...Euripides’ Medea A. The author, Euripides a. Considered the liveliest, funniest, and most provocative of the three great Athenian tragedians whose works survive. b. Controversial for his time because of the use of colloquial language and depictions of unheroic heroes, promiscuous women and cruel, violent gods. c. Specialized in unexpected plot twists and new approaches to his mythological material. d. Use traditional myths but shifted the attention away from the hero’s deeds towards their moral and psychological weaknesses. Seen as a cynical realist about human nature; h showed people are they are. B. The Work e. Concentration on the domestic troubles in Corinth rather than a heroic quest. Jason is presented in an unheroic light because he struggles to gather up any calculated and rhetorical arguments to justify his actions towards Medea. f. Medea is categorized as a woman in a man-dominated world, a foreigner and smart person surrounded by a bunch of fools. --- seen as a symbol of feminine revolt. g. Never portrays herself as the “victim”, even as she expresses her devastation from Jason’s actions h. Explores the examination of family life, cheating, failed sexual relationships, and how it feels to be a demoralized member of society. C. Prologue/ Parados (entrance song sung by the chorus after they enter, that accompanies the prologue) The play begins with the desire to undo the beginning. (Medea’s revenge...
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...MEDEA Part 1 Analysis The first purpose of this section is to offer background information for the action about to unfold. It's important to note that at the time the play was first produced, most people in the audience would have known the story of Medea and Jason when they came into the theatre. The myth was part of Greece's cultural and societal heritage. The interest in coming to the theatre, for the Greeks, was to see how the playwright illuminated larger questions of human existence by telling the story in his particular way. This particular playwright's viewpoint appears in the conversation between the Tutor and the Nurse, specifically the Tutor's reference to selfishness ("everyone loves himself more than his neighbor"). The two main characters in this play, Medea and Jason, are models of selfishness. Both of them are concerned with meeting their own needs, acting on their own desires and doing what they think is right without any consideration for anyone else. They both take their selfishness to extremes. Jason leaves his wife for a younger, prettier and richer woman just because he wants to, and the excuses he gives for doing so in Part 2 are just that - excuses. Medea sacrifices four innocent lives because she so desperately wants to cause Jason pain. The question of whether she's justified in that desire will be examined later. Note that this is a different question from whether she's justified in killing her children. The Chorus functions in a similar...
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...(jek266) Medea: Tragic or Evil? Greek mythology is depicted in a variety of forms, from writings to works to art such as paintings and sculptures. With these different venues of expression, myth is also expressed in various ways, raising the question: how does the depiction of myth differ in texts and images? Sometimes the depiction in images matches that of textual writings, whereas in other instances the pictorial representation presents the same myth in a different light. For the purposes of this essay, I analyze the depiction of the story of Medea killing her children and fleeing Corinth in text and in images. I base my analysis on Euripides’ play Medea, and on images depicted on a Roman sarcophagus from the mid-second century CE, a Greek krater from 400 BC, and an Greek amphora from 300 BC. I argue that Euripides portrays Medea as both a victim and a perpetrator, while the images depict Medea in either a completely sympathetic or a nefarious manner. Euripides’ play portrays Medea’s murder of her children and subsequent fleeing from Corinth in a more well-rounded manner than the one sided depictions that are represented in the images. In order to analyze the differences in how the story is told in the textual version and the images, we must first examine the myth of Medea. Medea, a sorceress, was the daughter of King Aeetes, the king of Colchis. She fell in love with Jason when he came to Colchis to retrieve the Golden Fleece, which was the property of Aeetes. Medea agreed...
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...The Acts of Medea: A Theme of Revenge Medea is devoted to her husband Jason and sacrificed her own life for his love. Jason has so much greed for royalty that he deserts Medea and their two children and marries the Princess Glauce. Medea’s love for Jason now turns into hatred as her thirst for revenge rules her over emotions. She despises Jason and plots to kill not only his new wife, but his own seeds – their children. The degree of sanity behind Medea’s emotions contributes to her act of revenge. Medea is considered what we call “a woman scorned.” She could not imagine a life without Jason and is devastated by his betrayal. Now she is determined to avenge her broken heart. This is evidenced in lines 798-801 when Medea tells the Women of Corinth, “I can do no other thing….. You have not suffered as I have…….Yes, for this is the best way to wound my husband.” (Lawall, p. 707). The Women of Corinth are trying to persuade Medea not to commit this murderous act but Medea is insisting that this must be done. They are not experiencing the pain and hurt that Medes is feeling so their opinion is of no interest to Medea. Medea wants Jason to feel the pain that she is feeling and this can only be done if he loses something he loves. Her humanity is recognized. She sees the need for revenge, to hurt the one that hurt her. She is in a state of rage and wants to slay the innocent in order to cause Jason the deepest pain. When Jason abandoned Medea, all she could focus on...
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...challenges these social structures by voicing them out loud. This idea of the exterior versus the interior is also found in Euripides’ Medea, which I related to Guillaume. When Jason betrayed Medea by marring Creon’s daughter, Medea finally perceived Jason’s true nature, which he had concealed to her, but were revealed by his pursue of power and his oath-breaking deeds. In lines 516-519 Medea asks the heavens the following: “O Zeus, why did you give to men clear signs of gold that...
