A Doll's House Gender Roles

In “Stereotype and Reversal in Euripides’ Medea,” Shirley A. Barlow argues that the protagonist refuses to play the customary role of an ancient Greek woman, except when it benefits her, which shows that Medea is a reversed stereotype (158). This is further shown when the Tutor states, “Take heart! You too, will, journey back with children’s help” (1015). In this circumstance, the Tutor is declaring how the children will be able to help their mother come back home, yet this is an example of dramatic irony because Medea ultimately kills her children at the end for revenge. Euripides uses dramatic irony to convey Medea’s strength and power. The characters mistakenly assume that Medea is weak, yet her will-power and desire for revenge is shown when she kills her sons. Next, Jason is expected to be strong and powerful, yet is weaker than any female. Rabinowitz also speculates that Jason’s role has feminine aspects: “Jason would seem to be the perfect example of a woman with a man” (152). For example, Jason exclaims, “I have come, however, to save my children’s lives, to keep the king’s family from making them pay for the foul murder committed by their mother” (1303-5). Jason hastily runs back to the house to save his children from a masculine

The duty of women portrayed in Greek society is a major subject in Euripides Medea. In old Greek society, ladies are delicate and compliant as per men, and their social position is viewed as exceptionally mediocre. Feminism is the hypothesis of men being viewed different in contrast to women and the male predominance over ladies in the public eye. Women's lives are spoken to by the parts they either pick or have forced on them. This is obvious in the play Medea by Euripides through the characters of Medea and the medical attendant. During the day and age which Medea is set ladies have exceptionally restricted social power and no political power by any stretch of the imagination, despite the fact that a ladies' maternal and residential power was regarded in the protection of the home, "Our lives rely upon how his lordship feels." The constrained power these ladies were given is diverse to present day society yet parts are as yet forced on ladies to acclimate and be a devoted spouse. Ladies have dependably been dis engaged because of their sex in present day and antiquated circumstances alike. In Corinth they are required to run the family unit and fit in with social desires of an obedient spouse. Medea, being an eternal and relative from the divine beings has a specific power in insight and guileful keenness. Being an outsider, Medea's wayward nonsensical conduct was normal in this play as she was not conceived in Greece and was viewed as an exotic foreigner. She goes over to the group of onlookers as an intense female character regarding viciousness. Some of Medea's responses and decisions have all the earmarks of being made a huge deal about as creators for the most part influence characters to appear to be overwhelming; this makes a superior comprehension of the content and the issues which are produced through the characters. Medea's ill-conceived marriage and the double-crossing of Jason drive Medea to outrageous vengeance. Medea acts with her immortal self and confer coldhearted demonstrations of murder instead of legitimize the results of her actions. Medea see's this choice as her lone resort as she has been exiled and has no place to go, "stripped of her place." To make sensitivity for Medea, Euripides

Sexism is a topic that is often discussed today since it still permeates throughout society, just as it did more than two thousand years ago. That discrimination often causes pain and suffering on the receiving side, in this case women. An example of the sexist undertones in this piece of literature comes from Creon, “You scheming source of every criminal act you have a woman’s wickedness; your daring shows masculine strength, ignoring what men say.” (Seneca 80 lines 266-268). This sentence illuminates several different facts about Greek culture and their treatment of women. First, those in power, namely Creon, who is king, believes that women are “wicked” and evil. Second, it implies that women are not supposed to ignore and protest men within the social structure, those that do object a man show that they are not womanly, they display qualities of a man, according to their culture. All of this culminates inside of Medea’s failed marriage with Jason. As a consequence of this sexism, it made it easier to simply break off the marriage and marry Creusa. Those supporting Jason could just present the claim that Medea is a crazy woman, and since they are male, perpetrating such actions is acceptable. Consequentially, breaking of her marriage with Jason is the main reason that Medea slowly spirals into suffering and

Then she was transferred to the home of her husband where she was to fulfill her principal function, the bearing and rearing children. Medea shows the inequality of women in Greek society. The betrayal of Medea by Jason through his marriage to another woman enrages Medea. She begins to question the role and position of women in a patriarchal society. "Are we women not the wretchedness? We scratch and save a dowry to buy a man?Our lives depends on how his lordship feels. For better for worse we can?t divorce him."(p.8, Medea). However, "a husband tired of domesticity, Goes out sees friends and enjoys himself?."(p.8and 9, Medea). Medea compares the virtual slavery of women to the absolute freedom of men, showing the inequality and disempowerment of women in society at that time.

The role of women within the plays of Euripides in a major theme. In most of the plays women are seen as week and unable to fend for themselves. It is plausible to say that Euripides would identify as the modern term of a feminist. These women depicted have unequal status to men and are submissive. In the case of Medea, these stereotypical roles of women are challenged. Because Jason betrays Medea, she begins wandering about the different treatment of man and woman. Medea ignores these roles that women have and acts on her own ideals. Through viewing the thoughts and actions of Medea, one can see just how Euripides challenges the role of women.

Commonly considered one of Euripides greatest pieces, Medea is an insightful depiction of how a woman’s love for her husband, churns into a gruesome revenge scheme against him. This tragedy illustrates a tale of a woman who challenges Greek societal norms. In the era that the story takes place; women are often seen in submissive roles. However, the play’s main character, Medea, challenges their customs through her actions against the Kingdom of Corinth and Jason.

