Thematic Antithesis in Greek Tragedies
The binary oppositions in Euripides plays, Medea and Bacchae, emphasize the structural techniques seen throughout both of the plays works are “[described as] a pair of theoretical opposites or thematic contrasts” (Marvin 1). The themes are highly symmetrical throughout and typical of the structure of Greek tragedies. Euripides use of thematic antithesis gives greater irony within Greek plays. The gender roles of female and male challenge the traditional stereotypical roles as observed in Greek society, and when those roles are crossed or blurred, the rational becomes irrational and the order of civilized Greek society itself falls into disorder.
Euripides manipulates the characters, through contrast, to explore or challenge Greek society’s gender roles of female and male behavior through the stereotypes that are established within his plays. In the play Medea, we observe the protagonist challenging the traditional patriarchal system of Greek society and empowering herself throughout the play using the stereotype of feminine behavior in order to manipulate the males (Barlow 163) We observe this through her manipulation of King Creon. The king states, “I order you to go from this land”[;] she then is able to manipulate the king, successfully, for another day (272). The empowerment through this exchange is viewed when the king states, “[W]hy are you applying force, refusing to release my hand?” (339) This line is the first sign of Medea taking control of her destiny, no longer allowing the males to determine it for her. As Barlow points out, “Medea’s ability to “[dissociate] herself not just with women’s stereotypes as they are commonly accepted by women as well as men, but more impor...
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...destruction behind. His use of binaries oppositions emphasizes the tragedy of his characters and those around them.
Work Cited
Barlow, Shirley.”Stereotyped and Reversal in Euripides’ Medea.” Greece& Rome 2nd ser. 36.2 (1989):158-71. Print.
Euripides. Bacchae. Ed and trans. Stephen Esposito. Euripides: Four Plays: Medea, Hippolytus, Heracles, Bacchae. Newburyport, MA: Focus, 2004. 203-67. Print
Euripides. Medea. Trans. A. J. Podlecki. Euripides: Four Plays: Medea, Hippolytus, Heracles, Bacchae. Ed. Stephen Esposito. Newburyport, MA: Focus, 2004. 35-92. Print
Hamilton, Carole L. “An overview of the Medea.” Drama for Students. Detroit: Gale. Literature Resource Center. Web. 13 Aug. 2010.
Marvin, Corey. “Understanding Binary Oppositions in Literature.” 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.
Some evaluations claim that the Dionysus appearing in The Bacchae is fairly true embodiment of the ideals of ancient Athens. He demands only worship and proper reverence for his name, two matters of honor that pervaded both the Greek tragedies and the pious society that viewed them. In other plays, Oedipus' consultations with Apollo and the many Choral appeals to Zeus reveal the Athenian respect for their gods, while Electra's need for revenge and Antigone's obligation to bury Polyneices both epitomize the themes of respect and dignity. Yet although Dionysus personifies these two motifs, his clashes with the rest of Athenian tradition seem to make him its true adversary. Dionysius distinctly opposes the usual views on gender, age, rationality and divinity, leaving the reader to wonder whether these contrasts were Euripidean attempts to illuminate specific facets of the culture itself.
Medea is a tragedy written by acclaimed Greek playwright Euripides.fortunately, had the opportunity to view last night's performance. Euripides cleverly uncovers the reality of Ancient Greek society, shining a light on the treatment of women and the emotions and thoughts that provoked during their time in society. As they were voiceless, Euripides acted as a voice. The scene is set during a male- dominated society, Medea the protagonist challenges the views and chooses to ignore the normality of civilisation. Treated as an outsider her passion for revenge conquers the motherly instincts she possesses, provoking a deep hatred and sparking revenge towards her once loved family.
The tragic play Medea is a struggle between reason and violence. Medea is deliberately portrayed as not a ‘normal woman’, but excessive in her passions. Medea is a torment to herself and to others; that is why Euripides shows her blazing her way through life leaving wreckage behind her. Euripides has presented Medea as a figure previously thought of exclusively as a male- hero. Her balance of character is a combination of the outstanding qualities of Achilles and Odysseus.
