Greek Tragedy By Euripides Medea - 1646 Words

Discuss the ways Greek tragedy authors addressed such topics as duty, honor, kingship, gender roles, and the other. Greek tragedy authors tend to use their writings as a means of social, political, and religious commentary. Both of the authors we read of, use their characters and the storyline development to test their reader’s moral boundaries. On the one hand, Euripides’ Medea emphasizes Greek thoughts concerning foreigners, and denounces Athenian social bases through his character’s traits and actions. First of all, from a Greeks’ point of view, Medea is the ultimate model of foreigners’ lack of moral bounds. Yet she is also a character that defies Greek gender views of what a normal woman’s attributes and manners should assume.†¦show more content†¦Sophocles depicts his characters in a certain matter in order to provoke his audience in contemplating the idea of freedom. Is Creon free because he is a king and has the ability to d o whatever he pleases? Or is he bound by civic duty to his people, and the pressure and need to be loved by them? Moreover, is Antigone free, because she follows her own thoughts and beliefs despite her uncle’s authority? Or is she bound by her emotions and passion, which challenge the purity of her intentions? How does Herodotus characterize the Persians? Does his view change throughout the text or is he consistent? What kinds of traits and characteristics does he focus on and why? What do they have in common with Greeks and where do they differ? When reading what Herodotus wrote about the Persians, a basic fact cannot be overlooked; Herodotus wrote for Greek Elites, and therefore made choices of what to write about in order to appeal to his listeners. He mostly chose to specifically talk about important Persian kings, who, in his own way, used as a means to disguise his own thoughts. Herodotus used the Persians to portray two of his major themes. First of all, the theme of Timocracy versus Plutocracy. By way of his choice of kings to talk about, Herodotus makes it clear that he believes Timocracy is the most favorable way of ascending a thrown. He admires Persian lineage and denounces Athenian monetary manipulations. He sees Persian Kings as rightful heirs because of theShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Euripides The Play Medea 1202 Words   |  5 PagesThe Greek playwright Euripides, who lived from 480 BC to 406 BC, had four victories as a Tragedian. A third of the â€Å"Big Three† of tragedians, Euripides was, in hi s time, less successful than both Aeschylus and Sophocles, who had 13 and 20 victories. Euripides’ writing was drastically different from that of the others. While playwrights like Sophocles wrote characters the way they should be ideally, Euripides wrote his characters truthfully and portrayed people as compassionate and cruel and complicatedRead MoreMedea Character Analysis917 Words   |  4 PagesHow would you judge Jason for his betrayal of Medea, and Medea for the killing of their children? Explain why. My judgement for this particular issue is not primarily based on the actions of Medea killing her children, since that in my opinion is an unforgivable act, yet there is a sense of pity evoked within the complexity Medea’s character. Essentially, Medea had given up everything she had for Jason. Manipulated by Aphrodite and Hera in both the heart and mind to believe her feelings to be trueRead MoreWomen and Femininity in Medea1032 Words   |  5 PagesWomen and Femininity in Medea Women’s rights movements have made incredible progress in recent times. Although there are many countries around the world where women are facing political and social unjustness, the social class of women in ancient Greece of 5th century BCE was solely grounded by patriarchal ideologies. The Greek playwright Euripides creates a persistent character Medea, in his classic tragedy Medea. Today, scholars study this relentless protagonist who has become an eternal andRead MoreTragedy In Oedipus Rex And Antigone By Euripides784 Words   |  4 PagesThe three Greek plays compared in this paper are the famously known Greek tragedies; Oedipus Rex and Antigone by Sophocles and Medea by Euripides that not only have the common genre of tragedy, but share the same motifs; homicide, suicide, and suffering. What is intriguing about these commonalities is that these playwrights, Sophocles and Euripides, use them. Homicide is an act when a human permanently harms another leading in death and these plays like to use it quite a bit. In Oedipus Rex, byRead MoreMedea Essay1654 Words   |  7 PagesSusan Smith murdered her own two children in 1994. Kathleen Folbigg killed her only child in 1998. Caro Socorro killed her three children in 1999. And in 431 B.C. the fictional character, Medea, murderedmurdured her own two sons. When hearing about these extreme atrocities we are repulsed. What sane mother could murder her own children? But thats just the point isnt it, no sane mother would kill her own young. No, each of these women had underlying psychological issues that led to them committingRead MoreThematic Antithesis in Greek Tragedies Essay1358 Words   |  6 PagesThematic Antithesis in Greek Tragedies The binary oppositions in Euripides plays, Medea and Bacchae, emphasize the structural techniques seen throughout both of the plays works are â€Å"[described as] a pair of theoretical opposites or thematic contrasts† (Marvin 1). The themes are highly symmetrical throughout and typical of the structure of Greek tragedies. Euripides use of thematic antithesis gives greater irony within Greek plays. The gender roles of female and male challenge the traditional stereotypicalRead MoreAnalysis Of Medea845 Words   |  4 PagesThe first person point of view can be found in the beginning of the work, for example, when Medea says â€Å"I hate this life†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Puchner, pg. 532, line 150). By Euripides using the second person point of view, it allows the readers to connect to the characters on a more personal basis for example, Medea says â€Å"†¦ you’ve made threats†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Puchner, pg. 536, line 294). An example of the third person point of view is Mede a telling Jason that â€Å"he’s such an idiot† (Puchner, pg. 537, line 379). By there being multipleRead MoreEuripides Medea Of Euripides1262 Words   |  6 PagesMedea of Euripides is an ancient Greek tragedy play written by Euripides, grounded upon the legend of two characters Medea and Jason. Euripides wrote Medea of Euripides in 431 BC at a time in Greece, when males were governing, and women had limited rights. Medea, the protagonist, was the daughter of Aeetes of Colchis, she was driven by passion and committed horrendous crimes for the love of Jason. In the opening act, Medea is standing outside of Jason house in Corinth as she explicates to the ChoresRead MoreEvaluation of Euripides Essay942 Words   |  4 PagesEvaluation of Euripides Euripides has met the conventions of Attic Tragedy up to a particular extent. Although he was often criticised for his work, he followed the structure and cycles of the traditional tragedy. However, his stance on the themes and ideas set him apart from the other writers. It is unreasonable to compare Euripides with the traditional writers of Attic tragedy without understandingRead MoreRole Of Family In Medea1991 Words   |  8 PagesThe work Media, by Euripides, allows the readers to see how some of the Greek culture, religion, social norms, family structure, gender roles, and language/literacy shows up in the work. In Medea, the family structure plays into some of the roles of how Ancient Greece families were. Their family consisted of a wife, husband, and children just like the Greeks. They had a house where they lived in Corinth, but that’s where the family structure started to take a turn from Greek families. Jason wasn’t