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
view two-conferm, E does intend the subversion, does to show femenist no
medea is conferming steryotypes
medeas choice of weapon
could be concidered a womanly way to kill someone (choise of poison)
dosent have to physically do it herself to achieve her goals. cowardly
view two-conferm, E does intend the subversion, does to show femenist no
problems with medeas character
dosent accept that she is a women (as the greeks would see it) does not conform as to wht is expected of women. i.e- submission
instead she has a masc desire to right wrongs and to be respected
leading her to do what no natural women should ever do (kill her children)
view two-conferm, E does intend the subversion, does to show femenist no
chorus, swing their allegances
- they become anti medea, when she says shes going to kill her sons
- chorus say ‘‘dont do this’’ as a consequence of medeas plan
- now whenever the chorus speaks its to stop mdeas doing what shes planning or saying how horrible she is
view two-conferm, E does intend the subversion, does to show femenist no
scholar- palmer
on jason
- pity and fear for jason not medea which euripidies audiance felt
- the views that modern reader would think is mysogenistic and horrible, would appeal to greeks.
- medea is killing his kids, hes the one thats suffering
view two-conferm, E does intend the subversion, does to show femenist no
jason- tragic flaw
- harmatia, tragic flaw, hubaris (oath breaking) medea ‘‘he swore a oath’’
- scenes of suffering, jason suffering the loss of his kids
view two-conferm, E does intend the subversion, does to show femenist no
historical context
- peraclian citizenship law, have to have an athenian female and male for child to be athenian citizen.
- makes jasons actions more relatable, by having children with an athenian citizen, means he will have a proper son. which his kids now, are not
judgement
key reason why the main aims of this play was to conferm steryotypes of women
medea being a overly emotional mad manipulative women, establishes those greek gender norms, and as this was preformed to a greek audiance they are more likely to agree with jasons misegony ideas. as the chorus disagrees with medea, the audiance should disagree.
view 1- confirm view, medea foregin princess greeks expect, barbarian
characterisation of medea,
- medeas as a typical barbarian, by line 6 medeas foregin origin would be recognised. (passionate weeping)
- medea fits (edith halls) criterea of a barbarian dipiction (amazon like qualities) , does not act in a manor expected of greek women
emotinal- cries,
stupid- kills her kids
cowardly-killed her kids using poison
cruel-horrible - medeas status, a foregin exile does inpact her ‘’ you have a city here.. i am alone and stateless, dishonoured from hy husband, plundered from a barbarian land’’
view 1- confirm view, medea foregin princess greeks expect, barbarian
medeas character, amazon like
- medea amazon characteristics- matriarchal ideas informed by her foregin backround, violent.
- greek women should- be subserviant and accept wrongs she suffers, but medea is not submissive’’ let no one think of me weak of no account submissive’’ motivations being how she rights the wrongs she suffers and seeks respect/ glory
- tension between the female role and the masculine desire, unnatural act, kill kids
view 1- confirm view, medea foregin princess greeks expect, barbarian
medeas characterisation, choice of weapon
- pondered on the choice of weapon, decides on poison so shes not personally in danger (cowardly stratagy)
view 1- confirm view, medea foregin princess greeks expect, barbarian
medeas characterisation- medeas’s costume
clothing is not mentioned in the text itself.
how medea looked onstage is a unanwsered question
red-figure calyx-krater:medea chariot. shown to look very persian, full of luxuary, exotic hat.
view 1- confirm view, medea foregin princess greeks expect, barbarian
jasons character
- second episode, he claims medea had gained more from him
- '’no greek women could have ever brought herself to do that’’ blaims her barbarianism status for killing kids
view 2- challange, barb status isnt important, challanging greek ideas
title of the play
- audiance should see her prespective, a foregin women who is wronged by a greek man
- the only character to emphasise her foregin status is jason
view 2- challange, barb status isnt important, challanging greek ideas
problem of the play, jason is unreliable
- a character you cant trust
- sometimes dismisses her foreginness
view 2- challange, barb status isnt important, challanging greek ideas
medea is well regarded by greek characters
- chorus ‘’ we are her friends’’ her barbarian status is not key here ‘‘you are right to take revenge on your husband’’
- ageus- offers her sanctuary in athens
view 2- challange, barb status isnt important, challanging greek ideas
medea as a foregin women stands up for greek religous values
- religous values in athens, oath breaking shes unhappy with
- ageus ‘‘an oath will safeguard me’’ ‘'’i swear by earth’’ ‘‘i must suffer the fate of all sinful men’’
theme three- passion/ moderation
h. mussurillo
- medea is about human psychology not race or gender
- both medea and jason represent a ‘‘excess of passion, egotism and self seeking’’
- therefore moderation is good
passion, egotism, and self seeking
what causes jasons infideltlity
- if jason is believed ‘‘my chief wish was… that we should live well and not be poor, friends vanish when not poor, bring the boys up in a manner worthy of my family’’ improving the status of his family and help the boys
passion, egotism, and self seeking
nurce blaming jason for being self seeking in the text
** nurce** ‘’ jason has betrayed his own sons, and my mistress’’
passion, egotism, and self seeking
tutor blaming jason for being self seeking in the text
** tutor ** ‘’ hes no worse than others, are you just finding out he loves himself more then his neighbor, jason loves himself more than his own boys’’
passion, egotism, and self seeking
medea blaming jason for being self seeking in the text
medea ‘’ my husband has turned out as the most dispicable of men’’ ‘‘go…your lusting for your new one bride’’
passion egotism and self- seeking
chorus blaming jason for being self seeking in the text
**chorus ** ‘‘moderation is what i want, may dread love not excite me for anothers bed’’
emotional, desire for revenge
motives for medea
- jason has broken a oath he made to her ‘’ poor medea rages at her loss of honor, calls out he broke his oath’’
2.sexual jealousy ‘‘you wouldnt say so if you wernt sexually jealous.. if your sex life goes wrong… you make a battlefield’’ -jason
3.heroic code ‘’ we are women too.. we may not have means to achieve ability’’
emotional, desire for revenge
medeas targets
'’the father, the daughter an my husband’’
emotional, desire for revenge
medeas method for revenge
'’instead i will poison them’’
the choice of poison is important, medea askes the messanger ‘‘tell me how they died, youll give me double pleasure if their death was hidious’’ - creon and the daughter.
-kills her kids as a way of punishing him
euripidies explicitly expressed moderation
- '’love in moderarion, no other god can bring such blessing’’
*'’moderation is what i want, thats gods best guift’’
