Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Gender role in literature
Gender roles of men and women in ancient greek society
Gender role in literature
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Gender role in literature
In Euripides’ The Bacchae and in the Medea, there are significant binary oppositions in both plays. Binary opposition is the two opposite terms, such as good versus bad. Binary opposition is used to present both sides of a contrast (Marvin, 1). In The Bacchae and the Medea, Euripides used binary opposition to highlight the central themes. The significant binary oppositions that are used are men versus women, foreigner versus citizen, and god versus man. The contrast between men versus women is an important opposition in both plays. The women in the Greek society have no control of their life; the men are in control (Barlow 159). In The Bacchae Dionysus underminded the Greek society point view on women and empowers them. Pentheus is furious about Dionysus; he states in this first speech to his Grandfather Cadmus and Tiresias that the women have betrayed their houses to go off into the mountains to dance to Dionysus and are committing sexual acts (Bacchae 217-224). Pentheus is offended that an “effeminate looking stranger” has come into his land and is giving freedom to the women (353). There is a binary opposition between the way Greek society and Pentheus are treating the women (men) versus the way Dionysus treats them (women). In Medea, the society is similar when it comes to men versus women. Barlow states that the “[h]usband have complete physical control of their wives,” which is similar to the society in Bacchae (Barlow 159). Medea is mistreated by almost all the men that she encounters within the play. Jason betrays her and leaves her to marry Creon’s daughter. Creon wants to banish Medea and her two sons from his land (Medea 272-273). When Creon is banishing Medea from his land he has no h... ... middle of paper ... ...gedy happened to Medea she cries out to Zeus, “O Zeus and justice Zeus and light of the Sun”, this line is a prayer to Zeus calling out for help(Medea 764). This is showing that the gods are superior from everybody else, and they are called upon when times go wrong. Work Cited Barlow, Shirley A. “Stereotype and Reversal in Euripides’ Medea”. Greece and Rome 2nd ser 36.2 (1989): 151-171. Print. Euripides. Bacchae, Ed and Trans. Stephen Esposito. Euripides: Four Plays; Medea, Hippolytus, Heracles, Bacchae. Newburyport, MA: Focus, 2004. 205-267. Print. ---. Medea, Trans. A.J. Podlecki. Euripides: Four plays : Medea, Hippolytus Heracles, Bacchae. Ed. Stephen Esposito. Newburyport, MA: Focus, 2004. 205-267. Print. Marvin, Corey. “Understanding Binary Opposition in Literture”, Class Handout: English 101. Cerro Coso Community College, 2010. Print.
“Euripides Bacchae”. 29 Oct. 2015. Lecture). First I will demonstrate how the empowerment of the Bacchants is seen as a threat to the rational male civilization, but becomes more desirable as the play progresses. Secondly, I will show how the seemingly beneficial powers gained through female empowerment are revealed to be destructive and violent. Finally, I will illustrate how both the civilized rational male and wild irrational female symbolically fail at the plays end, whereas the balance between male and female is triumphant.
Yet isn’t a need for feeling accomplished found in both genders? Why are the two sexes divided? What is Euripides achieving through this division? Yet, “Wait are we the only men in Thebes to follow Bacchus?” (196). Cadmus and Tiresias question why they are the only male representatives in the Bacchantes. What opens the pathway for these two men to pursue a, by standard, feminine outlet.
Euripdies' The Bacchae is known for its celebration of women's rebellion and patriarchial overthrow, claims which hold truth if not supremely. The Thebans, along with other women, pursue the rituals and culture of Dionysus’s cult which enacts their rebellion against men and the laws of their community. However, this motion to go aginst feminine norms is short lived as they lose power. When Agave comes to her epiphany, Dionysus is the one who is triumphant over Pentheus's death, not Agave or her sisters These women must be punished for their rebellion against both men and community. This female power is weakened and the rebellion muted in order to bring back social order and also to provide the story with a close. Female rebellion actually becomes oppressed through The Bacchae due to its conseqences and leading events of the play. This alludes to the message that women who do not follow traditional roles of femininity are subject to the destruction of an established society.
While both women do wrong by the law of man, and Medea against the law of the gods, they do it for different reasons. In the beginning Medea kills many people and monsters with little or no concern of the consequence. When the story deals with modern times Medea kills out of pure revenge and spite for Jason. She plots for weeks to kill Jason’s new bride and poisons her, and then before she leaves the country she murders her two sons, she had with Jason, before she rides off in her bright white chariot.