‘Although we may sympathise with Medea’s’ plight, Jason is worthy of nothing more than our contempt’ Do you agree? Euripides Greek tragedy, Medea follows the feud of the relationship between the protagonist Medea, and the antagonist, her disloyal husband Jason. Although Jason’s actions are unforgiveable, his decisions to leave Medea did not authorise the actions of revenge that Medea took to guarantee Jason’s complete downfall. Medea’s situation of exile that she has been placed in is a result of her lover Jason’s decision to leave her and marry a younger female, as a result of this it helps the reader sympathise and have remorse with Medea, but does not lead us to approve of her actions of revenge, anger and vengeance. From a readers perspective Jason deserves absolutely little to no sympathy for his actions against Medea.

Euripides used the character, Jason, to show how atrocious women were treated. At the beginning of the play, Medea was shot by cupid's arrow which made her fall in love with Jason. Her falling in love with Jason was not her fault so she didn’t

Medea accomplished that by giving birth to two children for Jason. As the play slowly unraveled, it plainly displayed that she was faithful towards her husband, but being an ideal Greek wife was not her factual nature. She was independent and her qualities made her different from the Corinth women. In the opening sequence, the nurse introduced Medea as a frightening woman when someone wronged her. “Her temperaments are dangerous and will not tolerate bad treatment. For she is fearsome. No one who joins in conflict with her will celebrate an easy victory”, the nurse presented (page 2, line). From this, the reader can envision how ordinary other Greek women were. How they didn’t have a mind of their own and were defenseless towards those shabby treatments from men. These women were submissive and didn’t have any control over their lives. However, the protagonist Medea did. She took matters in her own hands when her husband betrayed her.

When Jason leaves Medea she curses her own name and one of her own children and then comes up with the plans to kill her children and her husband’s new wife. Medea goes through a transformation throughout the play going from a depressed wife to a sadistic murderer caring more about the pleasure she will gain from seeing Jason suffer than the ones that she killed, including her own children. The audience wants to sympathize with Medea and even make her out to be the protagonist of the play, but she her actions against her own children is too horrendous to see her as nothing but a villain. Euripides’ development of Medea coincides with the type of writer that he is. Euripides is known for being more of a dark, realistic writer portraying characters for how they really are.

The play Medea, produced by Euripides in 431 BCE is based on an intense debate of justice and betrayal between Medea and Jason. Euripides portrays the play Medea as repayment of Medea for Jason marring Creon’s daughter. However, as per to Medea’s perspective it was displayed as justice for her to kill her own children. Euripides set forth Medea’s intense love as a passion that it prevents her to let go of Jason without any revenge Moreover, Medea’s pride for herself forces herself to put an end to her children’s life without any second thought. Euripides also uses Medea to illustrate how women had limitations compared to men.

Even though thousands of years divide the Golden Age of Greece from the modern day, the same issues prevail. While the treatment of women and foreigners are just two examples of modern and controversial topics, these same themes were also represented on the stage in Ancient Greece. Euripides, a famous Greek playwright, addressed these issues in his play Medea, where he analyzes the tragic ending of the relationship between the Greek hero, Jason, and his foreign wife, Medea. This play illustrates Medea’s treacherous scheme to exact true revenge through the murder of Jason’s new wife and father-in-law, as well as her own children, in order to establish her power in a society that oppresses both women and foreigners. After listening to Medea’s grievances about his remarriage to a Greek princess, Jason attempts to counter her compelling claims that she has been wronged. By utilizing vivid imagery and irony throughout Jason’s speech in Medea, Euripides emphasizes the themes of the value placed on women, the conflict between passion and reason, and the difference between civilization and barbarity.

Playwright, Euripides, composes the tragedy, Medea, on the bases of the myth of Jason and Medea in around 400 BC. Medea portrays the position of women within that time period in Greek culture. The Greeks did not see women as equal citizens within the time period of Medea’s composition. The Greek culture considered women as submissive servants, whom did not have a place in politics. Women in that period of history were greatly dependent of their husbands. The author, Euripides, capitalizes on this social inequality through his characters. Medea expresses this inequality by saying, “It is a bitter thing to be a woman.” (Act I, 226) She then compares both genders using analogies within her expression of rage. Medea, the protagonist and focal character within the play, struggles with her sanity as a result of her husband, Jason’s many betrayals. Focusing on her ultimate goal, Jason’s demise, she vows to get revenge on all of those who are the cause of her to suffer great emotional pain. “Death is my wish, For myself, my enemies, my children. Destruction.” (Act I, 44-44) Having become twisted due to her consumption of rage due to the manipulation, betrayal, and other sufferings inflicted by her own husband, Medea invokes her revenge, which in the end deprives Medea of her home, sanity, and children.

Sexism. It is the main theme for the play “A Doll’s House“ by Henrik Isben. Henrik Isben has a very strong opinion on this in his play “A Doll’s House.” He shows how he feels about the theme, sexism. The main character, Nora, is portrayed as constantly being put down by her husband, Torvald.

Moreover, Euripides incorporates Medea into the relationship to convey the idea that females also possess a dominant role in the struggle over dominance, but their power form is different compared to males. Medea elucidates that even in the arduous times, she assisted Jason and supported their union. In a direct conversation with Jason, she tells him, “…after I’ve done all this to help you, you brute, you betray me…” (27). She explains that although she took care of Jason and supported him whenever he needed her help, he used his massive quantity of power to overpower her and abandon her. Even after Jason abandons Medea, she thinks day and night of him. Medea demonstrates that the power females possess is not physical and totalitarian like the males, but is emotional and mental. She tries to keep the family together and in trying to do so, she does whatever Jason asks her to do. She is the important woman behind every successful man. Without her command, Jason would not be the person he is. Therefore, she can destroy Jason whenever he desires with her power. She can be a femme fatale and reduce Jason’s life into rubble. Similarly, after Medea finds out she was being cheated on, she quickly creates and evil plan and destroys Jason. She murders his new