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...In Medea, Euripides makes a point to show how atrocious marriage can be and in this play it is depicted as one of the biggest marriage betrayal. While Jason reveals another wife and leaves Meda abaft in rage, she plots an ostentatious revenge plan. In this is play we bring attention to how the Greeks illustrate marriage and how Jason legitimately was not devoted to Medea and their marriage. Euripides in this story, notably focuses on how ancient Greeks view marriage. Throughout this story there is a perceptible amount of places that show how the Greeks view this. They made it clear that during these times it was exclusively unlikely for a man and women to obtain a divorce.“Divorce is a disgrace(at least for women),to repudiate the man,...
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...Hashem Text and Ideas Euripides’ Medea Professor Renzi While it was conventional to have three actors in a play, Euripides’ Medea could actually be done with two speaking actors (the children do not count). For consistency the three players will simply be numbered one, two, and three. Medea would be played by all three different actors, the reason being that the most complex and speckled character is the title character of Medea. For the first scene when the Nurse and Tutor are on stage speaking, Actor 1 will play the Nurse while Actor 2 will play the Tutor and Actor 3 will be the one saying Medea’s lines from within. Actor 1 will continue to play the Nurse through the scene with the Chorus describing Medea's situation.For the scene where Medea and Creon speak about the banishment of Medea, Actor 3 will remain to play Medea while Actor 2 will play Creon. When Medea and Jason share their scene for the first time, Actor 2 will play Medea, since this is a slightly different Medea because this Medea has a sharp tongue and is quick to bitterly curse Jason. Jason can be played by Actor 1. For the scene with Aegeus and Medea, Actor 3 will return to play Medea since this Medea is the type that kneels (the same way she kneels in front of Creon) and asks for help. Actor 1 can play Aegeus. When Jason and Medea speak for the second time, Actor 3 will remain to play Medea, as this Medea also kneels and “apologizes” to Jason. Medea in this scene acts different towards Jason...
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...All in all, a person may have a time when their significant other is lousy. In Euripides’ story Medea her husband Jason is no different. Medea did everything she could to make sure that Jason was safe and got what he wanted in life. She betrayed her own family for Jason, killing her brother and taking the Golden Fleece. Now Jason has betrayed her by leaving her and their two sons for princess Glauce and king Creon of Corinth. As anyone would, be she is upset and decides to make a plan to hurt Jason as greatly as she can. Throughout her plan she has three conversations with Jason. Medea’s conversation with Jason portrays her as an extreme manipulator who is actually extremely heroic. At the beginning of the play all that is known about Medea is that she is hurt, not seeming harsh or manipulative at all, but her desires and abilities to manipulate soon become revealed. Before Medea’s first conversation with Jason she is screaming and yelling about how she wants to hurt Jason because of the pain he has caused her. King Creon comes to tell her she is banished from his city-state because of her accusations. She however, pleas with Creon asking for one more day which he grants, showing the first sign of her manipulation powers. After he leaves Jason, comes in telling Medea “You could have stayed in Corinth, still lived in this house, /If you had quietly accepted the decisions of those in power. Instead, you talked like a fool; and now you are banished” (30). She uses the visit from...
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...Medea Medea is a shocking tale about adultery and revenge that ends in four murders. The play was very likely anti-woman when it was originally written in ancient Greece, but can be seen as more pro-woman from a modern standpoint. Because plays in ancient Greece were written and performed solely for an audience of men, it is very possible that this play was a warning towards husbands about the consequences of not staying faithful to their wives. Today's view on feminism, however, sheds a different light on the rather gruesome events that take place in this work of literature. While Medea was a Greek horror story at the time it was written, major concepts of the play now appeal to modern feminist ideas. Medea addresses some important topics...
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...past their curfew, change their entire style, and skip classes to be with their loved ones. However, in Euripedes’ play, Medea, the main character, Medea, was not only a crazy, homicidal lady, but she was also persuasive, as she had caused the deaths of many innocent lives. Medea has a past of convincing naive people to kill their loved ones. Because Jason was going to marry another woman, Medea was going to be exiled from Corinth, which she did not like. Betrayed and angered by Jason’s actions, Medea reacted horribly and cruelly to the people around her. Wanting to seek revenge, Medea plotted the deaths of the King Creon’s daughter, whom Jason was going to marry, the King, and her children, thus leaving Jason to mourn over the death of his new bride and children. Although Jason was leaving Medea for another person, Medea did not have a right to seek revenge against Jason. Upset by Jason’s betrayal, Medea maliciously plotted the death of King Creon’s daughter as her last act before her banishment. Knowing it will be suspicious if she were the...
