Euripides Medea As A Play By A Feminist Tragedian

Claimed to be a play by a feminist tragedian, Euripides’ Medea is ultimately strife with themes of otherness and penultimately, stereotypical ancient Greek gender notions. Medea, who is from Colchis, an island considered to be barbarous by the Greeks, falls in love with the Greek hero, Jason of the Argonauts. Together they adventured, creating enemies. After settling in Corinth with their sons, Jason accepts a proposal from Creon, the king of Corinth, to marry his daughter, Glauce, â€Å"as marriage is imposed on women by masters† (Pucci, 66) Now, Medea is the other woman. Being the other woman who must be exiled shows the little value of women. Even though both Medea and her children were being sent away, only Jason’s children are allowed to one day return. It is because â€Å"family is the first means through which the master generates an extension of himself in the future, a sort of immortality for his genos† (Pucci, 103). By family, it is meant specifically sons. Because of this, murdering the children is the best way to hurt her husband. Also, Medea claims that she â€Å"was born unlucky and a woman† (Euripides, 61). By being a woman, she is considered property and therefore, the law is okay with Jason’s new marriage and her exile. With the threat of her impending exile, Medea formulates a vengeful plan against her masters. After Jason violates their marriage vows, Medea searches for the justice of love. This type of justice â€Å"was probably upheld both by religious feelings and byShow MoreRelatedThe Era of Greek Tragedy Essay2487 Words   |  10 Pagesthe god whose cult dominated the Greek Tragic Era (Sifakis, â€Å"Greek Tragedy†). Dionysus was not only the god of wine but of theatre, so indeed the Greeks sought to give him special honor. The honor didn’t last long through the era, however, and the plays quickly lost their Dionysiac qualities shortly after the movement’s birth (Sifakis, â€Å"Greek Tragedy†). Thespis was the first poet credited with writing a Greek tragedy, but the first performances of tragedies in the City Dionysia weren’t recorded untilRead MoreThe Best And Safest Thing1807 Words   |  8 PagesNgo English 102 Ron Peltier 3 December 2014 Medea’s Boundless Roles â€Å"The best and safest thing is to keep a balance in your life, acknowledge the great powers around us and in us. If you can do that, and live that way, you are really a wise man† - Euripides. In ancient Greece, the position of women and men were held in a patriarchal ideology limited by double standards. By definition, double standards mean: men are allowed to have profound behaviors and actions, while women who did the same actionsRead MoreGreek Tragedy And The Morality Of Greek Culture Essay2193 Words   |  9 Pageswas considered the climax of the days long cultural festival of The City Dionysia. At the festival, various types of plays were shown but one of the most popular was tragedy. These tragedies show the main character, usually a god or person of myth, going through human suffering and the terrible sequence of events that followed; and were produced in 472- 401 BCE. In order for a play to be performed at The City Dionysia festival; tragic playwrights would first have to appeal to the state official thatRead MoreQuestions On Ancient Greek Theatre1413 Words   |  6 Pages Aeschylus Rees, Sophocles, Euripides, this three tragedian, their highest achievements of each period not only represents a process of the ancient Greek tragedy art a rise to prosperity and decadence, but also reflects the development of slave egalitarian social life at different stages. At that time, tragedy and comedy are two different styles of play, and no one can combine both features at same time in the ancient Greek theatre. Medea is part of the three ancient Greek tragedy