The Epic Of Gilgamesh

The gods influenced societal expectations of women, thus establishing circumstances which exacerbated Medea’s rage at Jason’s betrayal. Goddesses are often associated with virtues of motherhood, fertility and marriage; the divine were essential in defining the role of

Medea’s actions in the tragedy are demonstrated in women everywhere. In her case, she is intrigued with the idea to poison her husband, his new wife and her father, and both sons. Although the actions of other women are not as serious as killing, Medea represents the sacrifices women make in order to find a lover, affection, or love. Medea had given up so much for her husband, Jason, to the point where she had no one since she had betrayed her family for him, abandoned all her friends, and conformed to this new lifestyle her people are not used to. In Medea’s time, the women back then were assumed to have children and look after them,

But Medea is also expected to understand that Jason wishes to get married to another woman in order for him to gain the power that he?d always wanted. She doesn?t understand this at all. All Medea expects from Jason is for him to love her. When men have more power than women, they expect more understanding from women.

By disregarding female contribution as the whim of passion, the use of imagery in Jason’s justification serves to reinforce the standard Greek belief that women were feeble creatures incapable of possessing their own power. Immediately after Medea declares that she sacrificed everything in order to secure Jason’s success, Jason continually belittles her essential contributions through

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

Throughout many stories we always see the males at a powerful position and the women tend to be the over bearing crazy type. Whenever something goes wrong we as the audience are always quick to blame to female or say it’s because she having a mental break down. The tragedy of Medea is no different. We all assume that Medea took her rage and acted out in an awful way due to no fault of anyone else. But the truth is that if it wasn’t due to Jason’s selfishness and betrayal to Medea, she would have never acted in the manner that she did, and the blame is to fall upon Jason.

With these classic works, being a strong woman can fall hand in hand with also being manipulative. Medea lied to try and acquire time just to get what she wants. In her case she wants revenge on her husband for cheating on her and marrying a younger bride. After committing her insane murder she tricks a friend to give her asylum in Athens. She even convinces the king, Creon, into giving her an extra day and this gives her exactly what she needs. Antigone also tries to manipulate and persuade her sister, Ismene, to help bury their brother, Polyneices and give him the proper burial he deserves. She doesn’t seem to be as lucky as Medea when it comes to manipulation. In this sense they are like foxes, they are cunning, but not always getting it just right. Their deceiving ways are their strength.

Life of a female was always a struggle, even in the era before christ. 431 B.C., when Euripides wrote his tragic play, Medea, the Greeks were living in a patriarchal society; men had every right to control women. This influenced Euripides when writing his play, which is perspicuously illustrated when Medea, the mother of two child, takes their life with her own hands. However, Medea is not a guilty verdict, since Jason triggers Medea’s unwilling actions through seduction for personal gain, and abandons her for a new wife.

In 431 BC, women held absolutely no public roles, were guests in their own homes, and served a complete subservient life. By no means could women be a true part of society. The commonly held belief was that, “women were valued principally as child bearers and child rearers in the male orientated world of Ancient Greece.” (Garland) Women’s only role was to procreate and foster these hopefully male children into adulthood who would become the next generation to grow Greece and continue the family lineage. Euripides includes these beliefs in Jason’s defense against Medea as Jason proclaims his well wishes for Medea and halfheartedly offers Medea a chance to raise his children under his new wife.

Medea, portrayed by Euripides, is grieving the loss of her one and only husband who left her for another women. Throughout the play the author manipulates his audience to sympathize with Medea as she continues to fight for her one sided love. As we discussed in class, the author has shaped Medea to be this crazy lady that is trying to get back at Jason for leaving her. In the beginning of the play, Euripides focuses on Jason's betrayal and by the end, the focus shifts to how crazy Medea really is. It has been portrayed by many in our class that Medea is a pro-feminist play. Although, it can also be viewed as a women being weak and quickly breaking down when her man leaves her. Jason on the the contrary, is portrayed as a superior, opportunistic

The women of Euripides tragedy Medea, whether they are of foreign descent or a woman of Corinth, have a clear voice within this tragedy. They are powerful in their words, calling out the injustices of society and the men who inhabit their lives. This power is especially clear in the Nurse’s dialogue about Jason and Medea when speaking with the chorus: This house? It no longer exists. It’s all gone.

Female heroism becomes a significant component to Medea’s character development as well as the entirety of the tragedy. Medea is a female as well as a foreigner and to the people of Corinth, she is unsuitable to remain in their land, and therefore has no support nor no rights as a citizen. Because of this, she is presumed to be a true female protagonist in a male dominated society. Medea defends herself as well as portrays female struggles in Ancient Greek society. The purpose of women during these times were to endure and take pleasure in providing their husbands with intimacy and children. Nonetheless, Medea withstands her heroism and states that she would rather undergo a war than to give birth. Her fearlessness takes a form in which

Ancient Greek society glorified men while simultaneously portraying women as frail and weak. Women, prizes of war victories, were expected to be submissive to men as their main role was to support their husbands. However, in Greek tragedy, women were often written as major characters, revealing how women were viewed and mistreated in this type of society. The defining actions of a tragic protagonist are the characters' misinterpretation of the reality of situations and the confliction between the principles. The most recognizable female tragic protagonists in this era were Clytemnestra, the queen of Mycenae, and Medea, the wife of Jason. Clytemnestra and Medea both reveal the problems women encountered within marriage, inheritance, and social

1. Cut out 3 or 4 magazine ads that feature pictures of men and women. Tape your ads to the walls of the classroom and then walk around and look at what everyone else brought in. Participate in a group discussion on any patterns you detect. What consistent stories about gender are told in these ads? How do these images compare to the images in music videos?

In Euripides, Medea is portrayed as a feminist hero. In a society where men are clearly the dominant figure, Medea stood her ground and allowed no man to change her views. The society stereotype where men are the more powerful, dominant gender was definitely prevalent and recognized in Ancient Greece at the time. Women living in this society were discriminated against daily and were looked at as less important. Medea was a play meant to show the unequal treatment of women in Greek society during the time. Medea is portrayed as a bad seed in the play; she also shows some “male characteristics” throughout the play. She decisive with her decisions and strong minded, which are portrayed as male characteristics, but at the same time she is also emotional like a woman is said to be.