Medea
Charles....@gmail.com
discussion board. You are still required to argue whether or not the
text perpetuates xenophobia (fear of outsiders) and sexism or
challenges it. However, besides stating your argument, you must also
provide a comment on or rebuttal to another student's post. This
should require approximately one page of typed, single-spaced text.
rosie...@yahoo.com
Note: this was written on the original prompt.
Euripides Medea
Women have, for centuries, been a lower social class of society.
This is just as true for ancient Greece where Euripides lived and
where he writes "Of all things that are living and can form a judgment
we women are the most unfortunate creatures." (9) Medea, his heroine,
live in a patriarchal society where a woman's only power is in
emotional appeals: her love that she once had for her husband... her
despair of her current situation... her hatred of Jason and his
betrayal... her resolve strong enough that she can kill her own children
in cold blood... The emotions of this woman are portrayed vividly in the
text. It is these emotions that both determine her course of action,
and allow her to complete a most terrible revenge. Though deeply
wounded and emotional she is also cruel and Medea explains herself
that "in other ways a woman is full of fear, defenseless, dreads the
sight of cold steel; but, when she is wronged in the matter of love no
other soul can hold s many thoughts of blood." (9) This terrible
anger, and ferocious determination could be read in two ways: the
feminists argue that if she had had more power, and equal status she
could have solved the problem in a much less drastic way. Defenders of
the patriarchy system would look at the same evidence as proof of the
need to control women because, if left on their own, they are capable
of monstrous acts. The evidence in the text balances both views so
that the final interpretation is left up to the individual reader. As
a feminist supporter I read it as blatant proof of her capabilities
and thee frustration of her caged existence, but it would be
impossible to project this onto Euripides designs.
We find Medea in a land that is contemptuous of her, and her
culture. Jason even argues that he has saved her from "living among
barbarians" and has taught her "how to live by law instead of sweet
will of force" (17). His steadfast belief that he has done her a favor
by tearing her from her home rankles an audience sympathetic to
Medea's plight. He feels that she is a charity case he has helped to
enlighten, similar to the missionaries attitudes towards Native
Americans, Medea is considered to come from an inferior culture and in
need of a good dose of civilization. Nationalism, on the part of the
Greeks is shown at its worst. Such blunt statements force the audience
to realize the absurdity of such a blind love for ones own country.
However, at the same time that Euripides points this out he also uses
the sympathy of the towns women to illustrate the importance of having
a place of belonging, a native land is essential and they cry that "...
There is no sorrow above the loss of a native land." (21). Nationalism
is not all bad, and the love for ones own country is also something
that should not be easily put aside.
Medea, a smart, courageous woman is judged to be barbaric because
of her country. As a woman, the men of power feel threatened by her
and, therefore, fear her for her cleverness. Though Jason continues to
argue that in Greece Medea is honored for her intelligence "while, if
[she] were living at the ends of the earth nobody would have heard of
[her]" (18); Medea, who is indeed very clever and perceptive, sees
that "...for being clever [she] find[s] that some will envy [her],
others object to [her]." (10) Her perception of herself, her identity,
is still that of an outsider. She is estranged by her unusual customs
and marginalized by the society that cannot accept her as an empowered
woman. Her hatred of her husband and his betrayal is all the more
intensified because of these conditions. Her husband was the one link
that held her into this society, and yet it is the same society that
makes it acceptable for him to leave her on a whim. Her frustration
with being beaten down from her potential and to her rage so that she
wishes not only to hurt her husband but to impress upon his society
her power. She knows herself to be smart and powerful- capable and
independent, and she wants her final act to prove this to the citizens
that they may never again think less of her than she sees in herself.
Gabe
While the play, Medea, does not expressly show themes of sexism or
xenophobia, it shows a time period & a culture where these themes were
accepted, and men were considered greater than women. The title
character, Medea, was cheated on by her husband, who decided to marry
a new wife who was "better." However, her husband, Jason, saw no
wrong in this. He believed he was doing his children a favor, as his
new wife was royalty. The way Jason treats Medea is very sexist, but
he only sees it as normal.
Creon, the king of Corinth, decides to banish Medea from his land.
Some may see this as sexist, but he does this out of concern for his
and his people's safety. He does not banish Medea because she is a
woman, but because she was being violent, outspoken, and threatening.
The only character who could be considered sexist in this play is
Jason.
Many men in Medea say that she is smart, clever, skilled, etc. They
would not be saying these things if they truly thought that Medea was
just an inferior woman. However, Medea herself says:
"Of all things which are living and can form a judgment
We women are the most unfortunate creatures.
Firstly, with an excess of wealth it is required
For us to buy a husband and take for our bodies
A master; for not to take one is even worse." (8)
She is talking about how unfair marriages are for women, and how men
can just do whatever they please. This further illustrates how sexism
was accepted in their culture.
The only example of xenophobia is very minor. It is when Jason says
Medea used to live among barbarians in her homeland. This shows that
he considered the place Medea was from to be inferior to Greece, and
with the term "barbarian" it shows he could be a little scared of
them.
In response to Michael's position, I agree with most of it. He makes
many of the points that I did, and a few that I didn't. I like how he
went more in-depth about the themes of xenophobia in the play than I
did. Also, he references other Greek stories at the beginning of his,
and says how Medea is different.
Michael also mentions how Jason is stereotypical. I agree with parts
of this. I don't believe he saw Medea as a "weak, defenseless woman."
After all, he has said that she is intelligent. However, I do believe
she wouldn't do anything as extreme as she did. Also, I think he only
saw her as partly replaceable. He didn't want to sever all ties with
her - he pretty much wanted her to stay and be his mistress. I believe
he still had some feelings for her, but socially & politically,
marrying the princess was a better choice. He mentions how he was
making their children kings; I believe he really meant to do that, and
that was one of the reasons behind this new marriage.
Gabe
up in the process...
michae...@gmail.com
The culture of ancient Greece, while thriving, had many people whom
were xenophobic and sexist. As a male dominated society, many stories
would revolve of how the hero is a man. Euripides, a Greek writer of
tragedies who writes Medea, changes it up a bit. The main character is
a woman, and while the Greek society may be xenophobic and sexist, the
text does not perpetuate xenophobia, and challenges sexism to a small
degree.
While Medea is an outsider, there weren't any extreme signs of fear
or hatred toward her, merely because she was a foreigner from Colchis.
She may have been insulted several times by her own husband- Jason;
her and her people being called "barbarians." Though it is insulting,
it merely shows people like Jason see their society as more "superior
and advanced." It does not really warrant the description of
xenophobic.
After all, if Jason had been xenophobic, why would he choose to marry
Medea? His hatred or fear would have kept him away; obviously he was
able to overlook the "barbaric Medea." Creon, the King of Corinth, has
her exiled out of fear she may do something - as Jason is marrying his
daughter. He does not banish her just because she is foreign.
There is sexism, but not a very extreme case of it; it was how the
time period was. Even though Medea is a woman, Aegus, Creon, and even
Jason look past that and tell her often she is "clever," or
"intelligent." The characters may have not displayed sexism directly,
but it can clearly be seen when Medea states her reasons for
vengeance. She instead speaks of how sexist the society can be how a
woman can only sit back and watch her husband be with other woman and
she is to stay at home and endure it all.
Jason is the most prominent character that be said as being "sexist."
He sees her nothing as a woman - that is replaceable - as he has moved
on to Creon's daughter. Jason is the stereotypical male who sees his
wife Medea was a weak, defenseless woman who will just sit back and
endure it all. But, because of his stereotypical and sexist views, he
does not expect that Medea will do a thing; unlike King Creon.
Jason's sexist views eventually lead to the death of his children, new
wife and Creon.
Gabe makes some interesting points and I'm glad that I am not the
only one who sees the lack of xenophobia and that Jason was mainly the
sexist. However, I don't really believe Jason was acting in best
interests for his children. If he had really cared about his children
why does he neglect them? Surely a bond between a father and his
children is much more important than a position in the royal family.
The man was just trying to cover himself.
Even though men like Creon and Jason accepted Medea's intelligence,
they still saw her as a woman and kept their sexist views about her.
The prime culprit of this was Jason. He really did not think she was
going to do a thing because he saw her as a stereotypical woman.
Arwa Joher
democracy, education, art, and politics and were, at the time,
considered just an indestructible as their mythological gods. The
Greeks, however, were not perfect, but sexist and xenophobic. In
Medea, Euripides challenges sexism and xenophobia and shows how
societies view on both have caused Medea to commit murder.
