Medea Gender Character Analysis

The Gender Roles of Characters in “The Medea” by Euripides The popular and controversial play “The Medea” was produced by Euripides in 431 B.C.E. This Greek tragedy displays a war between two lovers and between the sexes. It speaks of the controversial gender roles and relations throughout Greece during the time (Damrosch, 2011, pg. 283). It was ages ahead of its time bringing up the questions and opinions on women’s roles in society and their rights within. Euripides expresses the hardships women must endure during this era. At one point Medea is describing marriage in that women must “buy a husband” and take a master for their bodies (Pg. 289, Line 231). She cannot say no to the proposed marriage (Line 235). A man can leave his home and have an affair with another woman if he is bored but the woman must only have eyes for her husband (Lines 242-245). While the lead of the play, Medea, is indeed a woman, one of her most distinctive characteristics is how she overcomes her female-like emotions and instead, performs more “manly” actions. Medea’s most obvious male characteristic is her pride. After her husband, Jason, cast her

Not being erratic or emotionally overacting like a scorned woman would likely do, she resourcefully plans the murders by taking them out by poison (Lines 381-382). She does not even really struggle with the decision to kill her children. She says “so it must be. No compromise is possible” (Line 803). She is a cold blooded killer. She poisoned the princess and Creon and was pleased to receive the news about their deaths from the messenger (Line 1100-1102). She then kills her children (Pg. 311). Medea had killed before this situation occurred. She killed her own brother, Absyrtus, and threw pieces of his body into the sea in order to slow down those chasing her and her husband (greekmythology.com, n.d.). She also was said to have boiled a man in hopes of obtaining rejuvenation (Damrosch, 2011, Pg.