Gender Discrimination : A Feminist Heroine

The role of women in Greek society is a major theme in Euripides’ Medea. In ancient Greek society, women are frail and submissive according to men, and their social status is considered very inferior. Feminism is the theory of men being treated differently than women and the male dominance over women in society. Because of Jason’s betrayal of Medea, she is a challenge to the traditional views of ancient Greek society based on her actions. She wonders about the differences between the treatment of men and women and the active roles they play in society, such as the woman’s role to bear and nurture children. Medea ignores those feminine qualities and questions Jason’s sexist ideals. She internally struggles between self independence and

Gender Equality is a big issue throughout the world, but what exactly is it? Well to answer that, it is the view that everyone should receive equal treatment and not be discriminated against based on gender. Today, most women are getting treated differently compared to men. Whether it is based on pay gap, power, or strength the problem comes up. Men think they are stronger and better than women and this upsets women because it makes them feel like they don’t have a place in this world. This is where feminism comes into place. I chose this topic because I can relate to it more than the racial option, although now it could be about the same.

In Euripides’ play Medea, the audience is introduced to a uniquely female perspective often absent in Greek drama. Of course, this perspective, being written by a man, is not absent of the female mythological archetypes common throughout all of Greek literature. Most of the female characters hold archetypal roles to move the story forward. However, during the course of the play, Medea defies a simple archetypal prescription. She fits in between the lines of a “good” character and “bad” character, plays many different roles for her own ends, but still remains sympathetic. Medea takes on different female roles in order to accomplish her goals, however she as a character does not fit neatly into any one female archetype. This speaks to her greater role as a tragic hero, magnifying her manipulations and her reasons for doing so—her struggle as a powerful woman to find a place to belong.

In Euripides’ play, Medea, the storyline introduces the audience to a bold feminist character and confronts the central ideas of femininity in Greek culture. Throughout the play, Medea transforms from the typical emotionally weak character that women usually portray, to a strong-willed manipulator that is capable of violence. As Medea relentlessly pursues her ambitions, her character defies the typical typecast behavior of a female and approaches her desire for revenge as a male protagonist would. As a result, Euripides’ Medea presents as a feminist text – one that portrays the female character as a tragic heroine in the tradition of the Greek male warrior. However, this portrayal does not depict an elegant or noble view of feminism, but one that describes it as evil and immoral.

The role of women in Greek society is a major theme in Medea by Euripides. In ancient Greek society, according to men, women are submissive and frail. Women’s social status is also considered to be very inferior. Feminism is considered the theory of men being treated very differently than women and the male dominance over women in society. Medea is someone who wonders about the differences between the treatment of men and women.

To the audience of misogynists this is a typical situation that they can all relate to since this is how most women must act. Women are used only for reproduction and caretakers of households, the rest of the roles and responsibilities fell upon the men. This is especially evident in the society and the only free women that could be found were in plays and even they were very scarce. Thus, misogynist men found it jocular when the women would complain as they knew the women could not take part in their responsibilities. The men knew that once the women became their wives they would be in control of the women’s lives and be able to do with it whatever they please in a “gesture of domination” (Foley 259). Euripides starts the play with this stereotype of women to appeal to the arrogant nature of men and establishes the so-called dependence of women on men. It is not until later that once the woman gets her freedom and becomes independent that the men in the audience squirm in their seats. This allows Medea to be the ideal character for Euripides to portray the ideas of feminism through. She is much more suited than other characters of Greek mythology such as Helen of Troy as she is able to show that she is capable of doing anything that other men can do. Once she left her home as most women of Greece do once they are married, instead of becoming dependant on a husband that would leave her for another, she took

There is a long story of women’s right and discrimination throughout history. In earlier days, women did not have any rights or the same type of gender equality as men, they were not allowed to work, study, engage in politics or even have a voice about their future. Also, they were not allowed to play any public role or “hold public office, represent anyone in a legal case, or even witness a will. Women had only a private existence and no public personality” (King & Rabil, 4). The discrimination against women was developed for a long time and it was very unusual for them to be considered strong and powerful individuals in early ages. Most of the poetry and written evidence we have from ancient ages, not only in Greece and Rome but all over the world were produced by and directed almost exclusively to educated man. However, Dido from Virgil and Medea from Euripides’s play Medea were very smart, powerful and influential women in the ancient Rome and Greece. These two female characters were seen as intelligent and assertive by society but they were also seen as very vulnerable and very emotional women.