In Greek society, sexism was a harsh reality for woman. The man
was the head of the house and controlled the household including his
wife and children. Men in Greek society could easily leave the house
and have friends or companions. Jason is a prime example; he married
another woman behind his wife's back. Women, however; felt like Medea,
"forced to keep our eyes on one alone" (9). A woman was one of the
lowest in Greek society and was expected to live and die for her
husband while her husband could do whatever he pleased. Medea had
saved Jason's life countless times; she had killed her own blood and
abandoned her family and culture, and yet Jason belittled her by
stating that it was a woman's duty to sacrifice everything for her
love. This was a double-standard; Jason had broken his vows of love to
Medea by taking another wife and he did not seem to feel that it was
his duty to be loyal to her. Euripides seems to be sympathizing with
Medea's plight through the chorus, "O Earth, and far shining Ray of
Sun, look down, look down upon this poor lost woman, look, before she
raises the hand of murder against her flesh and blood" (40). Euripides
tries to show that Jason's infidelity and society's indifference
towards it has caused Medea to go off the edge and kill her own
children. She resembles a mother cat that kills her children because
she can no longer protect them.
The Greeks were extremely nationalistic and xenophobic. Medea
was an outsider However, after Jason abandons her, she is at the
mercy of King Creon who wastes no time in exiling her. He dislikes
Medea and fears her because she is a foreigner. It is true that she is
plotting against Jason, but if Creon had shown more kindness, perhaps
Medea would not have been quite so desperate and vengeful. Creon
reason for exiling Medea is because he loves his family and country.
Medea replies, "Oh what evil to men is passionate love [for
country]" (11). Medea cannot find anyplace to go, initially, since her
status as an outsider will follow her all throughout Greece. Jason
also finds Medea's status as a foreigner troublesome and takes another
bride that is Corinthian and royalty. He feels that he has "saved"
Medea from her barbaric civilization by bringing her to Greece. He is
slighting Medea's birth and culture while ignoring that she is
royalty.
Medea may be a princess and a clever woman, but none of that matters
to Corinthian society. They see her first and foremost as a
foreigner, as someone who cannot be trusted. They then see her as a
woman, and combined together, she is confined to the lowest social
status. Everything combined together, her status in society, and her
rage against her husband causes Medea to kill not only the King and
Jason's new bride, but her children as well.
After reading Rosie's response, I find myself agreeing that
the "final interpretation is left to the reader." Although I can't
help but feel that Euripides seems more sympathetic towards Medea than
Jason. I liked how Rosie used everyone's acknowledgement of Medea's
"cleverness" to show the sexism in Greek society. Clever women were
generally feared and not well-liked by men.
On Aug 19, 6:48 pm, rosie_m...@yahoo.com wrote:
Sam Lee
chronicles the princess Medea's tragic abandonment and her zealous
thoughts. It shows the brutality of a women's vengeance through the
methodical murder of Jason's family. It also mark times of male
entitlement, racism, and of blatant exercising of gender superiority,
but sexism or xenophobia is not the underlying meaning behind the
actions taken place in Medea.
Instead Medea remains consistent with the ideal of the time; women
were lower on the social hierarchy than men. This isn't sexism but
instead just false mental programming. Not limited to Grecian ideas,
male superiority was a dominating thought of the era. Furthermore,
sexism or xenophobia is not to blame when Jason takes another wife; a
lack of morals and a lack of compassion is the root problem. Jason
felt a right to flex his male superiority and hoped that Medea would
just understand, a fault that would be fatal to him.
Xenophobia is present in the secondary character's reactions toward
Medea. They consider her to be "barbaric" and inferior. It's this
blunt generalization that evokes xenophobia.
Rosie's reader response provides a coherent and different
interpretation of the book. It shows Medea as a victim of a
patriarchal society with no solution other than to murder. Rosie was
also show aspects of racism shown throughout the book that I missed or
could not see. A fierce nationalism and evidence of spite towards a
smart barbaric woman was missed on my part and I thank Rosie for
providing me with such insight.
cr8z...@yahoo.com
life today. The Greek Civilization was full of mystical values that
explain the value of art, life, society and political ruling, and also
the respect and love for mythological Gods. Medea, Euripides is a play
that shows many themes of an aspect of the life of the Greeks. The
play also shows the imperfect life of the Greeks. Medea was able to
show that there was a great deal of sexism and xenophobia within its
own people.
In this time, the Greek society does show sexism within its women.
The Greeks believe that the men are more powerful than women and that
is why they should make all the decisions. The woman in this time
period does not have a say on anything. It is true that "women are the
most unfortunate creatures. Firstly, with an excess of wealth it is
required for us to buy a husband and take for our bodies" and when a
husband was find "there is no easy escape for a woman, nor can she say
no to her marriage" (8). It is sad to say that Greek woman has lesser
value than Greek men.
The Greek men are free to do whatever they would like to do. It is
true that most civilization in this time period have the same way of
life with their gender status and the Greeks has emphasize a lot. The
status role of woman is only a role of waiting and understanding. The
men are free to go out and feel the compassion and passion for another
women and the society will still feel that there is nothing wrong with
it. The wife is left at home waiting because she "made him a
promise" (6) to stay there and wait. Medea is livid when she found out
that Jason had left her. She did not expect this to happen because she
expected to have respect back from him. She left her family in a
horrible way and her country to be with him and she expected to have a
faithful husband in her side. She stepped out her country to be with
him.
With everything she has given up it is perfectly understandable why
she left her husband. In the play, Jason was clearly illustrating the
typical sexist man in this time. He thought that he can just replace
Medea with the daughter of Creon. Jason did not expect for Medea to
seek for revenge. She has so much hatred and has lost respect to her
husband to the point that she was fine in seeking revenge from him by
having her children because "this is the best way to wound [her]
husband" (26). By underestimating the power, hatred, and intelligence
of Medea, Jason was not able to see this event into happening.
Xenophobia was not a huge theme in this play. Yes, the Greeks are
very xenophobic. The play explains that Medea was an outsider and
Jason had saved her from her living conditions "among barbarians" (17)
which was her family and her country. He felt as though he did her a
favor by bringing her to Greek land but clearly he did not. It is true
that people accepted her and "considered [her] a clever woman" (17)
but her status as a women and an outsider will always be in her side
exile or not.
Medea, a woman and an outsider will have few acceptances in the Greek
land. She is a foreigner, an outsider, something that gives low status
in the society. Also, it does not help that she is also a woman. Woman
already has a lower status than men. With the combination of the two,
she overall has very little if not no social status what so ever.
After reading both Michael and Gabe's response I agree that Jason is
clearly a sexist. Michael gives interesting points on how Jason was
definitely thinking about himself. Surely if he truly love and cares
for his children he should realize that keeping the family together is
the best. Yes, it is true that in this time social status is great,
but it feels that Jason was not thinking about the well being of his
children but the his life in the royal family.
klaura...@yahoo.com
such as her gender and place of origin, in addition to her menial
,,wife" status. Being a married woman in a foreign household does not
bode well for her chances of independence or choice. Nevertheless, it
does not stop her frustration or desire for revenge, which end up
absorbing her personality. As a dutiful wife, she must accept the
choices made by her husband, however awful, on the condition that he
made them "in [her] best interest and the children's" (18). In
addition, her home is in Colchis, not Corinth, so her position is
already weakened as she is deemed "deserter, a refugee" (9). She has
no one to support her, a stranger in both homes. And lastly, she is a
woman in a patriarchal and macho society. Her husband chose to take a
new wife, while still being married to her, and it is taken for
granted by the male characters that she will accept this decision.
When she doesn't, they decide to exile her because she is being
unreasonable, when actually she has every right to be angry. Not only
that, but Jason fails to acknowledge any of the brave and self-
sacrificing actions Medea took for him. But looking at the book as a
whole, patriarchy isn't necessarily portrayed in a positive light.
Jason and Creon are made to look like fools, with poor reasoning and
insecure personalities. And as far as control over the wife and
children goes, Jason only has that in theory. The book reminds us,
that however much you can control the body, you can never control
someone else's spirit. Patriarchy is at its worst, with incompetent
and unreasonable men at the head. Added to that is the almost
paranoial fear of outsiders that Jason and Creon suffer from. This
isn't nationalism, that is being proud of one's own country.
Xenophobia is the fear of everything outside your personal boundary.
This isn't limited to the nation, but even within a home or family.
That is why Jason and especially Creon are afraid of Medea, because
they fear she is undermining their "perfect" world. Their insecurities
take hold of them, followed by their shame of being afraid of a woman
that they should be in control of. So they try to rid themselves of
her nagging presence, but the thorn has already penetrated.
