In using evidence from the play Racine's Phaedra, clearly exhibits the stereotype woman as a destructive force in nature, known as a femme fatale. Phaedra is a good example of men toward woman in the Age of Reason and political Absoulutism, where men exhibit the logic, strength, and order while woman exhibit their weakness, emotions, and disorder. Therefore, without a doubt the fact that Phaedra tends to have an effect on everyone that is involved around with her charm.
Racine, is a well known classical tragedy writer of the French. He used biblical and classical models with literature to make much of his works. With Phaedra, being the head character of the play, one must understand with illustrating her passion over rational thinking especially when she chooses in restoring a sensation for love, uncovering a suffering overt, and refusing the lie her life had appeared. Although with passion being that strict emotion of forceful action, one must see that it is a profoundly inspiring play. However, Phaedra replenishes her volatile sensation for desire, in choosing to live. With an...
Captivatingly, both women act daringly, regardless of the culturally constructed labels as women, products of incest and wickedness. They use their “otherness” as a power mechanism, rather than an excuse to passivity. In conclusion, Elphaba and Antigone challenge conventional roles of gender, as they are strong, courageous figures of rebellion and exemplify a lack of traditional gender normativity.
To begin, Rostand proves the theme that loyalty forms a bond that proves more durable than love through Cyrano’s relationship with Roxane. At one point, Cyrano and Roxane reminisce about their childhood at Ragueneau’s bakery. Roxane remembers fondly, “Sometimes when you had a hurt hand you used to come running to me and I would be your mother”(Rostand 72; Act 2). Even before Cyrano became romantically interested in Roxane, the cousins had a strong friendship built on loyalty and willingness to care for another. Now that Cyrano is infatuated with Roxane, his desire to help her continues strong, regardless of the cost to himself. Putting his own interests aside, he helps the foolish Christian earn Roxane’s love. Even as Cyran...
Braga, Thomas J. “Double Vision in Racine’s Phedre.” The French Review 64:2 (Dec., 1990): 289-298. JSTOR. Web. 11 Mar. 2014.
Throughout history, women’s place and role in society has changed. Women are often seen as a lower status and have a need to be taken care of by men. There are conflicts with the idealization of women as they are often overlooked and viewed as secondary characters. This idealization is well established in the characters of Desdemona in Othello and Daisy in The Great Gatsby. In F.Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby and Shakespeare‘s play Othello, Desdemona and Daisy are both responsible for their tragedies due to the manipulation and impact of the outsiders, their loss of innocence, and their vulnerability as women.
Euripides shows his views on female power through Medea. As a writer of the marginalized in society, Medea is the prime example of minorities of the age. She is a single mother, with 2 illegitimate children, in a foreign place. Despite all these disadvantages, Medea is the cleverest character in the story. Medea is a warning to the consequences that follow when society underestimates the
...ined in the films Quo Vadis and Cleopatra and is compatible with their messages, while in the process is displayed as a negative thing. The incorporation of sexism and its unfavorable portrayal demonstrates the fault in such beliefs to audiences. However, in contrast, although Plutarch's Life of Antony also implies that women playing into sexist expectations is a bad thing, Plutarch appears to place the blame on women themselves and to encourages certain sexist elements to be maintained. If audiences are able to interpret how sexism plays into the great messages spread by such Ancient Roman films, perhaps audiences can learn to end the persistence of such gender inequalities in society. Perhaps if audiences learn from the directors' messages and recognize the faults in Plutarch's positive view of certain sexist elements, the fall of the misogynist empire can occur.
In conclusion, it becomes obvious by these three plays that for a woman to achieve kleos in ancient Greece, she usually had to become more man-like in her role. The murders committed by Electra and Medea, the bravery of Antigone—all three of these were fulfilled by what would have normally been considered a man’s role. A woman could rarely be considered a hero unless she became like a man in her actions. Otherwise, she would be only a simple woman.
Medea and Lysistrata are two Greek literatures that depict the power which women are driven to achieve in an aim to defy gender inequality. In The Medea, Medea is battling against her husband Jason whom she hates. On the other hand, in Aristophanes' Lysistrata, the protagonist Lysistrata plotted to convince and organize the female gender to protest against the stubbornness of men. In terms of defining the purpose of these two literatures, it is apparent that Euripedes and Aristophanes created characters that demonstrate resistance against the domination of men in the society.
Although ancient Greece was a male-dominate society, Sophocles' work Antigone, portrays women as being strong and capable of making wise decisions. In this famous tragedy, Sophocles uses the characters Ismene and Antigone to show the different characteristics and roles that woman are typical of interpreting. Traditionally women are characterized as weak and subordinate and Ismene is portrayed in this way. Through the character of Antigone, women finally get to present realistic viewpoints about their character.
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.
In neo-classical works of literature, the themes are often based on reason and passion. The two factors of influence collide in a struggle that an individual character or group of characters must overcome and decide which to follow, and this conflict usually leads to suffering, guilt, and shame. In Racine's classic, Phaedra, the title character is influenced by her overwhelming passion, which leads to her commit her crimes by the power of guilt and shame.
"Power and Women in Lysistrata: Character Analysis of Lysistrata." Article Myriad. Web. 25 Mar. 2011. .
If nothing else, this essay has proven the synthesis of Aristotelian and unconventional tragic elements, through the use of the tragic hero, the three unities and the support of a cathartic response from the audience. Also though, with disregard to many Aristotelian rules, to create perhaps not a dramatic success by Aristotle?s ideals, but undoubtedly an effective and challenging text which is Medea.
The play is so well written and the unknown author is given a unique name to its main lead Everyman to symbolize the simple human being. In this play the death is personified in a way which grabs the attention of the audiences and it attracts them to think it’s real instead of being fiction and the superb writing of the unknown author. The author talks about God’s (Jesus) death and g...
In comparing the two productions together, one must look at the evolution of the play from the sixteenth-century to modern-day. One aspect is the cultural views. As discussed before the sixteenth-century view of Jews greatly differ than that of modern-day. It is because of the influence of World War II that many perspectives have changed. Radford’s production resonates with the tone of sympathy were as Shakespeare’s echo with rightful justice. There is a grey area that Shakespeare leaves and Radford teeters between his modern interpretation and the classic take.