Euripides Medea Flashcards
theme-gender
view one- challenges the greek views of women
barlow 1989
play is ‘‘subversive’’ of gender steryotypes
and encourage sympathy for medea.
key themes of the medea
- women
- barbarian
- passion/moderation
view one- challanges greek views of women
medea as a character
- medea is very disadvantaged- a woman & barbarian,allows her a insight into the wrongs of the greek world. (recognise what shes experiancing)
- medea directley challanges the patriarchy so she argues that we women have the ‘‘worst lot’’
- euripidies could make this the anger of a barbarian woman, yet- E makes it convincing to a greek woman
view one- challanges greek views of women
medea challenging the patriarchy in the text
'’we women have the worst lot’’
‘‘have to buy husband..what we buy is someone to hord it over our bodies’’
‘‘divorce is not respectable for us women’’
‘‘we women must have eyes for only one man’’ - for men its acceptable
‘‘i would rater fight war three times than go through childbirth once’’
view one- challanges greek views of women
chorus and their responce
- of greek women- sympathise with medeas views
- role of the chorus- tell the audiance what they should be thinking and whats happening on stage. a way for E to convay his message to the audiance
view one- challanges greek views of women
chorus in the text, after medeas speech
agreeing with medea
'’i will you are right to take revenge on your husband’’ -greek women agreeing with a barbarian women
view one- challanges greek views of women
chorus in the text (first choral ode)
255
'’its men who are traitors now’’
‘‘we women should have honor’’
supporting medeas femenist statements
‘‘nature is being reversed’’
view one- challanges greek views of women
jason as a character
- untrustworthy/manipulative character
- makes unconvincing arguments
- misogynistic character potrayed in a negative way (men in audiance changing views, thus femenist message?)
view one- challanges greek views of women
jason being misogonistic in the text
- argued that medea gained more than she gave- she betrayed her own family and stole for jason
- suggesting that she dosent have to act barbarian anymore
- '’acted out of love for you and my kids’’ after CHEATING ON HER
- ’’ the family will gain respect, fame and not live poorly’’ - hollow argument
- ’’ if women didnt exist, human life would get rid of all this miseries’’
view two-conferm, E does intend the subversion, does to show femenist no
view two-conferm, what is it
E does intend the subversion argument, only does that to explore why the ‘‘femenist’’ view is wrong
view two-conferm, E does intend the subversion, does to show femenist no
medea as a character
- characterisation is typical greek steryotypes of a women
- emotion drives the plot- depression/revenge
- uses ‘‘womanly stratagies’’ of manipulation and direct thr appeal to characters
view two-conferm, E does intend the subversion, does to show femenist no
medea showing her emotions in the passage
'’oh misery, how wretched i am. i want to die’’ medea first lines
‘‘cursed boys i wish you dead, your father too. curse this whole house’’
view two-conferm, E does intend the subversion, does to show femenist no
how does medea appeal to the chorus
'’i understand your problems’’ appeals with the femenist argument. and gains their support and to gain their trust
view two-conferm, E does intend the subversion, does to show femenist no
how does medea appeal to creon the king
page 23 line 330
’’ you are a father and should be sympathetic, i dont care for my exile’’ appealing to creon for one more day
to achieve revenge, manipulating him
view two-conferm, E does intend the subversion, does to show femenist no
how does medea appeal to aegeus
page 51
- medea wants sanctuary in athens
‘’ give me shelter in athens’’
‘‘may the gods forfeill your wish for children’’ clocked on to the fact he wants children
‘’ i will put a end to your lack of children… i have potions for that’’ appealing to his problem by saying she has the solution.
view two-conferm, E does intend the subversion, does to show femenist no
medea appealing to jason
- medea convincing jason to take the children and the gifts, the way of transporting the poison to kill them
- by pretending that shes in the wrong, plying up to the trope that women should be submissive
- repeating his mysogenist views, ‘’ the female sex should not exist we would be free of all our troubles and medea says in contrast ‘’ we are who we are’’
- the only time in the play medea acts in a deceatful way