Iman Sharabash
The play Medea by Euripides represents four concepts which occur in
various ways throughout. They are gender, ethnicity, patriarchy, and
nationalism. Gender is represented by women's inferiority to men, and
Medea, who is the main character, experiences this defamation which
during this time period was not uncommon. As for ethnicity, Medea was
not Greek, and Jason, her husband, refers to this in an effort to
console her. Finally, patriarchy and nationalism. Patriarchy is
displayed through Medea's husband. As for nationalism many of the
characters have a pride for the country from which they come. In her
despair, Medea gives an accurate description of what life is like for
a woman. "We woman are the most unfortunate creatures. With an excess
of wealth it is required for us to buy a husband. Nor can she say no
to her marriage. How best to manage him who shares the bed with
her" (9). When Medea gives the description of what life is like for a
woman, she explains how hard it is for a woman to live with her
husband. How the woman will need some amount of control over her male
companion in order to be content. Also, how women are devoted to one
man while men may flaunt their desire to whomever they wish. Women
also tend to be more sensitive than men, and much of Medea's complaint
is based off of her fragile emotions that any other woman may feel
sympathy for, but not every man would be considerate towards. When
Jason himself confront Medea, he reiterates the past of their meeting
together. He states that Medea saving him was an act of love. In this,
Jason thinks he gave more to her than she gave to him by taking her
from a "barbaric" land. He says the following: "'Firstly, instead of
living among barbarians, you inhabit a Greek land and understand our
ways, how to live by law instead of the sweet will of force. And all
the Greeks considered you a clever women. You were honored for it;
while, if you were living at the ends of the earth, nobody would have
heard of you'" (17,18). Here Medea's ethnicity is mentioned. Or
perhaps what Jason "believes" is her ethnicity. From what is quoted it
is easy to infer that Medea comes from a far off land, or a
civilization not as well known as the Greeks. Because Medea's
ethnicity is not well known, she is something of a philistine, and
inferior to those who live in the city of Corinth.
Jason represent the idea of patriarchy in the play. It's known at the
moment in which Jason confronts his wife, Medea, trying to explain his
reasoning for betrayal. He professes the following: "'...it was not
because of a woman I made the royal alliance in which I now live, but,
as I said before, I wished to preserve you and breed a royal progeny
to be brothers to the children I have now, a sure defense to
us'" (19). This statement is the display of patriarchy. It seems
likely that the talk of "strengthening the lineage" is just a lie to
calm Medea down; that in reality Jason may have ended up abandoning
his first wife to gain higher status and appreciation in society.
However, it is obvious lineage plays an important role nonetheless by
determining respect, and Jason had described himself as exile and
thought himself lucky to be able to marry someone with great power.
Finally, nationalism. Many of the characters in Medea have a patriotic
appeal to the country in which they come from. Not only that, but
where families reside as well. Medea expresses a kind of nostalgic
feeling for here home country when she says: "O my country! How
bitterly now I remember you!" (11). Medea exclaims this when she
learns of her exile. Now she has nowhere to go, and nobody to comfort
her . She is both an exile of Corinth, and of her home country, and
she did not realize how horrible it is to be exiled from a place where
your family and people you know reside. After Medea says this, king
Creon says how he loves his country as well, and that is why he wants
Medea to leave. The characters are big on where they come from, and
what they represent. Overall, Medea falls quite easily into her
stereotype of a woman, and Jason falling into the stereotype of a
patriarch. Both contribute to ethnicity and nationalism, especially
Medea who mentions her home frequently. Many of the characters seem to
take pride in the most petty aspects of a person, and each of them
play the role of their stereotype well. Overall, each of the concepts
of gender, ethnicity, patriarchy, and nationalism, helps in adding
depth to Euripides work.
Devin G.
Euripides works commonly showed ideas of blasphemy. The play Medea
was set in a time period in which men generally had the power. Sexism
was not necessarily a particular issue brought up in the play, but it
was slightly implemented. As well, xenophobia was a current issue of
the time period. Medea, the title character, felt the power of
royalty but could not grasp it. In this way, she felt not only her
gender, but her ethnicity kept her separated from the nation she was
living in.
Jason, the husband of Medea, decided to marry with Glauce, a daughter
of the king of Corinth, in order to be a part of the royalty. Medea
was not only jealous of Glauce, but she also felt abandoned by Jason,
even though he would have liked for her to stay her mistress. The
presence of her children made her think of Jason's becoming royalty
and she wanted the "whole house to crash" so her suffering could end
(5). Since her husband left her for another woman, she felt as if her
gender was nothing but a toy for men to further themselves in life.
She was just a pawn to get Jason the Fleece. And now that she had
done her duty, Jason moved on to Glauce, to obtain the title "king of
Corinth." She felt used because of her sex, and though lonely, she
had no want for getting Jason back.
Medea came from a land where she was a powerful woman. When she
married Jason and arrived at Corinth, she expected respect, but got
very little. The Corinthian people were afraid of outsiders and
considered them "barbaric." In turn, the xenophobic population
decided that she would be banished, since she no longer had a man to
support her. With not only her gender in the way, her ethnicity made
her unwanted in the "pure" nation's eyes. Before she was banished, in
an attempt to show her true power, she had it planned for Glauce to be
killed. Alongside that, she killed her own two sons in order to keep
the vital patriarchy from continuing.
Being as the situation was at the time, Medea had a very small chance
of great success in Corinth. Her identity was morphed from its former
self because of the sexism of Jason and the xenophobia of the nation.
Although her thoughts were somewhat skewed, Medea gave the image of a
strong female character that would make a powerful leader.
Julia F
Medea, the unstable, yet aggressive main character in Euripides,
Medea, was a woman who was married to Jason, a tactless man. Medea had
saved Jason's life, she made sure that everyone knew this, and often
reminded Jason. She also had two children and was a common housewife,
until Jason left her for a princess, daughter of the King, Creon.
Medea was extremely distraught by this news and could not seem to
overcome it. Medea thought that Jason did not love her anymore and she
hated him for it, she felt like she had done everything for him. Medea
had such a great love for Jason and he had trampled all over her
heart.
As a woman, Medea was expected to just overcome this hardship,
and move on with her life, but Medea was a different kind of woman.
She would not stand back and watch Jason ruin her life, she would not
leave peacefully as Creon had asked, and she definitely would not
watch Jason marry the new princess. She had to make them all pay for
her distress. This novel suggests that patriarchy is highly regarded,
that men could do anything they wanted without any consequences, but
Medea did not believe this to be true.
Despite the fact that Medea was a woman, she was very strong-
willed. She was expected to be quiet and not complain about her
marriage, but she was stubborn and did not care that she was a woman,
she acted the same way a man would, but perhaps with more force. There
were no gender-boundaries for her like there were to the rest of the
people in this novel. I think that Medea acted strongly because people
expected her not to be, and she wanted to prove them that she could be
strong, by doing things like poisoning and killing people, even her
own children. Medea even says that, "women, though most helpless in
doing good deeds, Are of every evil the cleverest of contrivers" (14).
Medea shows that women can be just as evil as men are.
This novel also shows much nationalism throughout the separate
countries. As Medea was planning to kill Creon and the princess, she
knew she had to find somewhere else to live because she knew that
after she killed them, the people of Corinth would come after her and
kill her as well. Medea spoke to Aegeus and made him vow that "[he
would] never cast [her] from [his] land, Nor, if any of [her] enemies
should demand [her], [Would Aegus], in [his] life, willingly hand
[her] over" (24). Of course, he accepted this and swore, "by the
Earth, by the holy light of Helius, By all the gods" (24), that he
would protect her. Medea knew that the people of Corinth were so
devoted to their king and country that they would come after her and
try to kill her.
Haley York
Ancient Greece had its own culture that had different and similar
ideals to what we have today. Part of the reason for that is that we
built our culture off of theirs. Some parts are bound to survive as we
adapted to a new society, just as some parts are bound to change.
Today's American society does have a fear of outsiders, just like
ancient Greece. But I do have to agree with Gabe and Michael that
Medea doesn't show xenophobia. Yes, Jason felt superior to the
'barbaric' people of Colchis. But how could he not? After stealing the
Golden Fleece and escaping with one of their princesses, who killed
her own brother to leave, why wouldn't he receive this impression? But
I still don't see xenophobia. For Medea to have fallen in love with
Jason, he had to have been in Colchis for at least a week, and, being
a prince, he would have been welcomed into the royal court. Then, when
he does escape and return to Corinth, Medea was welcomed, and gave
"pleasure to the people of her land of exile (pg. 1)." Even the women
of Corinth, who play the part of the Chorus, give pity and condolences
to Medea. I think the only sign of fear is from Creon, when he sends
her away form Corinth, for fear of her doing something to Jason and
his new bride. Creon doesn't know what her 'barbaric' and foreign
beliefs will lead her to do.
This time period, as well as many others, does give women inferior
positions to men. A woman has no status in society without a man, even
if it is just her father. A princess is only important because her
father is the king, or she has married a prince. Even then, men have
to be bough to marry. "Of all things which are living and can form
judgement we women are the most unfortunate creatures. Firstly, with
an excess of wealth it is required for us to buy a husband and take
for our bodies a master; for not to take one is even worse (pg. 8)."
