire marriage, transforming herself into the sort of wife required by society. You can't help but sympathize with her.
... takes matters into her own hands and doesn’t wait for a man to handle things for her. Also, her internal conflict that is visible throughout the entire play signify that she actually thinks for herself, and is strong enough to need to make serious decisions on her own, regardless of her gender. All of this goes back on the traditional Greek society, and helps make Medea into a play that is ahead of its time. With Euripides challenging the notion of misogyny, he creates Medea to show how powerful and dangerous a woman can be in a story, even though it was never heard of in the modern eras.
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.
The character of Hedda Gabler centers around society and social issues. Her high social rank is indicated from the beginning, as Miss Tesman says of Hedda, "General Gabler's daughter. What a life she had in the general's day!" (Ibsen 672). Upon Hedda's first appearance, she makes many snobbish remarks. First, she turns up her nose at George's special handmade slippers. Later she insults Aunt Julie's new hat, pretending to mistake it for the maid's. Hedda seems to abhor everything about George Tesman and his bourgeoisie existence. She demands much more class than he has been able to provide her, for she was the beautiful, charming daughter of General Gabler and deserved nothing but the finest.
William Shakespeare’s dramatic and poetic techniques and his use of hyperbole are used to describe the characters emotions and weaknesses. The use of dramatic irony is used to create personal conflict. This is done throughout the play to describe the characters concerns and their situations.