Social Change and Government Structure: Titus Andronicus and Medea

Vol. 1. Ed. William E. Cain. New York: Penguin, 2004.

New York: Penguin, 2002. Print. Homer. The Iliad. Trans.

113. Epstein, Norrie. The Friendly Shakespeare. New York: Penguin, 1993. Freud, Sigmund.

Since political destruction is not an outcome Pentheus wants, he must supress the female rebellion. Female independence becomes dangerous and in order to lessen these anxietie... ... middle of paper ... ...She brings his blood back into the city, thereby polluting all who come into contact with her. Her danger to the public represents the vile contaminated woman and Agave and her sisters must be exiled in order to keep order within Thebes. Their exile keeps them passive, with the male dominated elite finally back in control. The impact of female rebellion on society is illustrated as so intense that it must be stopped before it becomes overtly uncontrollable and violent.

She had even strangled her own child to death in order to be the queen. Her motive was to frame the empress and made the emperor believed her because no mother in the world would bear to kill their own child. Eventually, the empress was banished and Wu Ze Tian became the empress. However, she was not contented to be just a queen. She wanted to control the country.

Jason thinks Medea need to pay all of duty in anything that happen to him. Salome kills Iokanaan because love. After Salome gets Iokanaan’ head, Herod begins to blame her. “Herod: She is monstrous, thy daughter; I tell thee she is monstrous. In truth, what she has done is a great crime” (Salome 21).

The people in Athens are unaccustomed to her vicious ways, and are astonished at her behavior in civilization. This causes Jason to deeply worry about his political career. He then leaves Medea for the princess of Corinth. Out of rage and spite for Jason Medea kills the king, the princess, and her own two sons. She then flees to her good friend Aegean’s kingdom for safe haven.

Fear of being arrested or put to death is the key motivation in turning others in as witches. From these three human flaws, the town of Salem falls into chaos with many innocent people paying the price. Vengeance plays a key role in causing the mass hysteria of the Salem Witch Trials. Abigail Williams, who?s probably most to blame for the trials, acts out of revenge. She and John Proctor have had an affair and when Elizabeth Proctor finds out, she throws Abigail out of their house.

Oh my country! In what dishonor / I left you, killing my own brother for it” (164-65). This perhaps should have been a red flag for Jason in realizing how she killed her own flesh and blood and should have been an indicator for the evil that resided within her. Medea is in Jason’s turf and here she is considered a foreigner, she now defines herself via her marriage to Jason. Ultimately, when she loses him to a younger bride, she also loses her ability to be rational in her thinking.

The judge considers that the nurse recalls Medea’s words “I’ve suffered so much” and “O children, accursed, may you die” which reflects Medea’s intention to get revenge on Jason by killing their children (ll.118-119). In the meantime, Medea defends herself by stating that she killed in order to protect her children against the royal family. Medea’s lawyer states she was not mentally stable ever since her husband’s betrayal. However, the audience notices that Medea plans the pros and cons of her violent actions towards the King and princess carefully that way she does not