Since women have less respect, men tend to think they have less
intelligence as well. Jason underestimates Medea; he says she is
clever and intelligent, and yet doesn't believe that she will turn
against him. He, at least, should know better. He saw her betray her
country by killing her brother to aid him. Instead, it is Creon who is
in fear, not because he knows she will do something, but form the
unknown extent she will go with her revenge. Jason believes that
Medea, as well as all women, are too emotional, and "have got into
such a state of mind... (Pg. 18)." Medea's status of a woman with no man
beside her does make Creon's decision to banish her easier.
Medea's anger at both Jason and now Creon intensifies as they both
ignore her pleas and anger. I do believe Media is justified in her
anger. It's not that Jason has forsaken her bed; men of this time
period were allowed mistresses. But she, being a princess, demands
respect because of her status and that of her father. In this period,
I thought that men could only have one wife at a time, especially
those of a royal family. No king likes being told his daughter isn't
good enough, so gets to share the marriage. Wars get started because
of this. I think that the lack of respect for Medea's homeland allowed
Jason and Creon to believe that another marriage was acceptable. Her
rage led her to kill the new bride as well as her own children, though
there might have been mercy within her children's death. Being a
princess in two countries would have entitled her children to lands
and a status of their own. Being exiled from both countries, her
children would grow up without a name, status, or lands. Nor could she
leave them with their father, for either he would be left with some
happiness, which she could not stand, or they would be killed for
bearing the poisoned objects to the bride, therefore killing her as
well as the king. I agree with Rosie that this final act does prove to
the people of Corinth, and especially Jason, the strength,
intelligence, and power within her, as well as any woman.
ehe...@gmail.com
Medea Essay
Medea is a play that was probably unique for its time. For thousands
of years, and even now in a lot of cultures, women are not seen to be
on the same level as men. Sexism has been widely accepted until very
recently. In the play, Medea is outraged when she finds out that her
husband, Jason, is deserting her for a Princess, the daughter of King
Creon. She feels she has been discriminated against not only because
she is a woman and has lower status compared to the Princess, but also
because she is an outsider. She is seen as a barbarian by her
neighbors and by Jason himself.
Nationalism is common. People are always suspicious of outsiders,
because they are unfamiliar with them and fear the unknown. When
Creon exiles Medea, she really has nowhere to go because she will not
be truly accepted by other nations. Aegeus invites her to his land if
she can make it on her own, because he "'does not wish to incur blame
from [his] friends'" (24). This shows that other countries are
reluctant to take in Medea. The only thing on her mind is revenge,
and she succeeds. Her poisoned gifts kill the Princess, and she
"saves" her children by killing them. Medea's actions are horrifying
to Jason, who feels much pain.
For that time period, sexism was considered okay. A woman truly
standing up for herself was unheard of. Medea goes against the
general ideas of her society, and the rulers of nations have taken
notice of this. I think that Medea would have been more welcomed by
other places if she had not built up her reputation as a strong
woman. It was normal for females to be submissive in that era. Creon
feared that she might do something horrible if he let her stay in
Greece, because he was aware of her intelligence and the fact that her
behavior was the opposite of most women.
Medea's actions were a result of her society. She wanted to show how
disgusted she was with her treatment. Nowadays, Jason would have been
criticized for deserting his family for a woman of higher status.
People did not think that way back then, and Medea was ahead of her
time.
cyagow
In Euripides Medea, the character Medea demonstrates qualities
opposite of the common woman role for the time period. After bieng
left by her husband, Medea take a role of revenge toward her husband
and children. SHe turns agains the common genter and ethnic roled of
her people. For example, women are typically given the role of caring
for the children, however Medea killer them in anger towards her
husband. The text shows views in favor of patriarchy and
nationalism. They portray the deeds of Medea that would be against
these two ideas as radical and wrong. The text does not show sympathy
to Medea's dilemas and trials, however it portrays her as idiotic and
insane. They show Jason, Medea's former husband, as calm and rational
and as a positive man with good intentions. As a reader, I lfelt bad
for Medea's condition and the grief she felt, bu I also found her
tactics to be very extreme and unnecessary. At the same time I felt
bad for Jason because he did not mean harm and was punished cruely by
Medea.
The text also talks positively toward nationalism. The fact
that Meda was asked to leave her town shown nationalism among the
people there who required her to leave. Also mentioned was the fact
that Medea would have trouble finding another nation to be accepted
among. It seemed that everyone had a specific town that they belonged
to. Being asked to leave showed that she no longer belong with the
beliefs and characteristics of her region. She would have to find
another civilization that would accept her, which sounded difficult to
do.
Medea is very ostracized throughout the book. Her actions set
her apart from the other members of her town, and rightfully so. She
did not act in a proper way, and her actions were cruel, unusual, and
unnecessary. However, I still find it hard not to sympathize with her
in any way. Medea was an emotional character who let her emotions
take over her life.
Collee...@gmail.com
Euripides' Medea is one of very few works that first brought up social
issues like xenophobia and sexism that are still heavily discussed
today. Even in the time of the Ancient Greeks, women have been seen
as second-class citizens but in this play, the title-character, Medea,
made the decision to finally break free from the patriarchal society
that had left her wronged, infuriated, and hungry for revenge. After
years of undying love and have born children to him, Jason completely
betrays the promises he made to Medea when they wedded and chooses to
marry the king of Corinth's daughter. Finding this out was horrible in
more ways than one to Medea and she chose to gain revenge by not only
ruthlessly killing Jason's new bride but also, her own children in the
process of doing so; "when once she is wronged in the matter of love,
No other soul can hold so many thoughts of blood" (9).
It is clear to see that women's abilities were undermined, "Of all
things that are living and can form a judgment we women are the most
unfortunate creatures" (9) and men felt that repercussions will not
come to them even after poor decisions. Jason never stopped to
consider how him remarrying another could affect his children and
Medea, but once called a "coward in every way" (15), with his ego
wounded, he begins to back track and offers to help her before she
goes into exile, believing this would make things right. Euripides
plays off of the undermining of women and has allows Medea to be aware
that not only can she use emotions to her advantage but she also very
witty and clever. Though how she used her abilities in a rather
extreme action, she did what she felt was best and did not want to be
taken advantage of anymore. Her anger and hatred directed to Jason
can be used a metaphor of how women's oppression under men can not be
tolerated and will not go unsettled.
Along with sexism and women oppression, xenophobia is another subtle
reason to what made Medea finally break, "there is no sorrow above the
loss of a native land" (21). She had become looked down upon because
she left her home country to marry Jason, later explained by saying
that he ultimately did her a favor because in Greece, she would be
"honored by her cleverness" (17). But even in Corinth , she was seen
as "barbaric" and the Creon even saw it acceptable to exile her with
prior knowledge that she had no where else to go. Ancient Greeks took
great pride in their own "city-states" and did not want to unblemished
the image that they have built up, if one bad seed infiltrates, they
have to get it out fast.
As I read Rosie's response, I agreed with virtually all points that
she made. She mentioned that "men of power feel threatened by her"
and that is very reasonable and shown when the King decides to exile
her, "I greatly dread that you are plotting some evil" (11). Her
comparison of Jason taking Medea to Greece and what settles did to
Native Americans was a very interesting metaphor choice that made
sense.
Medea is a work ahead of its time and its subject matter has been an
eyebrow raiser for centuries. What readers get out of this ability
that revenge has to bring out the dark in some people. Many find
Medea's actions understandable and just, a little overkill but right,
others are appalled by the thought of a mother killing children; but
people cannot act like things like this have not happened in this day
and age. It is important for women and anyone estranged by their
society to speak out and do what
hert...@gmail.com
Euripides' Medea takes place in ancient Greek, which was a male
dominated society. When Euripides wrote this play, women were not
typically the protagonist, which was why it created such a
controversy. The play itself doesn't express sexism opinions, but
simply takes place in a society where women had lower status.
Xenophobia is also expressed in this play, but it appears as more of a
stereotype towards Medea's homeland rather than an actual fear of
outsiders.
The actual conflict in Medea occurs when Jason, Medea's husband
decides to marry the princess of Corinth in hopes of bettering himself
in society. What he fails to recognize is his wife sacrifice in order
to be with him. Medea left her home, family, and gave up everything
to be with Jason and now she feels betrayed and humiliated. Jason,
thinking Medea is just an ordinary woman, fails to think twice about
his actions and the repercussions they will bring.
Medea's revenge on Jason and the royal family would be considered an
unforgivable crime in today's society, but in ancient society, this
type of revenge was unheard of. This is where sexism can be seen in
the ancient society, because they failed to recognize women as being
capable of such plans. Even though they suspected Medea of planning
something, they still were confident that she wouldn't go through with
it. Medea's extreme rage comes from the lack of appreciation of the
sacrifice she made for Jason. Jason is not only sexist, in the way he
disrespects his wife, but also selfish. His decision to marry another
woman was based on the chance that he would be king someday. He even
offers Medea the spoils of being king, assuming she will be happy
about it and just accept his bribe. It is understandable why Jason
thinks that marrying a girl to become king is a good plan, but he
should have thought of it before he met Medea. Medea is faced with
the hardships of being an outsider in a foreign land where she is
unfamiliar with people. Even though Medea was put through so much,
her actions of revenge were completely out of line. Perhaps if she
had somewhere to go, things might have turned out different, but for
her, that was the only way out.