In Euripides play Medea , he challenges the most influential views of femininity in the predominately male governed society during the Ancient Greek era. During this time period women had very few rights and the men were the most dominant. Women were considered to be very weak and passive yet there was supposed to be dutiful wives. Medea actions certainly makes her a feminist heroine. She was able to break free and disregard the stereotypes and characteristic of the patriarchal society in Ancient Greece.

As long as I can remember, gender discrimination has been a problem. Now, it may have progressed through time, but in reality it still exists. There are many different types of stereotypes in the world. People just assume, because of their gender now days, how someone acts or how they think. These two topics are everywhere you look such as: television shows, billboards, books, movies, or even at work and school. In the television show New Girl, it displays stereotypes and gender discrimination with society’s general idea of men and women. It may be a funny, entertaining show to watch, but it does have its flaws.

Years have passed since Berkeley was a place that was governed by the male stereotype whereby close to everything was done from a male perspective. Gender discrimination in this age and era has been at an all time low but there are those people who do not wish to accept that we are all equal. There have been attempts to change the idea that some people have of the way that women or the female gender should be treated but they have seemed to be futile. This paper shall discuss the inequality that occurs by gender and its relation to some of the things that have happened in the past.

Do you know whats its like to be discriminated? Do you know how it feels when you didn’t get the job, part, or opportunity just for being who you are? Discrimination is the unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people, or things, especially on the grounds of race, age, or sex. There are many different ways and forms of discrimination and they are all wrong. Discrimination is something that we need to put an end too, especially the discrimination of women.The discrimination of women is overlooked and irrelevant to most people. According to a poll of 2000 employees commissioned by Investors in People, 8 in 10 women (83%) in full-time employment believe that gender discrimination still exists in the workplace. Women have experienced discrimination in history, school, and in the workplace; because of this discrimination society has viewed women as inferior to men.

Gender discrimination has been a battle for women for many years and although progress has been made, it still exists today.

Street harassment involves a person or persons inflicting unsolicited and unwanted comments, gestures, conversations or interactions in a public space upon another person, usually in a sexually suggestive or predatory manner. In the context of male to female street harassment in Australia, the occurrence rate is extremely high with almost every woman experiencing it at some point (The Australia Institute 2015). Whilst any person, regardless of gender, can be the perpetrator of these actions and it is a minority of people who offend, there are particular social and cultural influences effecting male to female occurrences that should be addressed as the cultural environment promoting these actions reflect the entrenched gender- discrimination that permeates sectors of Australian culture.

Feminism during the time of Oedipus and Medea centered on women actually trying to make their voice known in the world. Today, the battle of the sexes continue; however, women have already established their importance on society and focus fighting more for equality with men. According to Loren Edelson’s article “The Trope of Transformation in Medea: A Noh Cycle,” she describes the difference between culture feminist and materialist feminism. The first focuses on the women's roles in society while the other focuses on “‘woman as a class oppressed by material conditions and social relation’” (Edelson 59). Furthermore the feminism described in these tragedies are expressed through their characteristics and how often they take part in the stories. In the time of these tragedies, women were expected to be overruled by men with little or no authority over the situations they faced in their life. Both of the main women in each of these stories live in a time where the husbands are the ruler of the household, but these two women don’t let them have all the power. Both “Oedipus the King” by Sophocles and “Medea” by Euripides highlight feminism, through the women’s characteristics, their drive, and their actions.

throughout history women have been known to stay home with the children, cook, clean, and take care of whatever else that needed to be done at home. While men have been known as the one who goes to work to make money to support the family. Nowadays, women want to go to work to help take care of the family financially and make it known that women can also be independent if need be. The changing of roles clearly sparked an uproar causing conflict between many people.