The story of Medea took place in Ancient Greek. At the time, people's lives, especially women's lives wore not worth very much. People with power can easily
The problem set at the beginning of the play is that Jason has decided to marry another wife, Glauce. Medea is angered and will not let Jason off without punishment. The loss of Jason is not only a matter of passion; Medea has been completely humiliated by Jason's decision to take a new bride. Her pride shows again when she refuses Jason's aid. Though her situation is difficult, she would rather destroy all than accept help from one who has wronged her so horribly. Living as a barbarian among Greeks has made her more defensive, more full of hurt pride. To punish Jason, Medea had her children deliver poisoned gifts to the new bride, to kill her children, Glauce, and Creon. . Medea is not without feeling, nor is she a sociopath. She comprehends the difference between right and wrong, but chooses to follow the dictates of rage.
Within the pages of Eurpides’ Bacchae, Pentheus perceives as immensely sexist character throughout the tragedy due to the way he punishes men and women separately when both sexes celebrate and worship Dionysus. Even in Pentheus’ first appearance to the audience in scene one, he disgustedly speaks of how the women become so enticed by them becoming Maenads and the amount of ingested wine. Pentheus had just recently arrived back from a journey, so up until this moment has he only heard word of the messenger about the situation in Thebes. He had not really investigated the situation for himself but still insults the women and their femininity due to them worshiping Dionysus, not Aphrodite (lines 224 - 225). Pentheus goes as far to treat them
The Bacchae, is a late tragedy by the ancient Greek playwright Euripides, and it is considered one of his best works and one of the greatest of all Greek tragedies. It was written around 410 BCE, but it only premiered after his death at the City Dionysia festival of 405 BCE, where it won first prize (Euripides). The story is based on the myth of King Pentheus of Thebes, who are punished by the god Dionysus for refusing to worship him, and his mother, one of the women worshippers. Euripides had a unique versatility, this characteristic is reflected in his play The Bacchae where he offers an innovative outlook on women and their roles in Greek mythology.
Ironically, Medea’s actions are similar to a man when she takes charge of her marriage, living situation, and family life when she devices a plan to engulf her husband with grief. With this in mind, Medea had accepts her place in a man’s world unti...
Despite the contrast in the characters of Euripedes' Medea and Aristophanes' Lysistrata, the two playwrights depicted how gender inequality can start a fire. As with Medea and Jason, the battle between the two lead to former's madness, leading to the death of the enemies she considered, and, unfortunately, leading as well to the death of her own children. Medea felt betrayed and left behind by her husband Jason, as well as continuously aggravated by Creon despite the fact that i...
Euripides created a two-headed character in this classical tragedy. Medea begins her marriage as the ideal loving wife who sacrificed much for her husband's safety. At the peak of the reading, she becomes a murderous villain that demands respect and even some sympathy. By the end, the husband and wife are left devoid of love and purpose as the tragedy closes.
Women have always been disempowered due to their gender in modern and ancient times alike. In Corinth they are expected to run the household and conform to social expectations of a dutiful wife. Medea, being an immortal and descendant from the gods has a certain power in intelligence and sly cleverness. Being a foreigner, Medea’s wayward irrational behavior was expected in this play as she was not born in Greece and was seen as an exotic creature. She comes across to the audience as a powerful female character in terms of violence. Some of Medea’s reactions and choices appear to be blown out of proportion as authors generally make characters seem larger than life; this creates a better understanding of the text and the issues which are developed through the characters.
This mutual suffering between Medea and the Chorus raises issues such as the treatment of women at the time when this play was written. When Medea married Jason, she married herself to him for life. She was expected to be totally obedient and to accept whatever her husband willed. For her to look upon another man other than her husband would have been totally unacceptable. Whereas Jason marries another woman while he...
In Medea, by Euripides, conflicts play a major role in the creation of the play. Some examples of these conflicts are with Medea and Jason, Medea and herself, and Medea and Creon. Medea is shown to be a strong, independent woman who does what she wants as well as doesn’t let anything stand in her way. She shares qualities of a traditional male at the time, and the qualities of a traditional female. Euripides makes this clear in the play by creating conflicts to prove women can be a powerful character and that the play in general challenges the idea of misogyny.
Because Medea was such a different woman people in her society were afraid of her, including men. As a result of this, before Jason, she never experienced being in love. When she finally experienced this type of love she went to no end for Jason. To protect Jason and her love for him she killed the beast guarding the Golden Fleece, she killed her brother, and she left her home, family and everything she knew for him. Most women would not have gone that far for love, especially women during her time; but Medea was not your average woman. All of the things she did for Jason will come into play, and partly account for her actions at the end of the play.