I agree with Sam's interpretation of Medea because it gives a simple
yet sophisticated outlook on Medea's situation. At the time the play
was written, women did have a lower status than men, but it was
Jason's inconsideration towards his wife that really sparked the
problem. However, if being a "barbaric" was the stereotype she faced,
then didn't she only prove them right with her actions? It is hard to
feel sorry for either of the characters, but the revenge Medea took
upon Jason certainly didn't match the crime.
Austin Lewis
Weinberg 6
Medea Response
The darkest fears of men can be powerful weapons in the hands of one
with the motivation to use them. Medea, the protagonist of Euripides'
play of the same name is the prime example of this. Xenophobia and
sexism make her appear inferior in the eyes of her newfound
countrymen, and she uses this greatly to her advantage.
Medea is the incarnation of the an old adage- 'Hell hath no fury like
a woman scorned." Furious at her husband's betrayal, especially given
the sacrifice she has made for him, Medea plots to wreak her terrible
revenge. However, it is difficult to take revenge on one who knows
how dangerous their foe can be. So, how does Medea hide her
intentions? She uses the very minds of her enemies. The play shows a
definite xenophobia which afflicts much of the general populace.
However, due to her descent, Medea is seen as a barbarian, one of
slight intelligence. If the play did not perpetuate this viewpoint,
Medea's plan would be unable to succeed, as she would be held suspect
as to her motives without this veil. Additionally, the play continues
the view of women as the inferior sex. Weaker, less cunning, neither
sounds like a description of a killer. Behind yet another wall of
illusion, Medea seems assured of victory. However, the views
expressed by the play are not merely an implicit statement. Medea
herself actively maintains her veils. For example, when she first
devises her vengeance, Medea speaks with her husband. During this
conversation, she drops her strength and her will in order to seem the
part of an obedient housewife. In this way, she assuages Jason's
fears of her scheme. The sexist viewpoint does not, however, end
there. Medea even goes so far as to prey on the stereotypical
behavior of other women, such as the princess. Medea knows that, as a
woman, the princess will be excited by her gifts and thus succumb to
the poison. Again, the play has shown a very sexist point of view.
However, there are some points where one might confuse the play's
point of view.
Some may argue that the play does not perpetuate the aforementioned
stereotypes, but, rather, that these views are challenged. One point
some may argue is the very nature of Medea herself. She is scheming
and conniving, strong-willed and forceful. Almost the exact opposite
of what a woman is expected to be in the time of Medea. However, the
inner thoughts are not what defines a stereotype. Rather, it is the
conduct of an individual that ultimately decides whether or not that
individual fit's the mold. Medea may be strong in her mind, but she
acts in such a way as to fit the role that is expected of her. Some
may bring up the point that Jason took Medea, a foreigner, to be his
wife as a challenge to the play's xenophobic motif. This is also
incorrect. Jason, after a time, grows bored with Medea, thus creating
the story's conflict. Additionally, the Corinthian women absolutely
love to gossip about the "barbarian."
In the end, the play Medea only serves to perpetuate the xenophobia
and sexism that existed at the time of its production. These themes
are not only implied, but actively maintained by the titular
character. Though an intriguing read, Medea fails to free itself from
the conventional thinking of its time.
Chuck
were delegated to domestic duties. Medea, being a woman, could not go
against her husband in any way that wouldn't make her seem like a
violent or barbaric person. In a way, it is Medea's lack of authority
that makes her so strong of will, Only under the pressure of a highly
patriarchal society could Medea's determination to ruin her husband
have been forged. The sexism present in Medea leads more to building
her identity then to her marginalization.
The Corinthians' nationalism and ethnocentrism lead more to
Medea's marginalization than does Greek sexism. They consider Medea
to be a barbaric woman that was rescued from her homeland by Jason.
Thus, they feel that whatever Jason does is right and Medea is the one
that has done something wrong.The people of Corinth easily decide to
side with Jason because he is of their own country while Medea is an
outsider.
Sophia
5th Hour
Medea Response
Euripides does an interesting job of balancing xenophobia and sexism.
Though both are clearly present in "Medea," neither is a prominent
theme or overriding message in the story. An excellent example of
xenophobia would be the calling of Medea and the people from her
homeland "barbarians". However; in this time period, thinking that
any culture other than their own was barbaric was a common belief of
many. Consider the conflict between the Trojans and the Greeks in The
Iliad, for instance. It would not be correct to refer to Jason's
contempt for Medea and her people as xenophobia, because while by
today's standards it would be fitting to label his behavior as
xenophobic; in ancient Greece, it was commonplace.
In other stories similar to Medea, the hero of the story is almost
always male. So upon knowing the protagonist is, in fact, female;
the assumption will be that she is made to feel inferior, that in the
hierarchy of her culture, she is nowhere near the top. But arguably
in Medea, the level of sexism is low. This issue relates directly to
the xenophobia issue in that by today's standards, the men in "Medea,"
especially Jason, are sexist. Yet considering women's roles in
society in ancient Greece, one would realize Medea was not treated any
worse than what was expected. Besides his condescending attitude
towards Medea, Jason's betrayal of her by leaving her for Glauce is
argued by some as sexist. However, this act was not in itself
sexist. Jason accepted Creon's offer of his daughter with no thought
for Medea of course, and with his own best interest at mind. Yet this
decision was not sexist. This decision, much like the illustrations
of supposed xenophobia, were nothing out of the ordinary back then.
Yet even in this day and age, when a man leaves his wife for another
woman, would it be considered sexist? While this was a hurtful
action, it can hardly be considered sexist.
The example that brings xenophobia and sexism together would be the
exile of Medea. This, however, further proves that neither Creon nor
Jason are exceptionally xenophobic and/or sexist. Medea was exiled
because of violent behavior, in her jealousy of Glauce and anger
towards Jason. Creon exiled Medea out of fear of safety for himself,
his daughter, and his people. Banishing her was a practical decision
he felt compelled to make, and cannot be taken as xenophobia or
sexism. If Medea had been from Corinth, and even if she had been a
man, Creon would still have exiled her out of fear for security.
The ancient Greeks were known to be proud of their nationalism, and
"Medea" illustrates it well. There is a fine line between nationalism
and xenophobia, and the Corinthians walk it carefully. As previously
stated, the reference to Medea and her people as barbarians can be
effortlessly described as nationalist views. While it may seem like
extreme nationalism in today's society, it was simply pride in their
country to them, which the core of the definition of nationalism.
Even in today's society, offending other cultures and labeling it
nationalism is common. And while the Greeks were often violent in
their nationalist beliefs, it was not based on fear of others so much
as it was based on their own pride and ambition, or simple revenge.
So while some of the themes and events in "Medea" could be seen as
xenophobic or sexist by today's standards, Euripedes was clearly
showing the nationalism of the Greeks and accurately portraying their
ethos. The actions taken by the characters, especially Jason and
Creon, were not xenophobic or sexist, and cannot be interpreted as
such. Considering setting is key while reading literature, and once
done, the reader can easily agree that events in "Medea" were typical
examples of nationalism and hierarchy, and not telling of xenophobia
or sexism.
hcr...@yahoo.com
unfixable situation. Her husband, Jason, chooses another over her,
she is banished, and her own country refuses her. Medea cannot win
for two reasons: she is a woman, and she is a foreigner. Both of
these make her evil, untrustworthy, and threatening to the men who run
Greece. The author however takes a different opinion on Medea's
plight and the attitude of the country. It is unreasonable and
ignorant to judge a person based on their gender and ethnicity.
Being a woman in Greece was an unfortunate place to be in ancient
times. Women were considered second class and were forced into being
home-makers. Medea was not different. She raised her children and was
under her husband's thumb. Her opinion did not matter. Medea was
however a clever woman, which caused men to fear her rather than
respect her. She was further ostracized because she was from another
country. These two characteristics, which were out of her control,
became her defining factors against her will. Medea was not a woman
to sit back and follow a man. She resisted her second class
citizenship, and this caused the males around her to resent her even
more. When she argued with Jason about his decision to marry another,
she was banished completely. Medea's identity was created by factors
outside of her control.
It can be inferred from the text though that Euripides had a
different take on how society should be structured. Medea is often
referred to as a "clever woman" and a brave lady, while Jason is
portrayed as weak. Euripides uses his characters to show that gender
is not a sign of competency, intelligence, or greatness. Being male
or female does not make a good or bad person. It is not right to have
a male leader just because he is a male. Medea fooled Creon at his
own game, proving a woman to be just as smart as a man. Euripides
points out that Medea is banished because she is feared. The men of
Greece know that she is just as capable as, and possibly smarter than
they are, so they decide to push her away completely. Euripides uses
Medea to illustrate another point as well: it is not wise to burn
bridges after you cross them. In other words, one should not turn his
or her back on his or her country. Medea learns this lesson the hard
way. She needs a place to go after she is banished, and her own
country seems most logical. She cannot return though since she left
under poor circumstances. One's country or heritage is not something
to be lightly tossed aside.
