Medea Essay, Research Paper

Stephen Ekstrom

In ancient Greece adult females were viewed as many things. They were non viewed as equivalent to males by any agencies. Womans were portrayed normally as submissive domestic, and controlled. They played back uping or secondary functions in life to work forces, who tended to be demanding of their married womans, but expected them to adhere to their wants. In the calamity Medea, written by Euripides, Medea plays the major function in this narrative, unlike most Grecian narratives with adult females playing merely minor functions, but she besides demonstrates many behavioural and psychological forms unlike any other Grecian adult females. In Euripides Medea the chief character, Medea, Displays many traits that breakdown traditional positions by exposing her as proactive in taking her retaliation, holding cruel and barbarian passions, and being a really manipulative adult females.

Medea shows herself to be a proactive, determined adult female who is ready to make what she has been be aftering throughout the narrative. In the beggary of the book she starts to endanger retaliation on her hubby, Jason, If I can happen the agencies or invent to pay my hubby back for what he has done to me. Medea is merely touching on her choler that she has built up within her for her hubby. The traditional Athenian adult females would be mourning the loss of her hubby, and may experience angry with him but would ne’er curse to avenge him for his behaviors, and in conclusion really make them. Womans are normally portrayed in this state of affairs being so dependent on their hubbies that they will still make anything for him every bit so he will go on to assist back up the kids and perchance his ex-wife.

Medea when she decides it is clip for her to kill her kids struggles with the thought for a minute, do non be a coward, do non believe of them, and how you are their female parent Oh I am an unhappy adult females. . This is how a traditional Athenian adult female would believe, but she would be unable to perpetrate to her programs and kill her ain kids. Medea on the other manus lets her passion and hatred for Jason return over her sensible and consecutive believing ego, as she kills her ain kids while listening to them pray to God for aid.

Medea s cruel and barbarian passions take overtake her logical thinking as the narrative returns. Medea s positions differ of that of the traditional Athenian adult females in that, Medea believes that adult females, though most helpless in making good workss, are of every immorality the cleverest contrives. She is the antonym of how adult females are portrayed and this merely shows how Medea s ideas and actions break down Athenian traditions. After speaking to Aegeus, Medea contrives her program. For I will direct the kids with gifts in their custodies to transport to the bride and when she puts them on, she and all who touch her will decease organize the toxicant I will put on them. Not merely does Medea concoct a horrific program, but besides she decides to utilize her kids as couriers of decease. Then she will kill her ain kid to protect them organize being killed by a rabble and besides to set a concluding interest though Jason s bosom, as the childs are his lone true

love. Medea s program farther demonstrates how she breaks down all positions of a traditional Athenian adult female.

Medea besides demonstrates how she has cruel and barbarian passions, unlike Athenian adult females are traditionally portrayed. Not merely does Medea state how adult females are incapacitated but she how they are defenceless, but that is the mean adult female non Medea. Medea is the non defenceless, but instead one to be feared. Approaching the decision of this calamity Medea displays her inhuman treatment and savageness in full force as Jason says, You loved them, and killed them. Medea response, To do you experience pain. Medea s passion and choler have taken entire control in this confrontation with Jason. Not merely does she state she killed her kids to do Jason experience worse, but she shows no compunction for killing her lone two kids. Medea genuinely demonstrates how much she breaks down the Athenian traditions throughout this concluding scene as she becomes obsessed by her passions and takes action, without any marks of compunction.

Medea is a manipulative adult female who uses her intelligence and foresight to put her program up absolutely for the hereafter. When Medea is confronted by King Creon she acts as a traditional adult females would, by pleading for her kids s aid and holding to what the superior adult male has told her to make. But one time he leaves, she reveals that she was pull stringsing him by looking harmless so that she could hold an excess twenty-four hours in town to set her program to work. Following when Jason arrives for the 2nd clip she apologizes for her earlier actions and says that she was incorrectly. This clip she says to Jason how she want best for their kids as good, so she will direct them bearing her most cherished garments to give to the princess. As this is happening once more, Medea appears to be the traditional Athenian adult females, but underneath she is utilizing this as a fa fruit drink to her truly feelings, so as she can execute her wicked Acts of the Apostless of inhuman treatment to the princess, Jason, and in bend her kids.

Medea has learned to utilize the Athenian traditions and functions of adult females to her advantage ; by feigning she fits into it absolutely while in fact she could non oppose it much more. Euripides character of Medea, breaks down the regulations set for Athenian adult females with her ability to take action, her ill-willed passions, and her manipulative ways. Her good planned out scheme for retaliation would hold been impossible for any adult female, if adult female were how the Greeks portrayed them, in all sets of life. Medea rejects the idea of adult female being inferior in all parts of the organic structure and head. Her usage of how adult females were regarded and thought of by all Grecian work forces, enabled her to accomplish her program and finally kill the queen, her kids, a make her hubbies future and felicity more black than that of her ain. Medea was able to travel through with her retaliation because, as she became obsessed by her passions for retaliation and her cruel and vindictive mentality. Medea was a cagey adult female, and used others ignorance as a means to obtain her end, and in bend she has broken down how Athenian adult females were viewed by their opposite numbers, work forces.