Euripides 'Medea': Questions About Women And Femininity

Female characters in Greek tragedies often challenged the authority of the king and rebelled against society for honorable purposes, but not Medea. Unlike Antigone who disobeyed Creon to honor the gods by burying her brother, Medea’s intent was to eliminate all of her enemies through a clever and evil plan. “He could have thrown me out, destroyed my plans;/ instead he’s granted me a single day/ to turn three enemies to three dead bodies:” (380-383). The surprising part about Medea is her complete comprehension of her situation. She was fully aware of her “wisdom” and malice and still decides to continue with her scheme anyway.

Women were meant to be submissive and obedient to the dominant figures in society in their eyes, which is why when she acted submissive and feminine, he believed she finally understood his view and gained some sensibility. She told Jason, “Wretched woman (thus I scolded myself), why am I so mad as to hate those that mean me well, to treat as enemies the rulers of this land and my husband, who, in marrying a princess and getting brothers for my children, is only doing what is best for us all?” (Euripides 58). At that point, Medea was discussing in reference his justification for marrying the Princess of Corinth. He claimed that he was marrying her so that he and their children could gain citizenship since currently they were not citizens of Athens and thus, did not receive any benefits or protection.

The unfair treatment of women is discussed often in Euripides’ play, Medea. The play is set in ancient Greece, where society was completely ruled by men. During this time, women were seen and treated as second-class citizens whose sole purpose in life is to bear children. They had almost no rights, and were seen as inferior. The writer, Euripides, disputes the once widely-held belief that women are not equal to

She describes the world to be unjust, especially to women. Medea believes that women are looked as inferior to men, and even so, men are quick to display their unlikely maltreatment. To her, women have little to no say in their marriage, their bodies, and general society. Medea’s outlook of women is first conveyed through this quote, bringing upon the theme of the state of women within Greece. This quote reveals the state of women within Greece, a leading theme of the story.

I want Medea to be justified in her actions, but I want this to be something that could happen to anyone. I don’t want her actions to be considered ‘what women do.’ There is also this theme of feminism and standing up for women in general. She criticizes men while using her wit to maneuver the situation properly. Medea is a cunning woman confined to this world dominated by men.

Euripides created an unusual art work that left people mouth-opened. It was criticized and dissed during its time since the audience witnessed a very odd ending. The fact that Medea was really clever and powerful made it different as well. During those times, women had no role in the society. Women were just supposed to serve their husbands and take good care of the children. Euripides created a modern day woman who seeks justice and revenge with her cleverness and power. Medea acted as a feminine heroine who established that women can also be as strong as men.

In society, men and women are defined by gender roles throughout their activities and occupations. A doctor is typically portrayed as a man while most women are associated with the household and children. Although still in existence, today these roles are less defined but tend to have similar essence when compared to the past. In today’s society, females work, take part in the government and have a say in public and private decisions. Compared to ancient Greece, women suffered great tribulations and these current activities are unimaginable for a woman under the complete supervision of a male husband. In the play Medea by Euripides, the main characters Jason and Medea are atypical characters in many ways. Medea defies perceptions of the normal attitudes of men and women by overcoming her female emotions and performed acts that the Greeks considered unfeminine.

Lush explains “Although Euripides did not cast Medea as a male solider as its protagonist, the play depicts Medea as suffering from the background Trauma, betrayal, isolation and consequent symptoms attributed to combat veterans with lasting psychological injuries” (Lush, 2014, p. 25). Hence using Lush’s view on Medea’s character as a devoted warrior suffering from Traumatic hardships in her experiences with the man she gave everything to, we can understand why she wanted revenge. Medea believes Jason owes her more than just the normal husband-wife obligations a man swears to when marrying a woman; in her view, she helped him be the man that he is and supported him throughout his heroic journey. Without her, Jason would not have succeeded in retrieving the Golden Fleece. Without her, he would not have had his father resurrected.

Medea’s actions throughout the text show “that she has the reach and temper of a thwarted tyrant or of one like an Ajax or a Prometheus,” of a hero and of a man. Medea’s hero-like nature is also displayed through Medea’s heroic departure in the play in which she rides off to Athens in Helios’ chariot while Jason is left behind (now childless, widowed, and abandoned). It is especially important that Medea rides off to Athens as, if going to Greece is an improvement for Medea, then Athens would have been seen as quite the reward, especially by an Athenian audience. This confirms her placement among Heros, further supporting the notion she is acting as a man would. The actions of Medea are, while extreme, not surprising when considered in light of her

The Geek society had may guidelines concerning the way men and women were treated and the roles they played within society. “The concept of gender was an integral aspect of this social hierarchy; power was not evenly distributed and only men were allowed to participate in prestige activities such as politics, law, or the military” (“The Ure Museum”). The values of gender roles within the Greek society are expressed in the play Medea by Euripides. Though Euripides tried to show the disparities of how women are treated compared to men, he still uses some of the same stereotypes exhibited within Greek society. Some issues that will be discussed are the way the women are portrayed in Greek society. Explaining why the women are being treated unfairly and the outcomes that can happen to women in the Greek society. How men are portrayed in Greek society. Explaining why men have different expectations than women and the political aspects of the male gender role in Greek society. The effects of the non-traditional roles the men and women played in the Medea play. Also, discuss the

They believed that women could be easily distracted or swayed from their morals with gold and jewelry, like Atalanta or Procris. Or that no matter how independent a woman thinks she is, she will always loose against men, like the Amazons. In the case of Medea, as a foreign woman, she was evil. She was a sorceress who was perfectly fine with murdering men, including her own brother and children. No Greek person would have seen the awful situation Jason had placed her in, only her difference from the social norm.

In Antigone and Medea , the women are ruled by their emotions. Due to this, they make impromptu decisions which leave them in a vulnerable state. Medea feels betrayed by Jason, and her heartbroken hearts fills with rage for him. She becomes so irate she makes an deathly decision, “oh, what misery! Cursed sons, and a mother for cursing!

Medea and the women of Corinth both share, to a different extent, the experience of being unfairly categorized as the caretaker of the family, which aids Medea in persuasion because she can be trusted as a woman to speak on the patriarchal society. She continues as ‘’of all creatures that have life and reason we women are the sorriest lot’’ (229-230) of all the living things Medea describes women as the ‘’sorriest’’ which suggests that women are pitied and helps Medea to allure the Chorus to be on her side. Medea suggests to the Chorus that Females ‘’must at a great expenditure of money buy a husband and even take on a master over our body: this evil is more galling than the first. ’’(231-233) Medea is arguing that women must sacrifice a ‘’great’’ amount of money to ‘’buy’’ their partners. This conveys the patriarchal community in Corinth.

The people of Corinth did not trust her because she is a sorceress. Additionally, women had little to no rights in Greek society where the men had complete dominance. So although Medea did have the right to be a bit angry, she did not have to kill so many people that she loved in order to get her way with Jason. Medea also showed motherly characteristics towards her two sons before killing them. This can be seen when she says “Medea: So sweet […] the mere touch of you: the bloom of children's skin--so soft […] their breath--a perfect balm” (173).

Paul Vu Dr. Elizabeth C. Ramírez THTR 475A.03 2 May 2017 Macbeth and Medea: Breaking Expectations Macbeth by William Shakespeare and Medea by Euripides are known for their powerful critiques on the social expectations of women. Women during the time of Elizabethan and Greek theatre were often stereotyped and considered the weaker sex. Men were depicted as strong individuals who supported and protected women. However, both Shakespeare and Euripides broke expectations by portraying strong and iconic female characters in their respective plays. The idea of a strong female character was often unheard of during the time of Elizabethan and Greek Theatre.