Medea is forced to be a second class citizen based on two factors:
her sex, and her background. She is falsely considered incompetent
because of these two things, neither of which she can help. A
patriarchal society is wrong, as "Medea" proves. The title character
is a smart woman. She makes one fatal error though when she puts her
country behind her. Her country will never take her back. Women
should not be lower class as the play proves.
hcr...@yahoo.com
His reasoning behind marrying another women just sounded foolish and
self-centered. My views may be clouded by current standards though.
I feel that the text makes Medea out to be above the men around her,
since she out smarts them time and time again. they also refer to her
as "clever".
Marla Westervelt
disparaging references to women as a group as those that are "full of
fear, defenseless", "worthless" (29), "helpless in doing good
deeds" (14), " of every evil the cleverest of contrivers" (14), and
above all, lacking self mastery in the arena of passionate love. The
remarks come from both men and women and seem to be accepted as a
given without question with the vast majority of woman's vices
revealed by Medea herself. The overpowering role of passion in a
woman's life is stressed as Medea , the townswomen, and Jason as all
point out how love takes complete control of a woman's actions. For
example, Medea easily persuades her husband that she lost her bearings
in response to his infidelity because of the nature of her gender, "
but we women are what we are - perhaps a little worthless" (29).
Although she is manipulating him, Jason quickly sees "the truth" (to
him) in her explanation, and forgives her. Further, the women of the
village express this weakness of women as they lament the effects of
love on their sex: " O women's love, so full of trouble" (42). Also,
Jason gives Medea no credit for her role in saving his life and
helping him on his conquest of the golden fleece. He says that she
could not help herself as she was in the grips of love rather than
acting with selfless heroism : "it was love's inescapable power that
compelled you to keep my person safe" (17) Finally, Medea is so
consumed by emotion that she is unable to control her emotions and is
willing to kill her own children in revenge in order to hurt the man
who has dishonored her as she divulges, "for this is the best way to
wound my husband" (26). Jason can not believe that his betrayal is
sufficient to cause her actions: as he inquires, "and just for the
sake of that you choose to kill" (44)? Medea responds that lost love
is unbearable for her kind: " Is love so small a pain, do you think
for a woman? " (44)
However, when viewed as a whole, the play portrays both genders with
their share of character flaws and virtues and challenges stereotypes,
particularly the presumed inferiority of women, which leads to
treatment that begets violence and widespread misery. Medea is not
alone in bad behavior. Jason displays infidelity to his wife, lack of
concern for his children, and dishonesty about his motives for
remarrying. He breaks his marriage vow, and leaves his wife who has
endured broad spectrum sacrifice for his sake, to take up with a
younger "virgin" (44) woman. Jason neglects his children. He claims
that he only had Medea's "best interests" (18) in mind when he
abandoned her and married the princess. Both the nurse and the
townswomen display an awareness of the evil nature of Medea's answer
to her jilting. The townswomen ask the god to stop Medea: "O heavenly
light hold back her hand." (40). King Aegeus sympathizes with Medea's
grief and also understands that an oath before the gods is solemn and
punishable by death which he refers to as "what comes to those who
have no regard for heaven" (25).
I do not believe that Medea promotes fear of foreigners since there
are not enough characters to draw a generalization about non-Greeks.
Indeed, Medea has let her heartbreak rip herself up and seeks brutal
vengeance, but she is only one person.
I appreciated Rosie pointing out that women at the time were limited
to emotional power and had other avenues been available to her, Medea
may have found a more peaceful solution. I think of war torn
countries where revolutionaries in the minority resort to terrorism as
a means of addressing injustices as they perceive this method as the
only avenue attracting sufficient attention to their cause..
arielak...@sbcglobal.net
Euripides's Medea is a story of impulsiveness and tragedy. It tells of
how Medea's gender, social status and past history can affect her
emotions and her actions. Through her eyes, we see a Greece ruled by
the thoughts of men and only men. Women have no say in the matter and
are taught to be seen and not heard; a proverb that we often tell
children.
I would have to say that Medea's sorrow stems from her impulsive
decisions. Now that Jason has left her, she regrets the actions she
took previously: "Oh, my father! Oh, my country! In what dishonor I
left you, killing my own brother for it." (6) She saves a man and runs
off with him, killing her own brother to be with him, all in the name
of love. When he refuses the return to her, her self-pity turns into a
mindless rage which causes her to send a poisoned coronet and dress to
Jason's new wife. Though she has already decided to kill the children,
Jason's wife's decision to spare her children causes her to rethink
this rash decision. Eventually she chooses to proceed with the murder
saying, "I know indeed what evil I intend to do, but stronger than all
my afterthoughts is my fury, fury that brings upon mortals the
greatest evils." (35)
Euripides portrays a woman as, in the words of Medea, "a frail thing,
prone to crying," (30) and yet with a cleverness that shocks the
audience. Our title character uses this to her advantage as she
pretends to repent in front of Jason so that he will let the children
near his new bride. But her gender also forces her a step below Jason
so that while he has the choice to leave her, she is forced to stay
with the children. This leaves her deeply resentful and she curses the
day she saved him. She knows that Jason looks down upon her culture
and thinks that she had been "living among barbarians," (17) but now
understands the ways of the Greek.
Medea has no real love for this country and bemoans the day that she
deserted the land of her fathers. Her only connection to this land had
been her husband. He was also the reason for her rise in social
status. Now that he has deserted her, she is a kite without a lead,
floating in a place that doesn't really accept her. She has no anchor
anywhere and the women of the town sympathize with her, saying "O
country and home, never, never may I be without you...there is no sorrow
above the loss of a native land." (21)
In Medea's opinion, Greece is ruled by the minds of men. Her husband
doesn't even bother to give her a reason as to why he is got a new
wife and seems to make something up when she insists on knowing. When
she tries to contradict him, he denies all of her claims. She claims
that she saved him but he says "Cypris was alone responsible of men
and gods for the preserving of my life." (17)
Medea does not appear to be a very stable person as we can see from
her constantly changing emotional state. When we first see her, she is
suicidal but after she talks to Jason we see her mood change from
suicidal to vengeful. Revenge overtakes her mind and pushes out any
thoughts of motherhood as she even contemplates murdering her own
children if only to give Jason back some of the pain that he was
causing her.
klaura...@yahoo.com
I agree that Medea was living during a time when sexism was more
accepted than it is now, but it is also important to be able to image
how it was back then when people didn't know there was such a thing as
"sexism." Jason doesn't "cheat" on Medea, that would be inflicting our
current morals on a completely different society. Rather, he takes an
additional wife, and he tells Medea that it isn't that he doesn't love
her anymore, but because he wants to expand the family. And I think
when Medea and the townswomen commiserate about how unfair life is for
women, it shows that sexism isn't accepted by ALL people. Especially
in this book, the unjustices of sexism are shown in broad daylight
since Medea is the main character and gets the most dialogue.
On Aug 20, 3:00 am, Gabe <aurace1...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > that they may never again think less of her than she sees in herself.- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -
Ethan Chambers
criticizing rash choices and momentary judgement, displayed by Medea
and Jason who are the male and female sides of the story. Medea's
anger for Jason is perfectly displayed by a line from Congreve's "The
Mourning Bride", "Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned, Nor
hell a fury like a woman scorned". This was not how the two started
out, however the actions that took place for them to be together
involved Medea betraying her homeland and eventually becoming exiled.
Her once great love for Jason becomes her greatest regret, and only
deepens when he, the only person she had connection to in Corinth, is
to be married to the king's daughter, Glauce. Jason appears to have
Medea as nothing more than just another wife, valuing more the
children they have had together that can be raised in Corinth.
Medea's reaction to what she sees as a betrayal to not only her and
her children, is a wailing anger that seethes over towards her
husband. Jason on the other hand is doing what he believes to be best
for his family, both wives included, believing that marrying into the
royalty will elevate the entire family. When confronted with her
hate, Jason is puzzled how the wife he saved from a barbaric place,
that was located nowhere, could possibly hate him for what he believes
to be strengthening the family and its political ties.
What can be seen from Jason and Medea's relationship is that Medea is
in all ways powerless to the authority of a man, and even more so she
is powerless in a land that she is a foreigner to. This being the
case gives Medea no favor from Corinth when she lashes out in anger at
Jason and his actions throughout the play, in fact it only makes it
all worse when she is eventually exiled from Corinth by the king Creon
because he believes it will be safest for everyone that way. Her
actions also destroy her chances of fleeing to her allies near by,
doing so would incite the rage of Jason for giving shelter to Medea.