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...Mathew Roberts August 15, 2013 The Comparison of Qualities of the Protagonist in Odyssey by Homer and Medea by Euripedes The comparison of Medea by Euripedes and Odyssey by Homer show many similarities as well as differences. Let’s begin with the character of Medea. After reading Medea by Euripedes the character of Medea shows that she was a barbarian by nature, and she was considered a foreigner. Medea states that “I am the mother of your children, wither can I fly, since all Greece hates the barbarian ( www.theatre history.com). Medea tells this to Jason after the king tells her she must leave his kingdom. She was a beautiful intelligent woman, but she was a woman scorned. She displayed a woman who could not accept rejection, or by no means could she forgive. Medea was a mother, a lover a wife. She also was a loyal person. She displayed this by no matter what it took to help Jason, she took all necessary steps to fulfill her wishes so that she would be able to be with him. You ask yourself was Medea this way before Jason, yes I believe she was. This goes back to the fact that she really was a barbarian in a foreign land. In this story I came to the conclusion that Medea actions showed a woman who was truly mad. She was not aware of the cruel and barbaric actions she took out on people she knew and love. I felt this because she showed no compassion. She...
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...Upon Jason and Medea’s encounter, Medea attempts to manipulate Jason, though communicating her grievances in an impassioned manner. Medea implores, “All this I have done for you and yet you have betrayed me, you unfeeling monster…”Ah, my poor hand, that you many times would take in yours, my poor knees so earnestly clasped in entirety, and all, all for this, you man of stone! My hopes are dashed” (Euripides 488 - 499). Seeking to cause Jason’s self - condemnation, Medea intentionally exaggerates her significance, in an attempt to emphasize the gravity of the situation. Unable to recognize Jason’s humanity, Medea’s description of “unfeeling monster” reveals his dominance in the relationship, as Medea dramifies Jason’s presence, viewing herself as subordinate. Rather than create a formidable aura, Medea softens her emotional strength, in order to magnify her weakness. While Medea utilizes emotional appeal, she connects her mental and physical trauma through diction, such as “Ah my poor hand”, dramatizing her situation, into one of despair. In an endeavor to elicit Jason’s sympathy, Medea illustrates her relationship with Jason, as one of sacrifice, asserting his responsibility for her actions. “And for all this, you man of stone” divulges Medea’s disregard for Jason, as she deems him unworthy. Through “My hopes...
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...------------------------------------------------- Top of Form Click a flag for a translation: Bottom of Form This is the title of a poem by Apollonius of Rhodes who lived in the third-century AD. The poem deals with a Greek king, Athamas and his two wives. His first wife, Nephele was afraid of her two children (especially Phrixus, one of the two children) being killed by Ino, the soon-to-be second wife. Nephele, herself, was killed by the king, and Athamas subsequently married his second wife, Princess Ino. She came from a great family; Ino was the daughter of King Thebes. Ino had an urge to kill Phrixus, the boy, so that her children (presumably from an earlier marriage) would inherit the Athamas' kingdom. Princess Ino had thought up an elaborate plan to do away with Prince Phrixus. To accomplish this plan, Princess Ino had to gather all of the corn seed on Athamas' farm and then parch the seeds so that the crop would not grow, a task which she accomplished. When the king became aware of the crop not growing, he sent a messenger to an oracle to ask what he should do. Princess Ino intercepted the messenger and persuaded, most likely through bribery, to say to the king that the crop would not grow unless the king offered up Prince Phrixus as a sacrifice. The people of the region in Greece, who feared starvation, convinced King Athamas to permit the death of Phrixus. At the time of the death of Phrixus and his sister, who was included in this sacrifice, each...
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...Women and Femininity in Medea Women’s rights movements have made incredible progress in recent times. Although there are many countries around the world where women are facing political and social unjustness, the social class of women in ancient Greece of 5th century BCE was solely grounded by patriarchal ideologies. The Greek playwright Euripides creates a persistent character Medea, in his classic tragedy Medea. Today, scholars study this relentless protagonist who has become an eternal and timeless symbol of femininity and womenfolk revolt. Whilst many themes such as passion, vengeance, and exile are present within Euripides’ Medea, the theme of women and femininity is critically manifested throughout the interactions of its central character Medea. While this theme is prominently motivated by the values of patriarchal ideology, the cunning characterization of Medea quickly alters in the beginning of the tragedy. Medea’s first tirade acts as a catalyst in her vengeful epiphany towards Jason with the use of the former characters’ words and actions and ultimately Medea’s words and actions. Within the context of Medea’s first tirade, the theme of women and femininity is initially established through her address to the Greek Chorus. Moreover, Medea’s characterization begins to alter as her interactions progress. To begin the tirade, Medea merely addresses the Greek Chorus, “Ladies of Corinth, I’ve come out, you see. I’ve come out, in a way, to defend myself” (Euripides and...
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...The play Medea is first performed as an Ancient Greek Tragedy at the festival of Dionysus in 431 BC. During this time, the Patriarchal society dominated by men and where women are expected to act obedient and submissive at the time of Ancient Greek. Maintaining a balance of moderation is important, as the society believe in the Greek Gods philosophies whether it is behavioural or political. Euripides, the playwright of Medea presents a tale of a revengeful, semi-divine woman who seeks justice upon her ex-husband, Jason, as he betray his oath of promise that hurt her emotionally and her pride. Euripides challenge the male audience’s views on what is right or wrong when it considers committing a crime and the characters motivation to act brutally....
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