Creon says he loves his country and only wishes to protect it, Jason
remarks similiary by saying he only marries again to strengthen his
homeland; compare this to Medea who is a foreign woman that not only
is exiled from her homeland, but killed her own brother in the
process. Euripides shows that crossing too many people has left Medea
to no one but herself.
In the end Medea is a powerless woman in Greece, a land ruled by men,
who is left with nothing but hate towards Jason. Medea's choice to
kill her children is an example of how women in Greece were considered
as crafty, clever, evil, and manipulative creatures. Killing her
children however was to strike out against Jason and Corinth. Medea
aimed to show she would not submit to Jason or Corinth, killing her
children, Glauce and Creon. It is possible to say that these actions
show that Euripides disagreed with how women were thought of, that
perhaps woman deserved more of their own say. However it seems more
that the tragedy of Medea is a portrait of how when a woman is held as
nothing more than a trophy, her vengeance can consume everyone around
her.
Alexis Georgiadis
The character of Medea was marginalized by both the
patriarchal society of ancient Greece, and through a set of inflexible
laws, within the parameter of nationalism. It essentially held women
powerless within that society. In order to understand Euripides'
tragic play, we need to examine it within the historical context of
women in ancient Greece. The woman's role was that of a nurturer,
although she added to the financial security of the home by producing
textiles, and performing burial rights. Her main function was to bear
children and tend to the home. This was a lonely task, often performed
while men went off to war.
Medea was abandoned twice, first by Jason, then by her homeland. The
later was of her choosing. She kills her brother, to help Jason gain
safe passage home, after acquiring the Golden Fleece. Then, she
abandons her father and her home, knowing she can never return. Medea
understands this mistake too late. Within the Greek culture, family is
everything, and murdering one's family would never be tolerated, no
matter how much passion one felt. That act of betrayal foreshadows
Medea's downfall. "I betrayed my father and my house" (16). Medea will
have to live with the choice she has made, "we women are the most
unfortunate creatures" (8). When a woman makes a poor choice in
marriage, "there is no escape" (8).
The gender issue comes into play here, because a woman's fate is
sealed with marriage, while "a man when he's tired of his house, puts
an end to his boredom" (9). Jason leaves Medea for a new wife. It is
Medea who must "keep her eyes on one alone" (9). When Jason marries
the princess of Corinth, King Creon's daughter, who is a more
advantageous partner than a foreigner, Medea feels betrayed. She has
obeyed her vows, while Jason walks away from his. "The husband lives
with us and lightly bears his yolk" (9). Medea, furthermore, is not
allowed to express her pain through insulting Jason, that is, without
facing exile. Creon tells Medea that she is, "clever, versed in the
evil arts" (10). She replies, "some envy me, some reject me, for all
my cleverness" (10).
It is evident that Medea's pride, cleverness, and outspoken nature,
are frowned on as traits in women, but admired in men. Women are to be
seen but not heard from. Jason warns her, "you inhabit Greek land,
understand our ways, how to live by the law" (17). Greek laws always
take precedence over the individual's will. Morally, by the God's
decrees, Jason is an adulterer, but in the end, the state has supreme
power.
Jason, too, recognizes Medea's powerlessness within their marriage.
He tells Medea, "I wished to preserve you and breed a royal progeny to
be brothers" (19). Jason feels Medea should welcome such a fortune,
not curse it. She is making his, as well as her own, life miserable.
Jason wants the benefits of marriage, without the inconvenience, "it
would be better if women didn't exist, life would be good" (18). This
statement shows Jason's arrogance where women are concerned.
Consequently, for Medea, her fate was sealed, as both a foreign wife,
and an independent woman. Just as Athena, the patron deity of Athens,
rejects marriage, so too, does Medea. Medea realizes that her
obligation to bear children carries with it overwhelming restraints,
not to mention, a reminder of a soured marriage. She states, "I'd
rather stand three times in front of battle that to bear one
child" (9). She, furthermore, questions why the gods make women bear
children to begin with, when they bring so much pain, "vain waste your
care of children" (41).
Later, when the nurse tries to intercede on behalf of the children,
telling Medea they are not responsible for their father's sins, Medea
refuses to listen to reason. She knows her children will be looked
down on by society, "my children, there is no one who can give them
safety" (26). Medea knows the murder she is contemplating is wrong, "I
weep to think of what a deed I have to do" (26). She knows she can not
take the children into exile with her, "I have no land, no home, and
no refuge for my pain" (26). For Medea, there is no way out, forcing
her to commit the unthinkable act for a Greek woman, the murder of her
children. Medea does not take this act lightly, "this is the most
terrible grief of all" (36). Medea knows her children, like herself,
will be ridiculed a far worse fate, "for it is not bearable to be
mocked by my enemies" (26).
Like many women in the same situation, Medea's reasoning starts to
spiral into madness, "the gods and I, in a kind of madness, have
contrived all this" (33). Medea's love for Jason has turned diseased;
her hatred turned to rage. Her thinking becomes impaired, and she
turns that rage toward her children, as well. They have become pawns
in the marriage, "she turns from her children and doesn't like to see
them" (2). Medea views Jason as a coward, "O coward in every way, that
is what I call you" (15). She knows Jason does not care about his
children. If he has married behind her back, what else is her capable
of? Medea blames Jason for the fate of the children. Jason blames
Medea, "O children, what a wicked mother she was to you! (44)"
The final act of Medea's despair is revenge. She loves her children,
but hates Jason more, "I loved them and killed them to make you feel
pain" (46). We understand Medea's pain stems from not wanting them to
be ostracized. It is a painful decision based on alternatives that are
too hard to bear. They are better off dead, "I wish you luck, but not
in this world" (35). The tragedy is in believing there is no way out
of one's misery. Medea knows that she will have the upper hand by
destroying not only the children, but Jason's bride, Clauce as well.
Medea becomes the avenger of evil, Jason the tragic victim of his own
arrogance and ambition. If Medea were a modern day story, she might be
compared to Andrea Yates, who drowned her five children in the
bathtub, striving to live up to the ideal of perfection as a wife and
a mother.
On Jul 17, 12:13 pm, Charles.Weinb...@gmail.com wrote:
> The prompt for Medea has been altered to suit the purposes of this
> discussion board. You are still required to argue whether or not the
> text perpetuates xenophobia (fear of outsiders) and sexism or
> challenges it. However, besides stating your argument, you must also
> provide a comment on or rebuttal to another student's post. This
> should require approximately one page of typed, single-spaced text.
Anna
discriminations, whether it is because of their nationality, their
wealth, or their gender. Throughout history, many have constantly
debated over the extremes of these stereotypes. In the story of
Medea's tragedy, Euripides integrates his views, and the views of the
society in which he lived, of feminism, nationalism, and the
significance of the father of households through the main character,
Medea, and the ways it affects the identity of her.
During the time that Euripides lived in his Greek society, it was a
common belief that women were weaker than men. He writes through a
long speech that Medea presents that "of all things which are living
and can form a judgement... women are the most unfortunate
creatures," (8) because all their wealth goes into buying a husband
and "take for [their] bodies a master; for not to take one is even
worse" (8). Furthermore, Euripides believes that women are often
looked down upon. A woman's life depends on how well she can "manage
him who shares the bed with her. And if [she] works out all this well
and carefully, and the husband lives with [her] and lightly bears his
yoke, then life is enviable" (9). It is believed that it is okay if
men turn to other women if they get bored of their wives, but women
are "forced to keep [their] eyes on one alone" (9). Alongside the fact
that Medea is a woman and is discriminated for it already, her
abandonment of her native land is also frowned upon.
Euripides strongly expresses his belief on nationalism by stating that
"there is no sorrow above the loss of a native land," (21) meaning
that a person without nationality will suffer a life without origin.
He presumes that a person would feel out of place in this world
without knowing where he came from, or feel as if he is an outcast of
the world with nowhere to go back to when he feels at a loss of sense
of direction in life. He also writes that "A foreigner especially must
adapt himself," because he would "not approve of even a fellow-
countryman who by a pride and want of manners offends his
neighbors," (8) indicating that a foreigner is judged with suspicion
until he proves himself to be useful to his neighbors. He speaks
through Jason, claiming that Medea is "an evil thing" because she is
"a traitress to [her] father and [her] native land" (43).
Women lived under the control of the father and his household. In
Greek society according to Euripides, a "father's house" is considered
a "haven" (15); a place to turn back to for refuge. Medea's betrayal
of his father and his land adds on to the heavy burden of
discrimination and bad reputation.
Medea's hardship was a certain tragedy not just due to her husband's
infidelity, but also due to common biased judgments. These three
things, the prejudice of women, of people with no native land, and of
traitors of their father and his land, led Medea and her life to a
crashing halt. It left her with no family, no refuge, and most
importantly in this case, no husband.
destiny woods
May 31st, 2007
English 407-2
Summer Assignment-Medea
After reading this play, I am intrigued at the ways in which Euripides
plays around with concepts of gender and ethnicity. One of the many
things I noticed from the beginning was the way he danced around the
understood status role of women. The Nurse, Tuitor, and Chorus of
Women raved on and on about Medea's emotional status because of her
tainted marriage. The fact that these characters consistently
emphasized the issue of marriage gave me certain impressions. I,
myself, think that marriage and wedding vows are a big deal. However,
the Nurse and Chorus of Women made it seem as if these things in
itself were Medea's core of existence; as if loyalty to her "husband's
bed" and children were her very life, and all she could ever imagine
living for! In fact, Medea herself even says she's met her end. Her
life was over! The fact that Medea was a women and a mother only
intensified the gravity of what she does at the end of the play. It's
amazing and terrifying all at once. It's amazing to me because on page
8, Medea tells the women that women are the most unfortunate creatures
on earth because they're expected to take on a husband as "master"
over their bodies. Women were illustrated as weak, feeble creatures,
bound to house and home, dependent on their husbands. Yet, amazingly,
Medea's rage breaks all limiting bonds of womanhood and motherly
duties! Instead of just excepting her disgrace, obeying the King's
orders, and raising her children as expected, she seeks vengeance!
In addition, Euripides seems use Medea's ethnic background to further
explain her cruel, fatal actions. After realizing the tragic state he
was in, Jason brings up the fact that Medea is from Colchis; that
she's not Greek. After awhile, I began to translate Jason's use of the
term "Greek" to mean "civilized". After all, Medea told Jason she
believed the reason why he betrayed her was partially because, after
being home for awhile, he felt ashamed to have married a foreign
woman. It kind of gives a sense that Medea wasn't truly welcome long
before she began speaking out against Creon and his court. Once Jason
discovered the fate of his children he mentions that he brought her
from a foreign home to a Greek house; as if he did some huge favor for
her or something. Then he says she killed the kids for "the sake of
pleasure in bed", which I found to be interesting because it was like
saying foreigners are so uncivilized that their women, although they
way be wives, are really just whore who would do anything for pleasure
from their husbands. Clearly, not only did Euripides create Medea's
character as that of a woman, (which was low in itself), but he
combines it with the bitter dislike of a Colchis native, thus making
Medea the ultimate monster. Like Jason said, "There is no Greek( or
"civilized") woman who would have dared such deeds".
By analyzing Medea's character and the ways in which she was
portrayed, I've come to the conclusion that patriarchy and nationalism
was a big deal to Euripides. Medea, as I said before, spoke for all
women when she described the unfortunate factors that made women the
most unfortunate beings alive. Her entire speech could be easily
summarized by saying, "Men rule the world! Women are but the servants
of men". But I think Jason gets the idea across best when he very
passionately declares that the creation of women was a tragic mistake.
He went as far as to say it would've been better if children came into
the world in any other form other that via a woman's body. That's a
deep, deep thing to say. And, again, there was never a moment that
went by that Jason didn't make sure everyone remembered Medea wasn't
Greek. He gave a clear message that Greeks were the dominant culture,
displaying nationalism throughout the play.
destiny woods
On Sep 3, 2:36 pm, destiny woods <heavenly_kisse...@hotmail.com>
wrote:
In response to to what Anna wrote, I agree with what she had to
say. Most of what she had to say I had said as well. I like how she
articulates the little amount of influence women had at the time. I
also like the fact that Anna includes information concerning women and
their fathers. She states that while a women wasn't married, she
looked up to her father as the "head" or dominant force in her life.
The father had rule over the woman as long as she remained single. I
think this was good information that she included because it helps to
better illustrate the fact that a woman lived her entire life under
the oppressive thumb of a male. So while the play focuses on marriage
and the social connection between a woman and her husband, Anna's
writing shows that the status of women at the time of Euripides was
low for any female from the time of birth until death. Weakness was a
label that followed all women. Lastily, I appreciate and agree with
what she had to say about Medea's character in connection to her
betrayal towards her father's house and homeland. Madea's actions
concerning the matter definitely makes her seem much more monstrous
then before.
jame...@gmail.com
9/05/07
Medea
A classic example of a tragic hero, Medea is in the spotlight as she
endures numerous ordeals,
each one more traumatic than the previous. However, of all the things
she has suffered, none
of it was endorsed, including Xenophobia and sexism. Euripides
cleverly constructed the syntax
to focus on the injustices that Medea had to go through in a third
person point of view, as if the
reader among the 3rd person narrator were helplessly watching as
things unraveled and quickly
spiraled downwards into the inevitable tragedy. This is clearly done
to invoke specific emotions
from the reader, including sympathy toward Medea and outrage at the
causes of her misfortunes.
Xenophobia is apparent in the story, but portrayed in a light that
shows how harmfulit can be,
in the case of her husband commenting on her people being barbarians.
The same is done with sexism, when Medea lamented on her helplessness
due to being born
a woman and denied an opportunity to follow her ambitions. Especially
noteworthy were some
of the things she said about being a wife, including "of all things
which are living
and can form a judgement... women are the most unfortunate
creatures," (8) and "because all their wealth goes into buying a
husband
and "take for [their] bodies a master; for not to take one is even
worse"(8). These passages are obviously there for ethos, that is, they
are there solely for
the purpose of bringing to light how different men and women were in
her society. From her
lamenting tone, it is then implied that Medea refuses to accept her
fate as a woman, and decides
to break all ties with this culture she has learned to despise.
However, she must first cut the bonds
that tie her to her husband before she can reconcile with herself and
move on. Those bonds are
the children she bore him, proven by his own actions, as he was more
concerned about the children
than his wife. And so, driven by grief and backed into a corner, Medea
severs the bonds and tries to
come to terms with her actions.
In response to Rosie
While there are certain elements in the play portraying Medea as a
strong and intelligent heroine
who was destined for tragedy due to factors outside her control, there
is more to it than just that.
Medea is not just a victim, as she partly brought all of this onto
herself. One must take into account
the time when this play was written. It was no secret back then that
women had fewer rights than men,
and Medea should have been aware of that in the beginning. Also, after
carefully re-reading the story, it
seems that Jason never really loved Medea, and in fact used her to his
advantage. Feeling guilty for what
he had done, and against his better judgment, he brought Medea with
him.
Again, who would truly feel comfortable with a woman who killed her
family for her fanatical "love" for a person? Her impulsive and
psychotic behavior when it came to her devotion
for Jason should have been enough of a warning sign. In a way, Medea
herself was a punishment from the gods
to Jason.
Ethan Chambers
> 9/05/07
> Medea
> In response to Rosie
(I know I have already posted, but I don't agree with some of what
the
poster said.)
Response to Jame's Response of Rose's:
"While there are certain elements in the play portraying Medea as a
strong and intelligent heroine who was destined for tragedy due to
factors outside her control, there is more to it than just that.
Medea is not just a victim, as she partly brought all of this onto
herself."
Perhaps, however where in the play is it stated that Medea brought
any
of what happened on to herself?
"One must take into account the time when this play was written. It
was no secret back then that women had fewer rights than men, and
Medea should have been aware of that in the beginning."
What strikes me as slightly off here is that you're intending to say
that Medea should have been prepared for everything that happened,
however the final bit comes off as if you're assuming Medea was not
aware of her own time.
"Also, after carefully re-reading the story, it seems that Jason
never
really loved Medea, and in fact used her to his advantage."
I agree with part of this, however it seems now you're not giving
Jason a fair judgement. Jason is not evil, he didn't plan all of
this
in advance, he simply acted as a man of the time. What he did was an
attempt to gain favor and power,(I am not saying I agree with what he
did) something that fit the time quite well.
"Feeling guilty for what he had done, and against his better
judgment,
he brought Medea with him."
Umm...the flow of the story in your prior response to this one is a
bit out of sync. Medea went with Jason because she fell in love with
him, which was before the play begins.
"Again, who would truly feel comfortable with a woman who killed her
family for her fanatical "love" for a person? Her impulsive and
psychotic behavior when it came to her devotion for Jason should have
been enough of a warning sign. In a way, Medea herself was a
punishment from the gods to Jason."
I think you took thinking about the "time" a bit far. Medea's anger
for Jason came from disregarding their promise to be each others.
Before the play Jason was exiled from another kingdom, and in attempt
to better political ties and his own position he planned to marry a
princess. This can seem fine, you can say he had the entire family
in mind, his children, he wanted to raise them with a good name,
however
when he did this he angered not only Medea but also the Gods. It was
breaking their pact, their love, that Medea's actions are what
appears to be justified. (In Greek Mythology Jason is doomed by the
Gods
because of this, to die a lonely man, eventually crushed by Argo in
his sleep.)
What I'm trying to say is that you're mis-representing the real
conflict, Jason was troubled by Medea yes, however Medea's following
behaviour is exactly as can be expected, she gave up everything for a
man that in the end broke his promise.