Marriage – the union of two imperfect souls to form an affectionate and beautiful relationship – is exceptionally intricate and delicate. Two different people with different insights come together to form a harmonious bond. Power, or control, is a chief concept that can “make or break” the affiliation. Distribution of the ruling is frequently divided into males versus females. This partition leads to many conflicts and tribulations. In the catastrophic Greek play Medea, by Euripides, the liaison between Medea and Jason demonstrates how both males and females assert power in the relationship and how incorrect usage of this supremacy leads to dilemmas.
Nothing bothered the Ancient Greeks more than chaos. Of this there is proof in the many artifacts recovered from Ancient Greek sites; their pottery, sculpture, architecture, and literature all convey the importance of balance and control to their society. "Medea," written by Euripedes, reveals this idea of the Greeks. The play illustrates many evils of the society: a civilian fighting against social morals, and, even worse, committing murder. More importantly, though, it proves though chaos and evil are powerful forces, "good" ones, balance and control, for example, will always prevail. In "Medea," the only way to achieve this peace is to remove the one who causes the chaos.
Euripides shows his views on female power through Medea. As a writer of the marginalized in society, Medea is the prime example of minorities of the age. She is a single mother, with 2 illegitimate children, in a foreign place. Despite all these disadvantages, Medea is the cleverest character in the story. Medea is a warning to the consequences that follow when society underestimates the
Euripides. Three Plays of Euripides: Alcestic, Medea, The Bacchae. 1st ed. New York: W.W. Norton, 1974. Print.
Aristotle, a philosopher, scientist, spiritualist and passionate critic of the arts, spent many years studying human nature and its relevance to the stage. His rules of tragedy in fact made a deep imprint on the writing of tragic works, while he influenced the structure of theatre, with his analysis of human nature. Euripides 'Medea', a Greek tragedy written with partial adherence to the Aristotelian rules, explores the continuation of the ancient Greek tales surrounding the mythology of Medea, Princess of Colchis, and granddaughter of Helios, the sun god, with heartlessness to rival the infamous Circe. While the structure of this play undoubtedly perpetuates many of the Aristotelian rules, there are some dramatic structures which challenge its standing with relevance to Aristotle's guidelines, and the judgment of Medea as a dramatic success within the tragic genre.
*Although Medea is arguably the most intelligent character in Euripides’s piece, shown in her dialogue with Creon, she has become ridiculed, and viewed as barbarous and less desirable following her separation from Jason. She is no longer a wife to a Greek man. She is simply an outsider, and a burden on a prosperous
In Greek society, the role of women was considered to be insignificant compared to the Greek men. The women had very few rights, no room to voice personal opinions, and a very bleak future with few options for a better life. According to Moses Hades, professor of Greek studies, women in ancient Greek plays are known to be the main characters and take the role of the villain, victim, or the heroine. In Euripides’ play Medea, Medea, the main character, plays all these roles. She represents the heroine by helping her husband secure the Golden Fleece prior to their marriage, and then portrays the victim by being betrayed by her husband, and finally the villain by murdering her loved ones. Therefore, Euripides follows the standard format for a Greek tragedy.
Today, we might not see Euripides's Medea as offending or off, but at the time of the art festival that it was originally written for, many of the ideas it brought up challenged the ideas and beliefs that greeks at the time had, and these conflicts are what caused it to place last in this contest, even thought today we study it extensively. Medea is a very complex and ingenious play, slyly developing a character much more intricate than any Greeks had seen before. Medea, the sorceress that all Greeks knew and loved, was spun completely, not only "ruining" their old story, but going against their ideas of heroism, and their gods. But it also challenged them to look at themselves and question their identity, not just as a person, but as an entire culture. He made them ponder their own identity, and in turn, forced them to contemplate if they were truly ready for the next revolution in literature.
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...
This paper aims to study two significant playwrights, Sophocles and Euripides, and compare their respective attitudes by examining their plays in respect to plot and character structures. To achieve this goal, the paper is organized into two main sections. In the first section, we provide a brief biography of both Sophocles and Euripides. The second and last section includes summaries of Sophocles’ Electra and Euripides’ Electra which were based on same essentials and give an opportunity to observe the differences of the playwrights. This section also includes the comparisons that are made by our observations about the plays.
Medea’s illegitimate marriage and the betrayal of Jason drive Medea to extreme revenge. Medea chooses to act with her immortal self and commit inhumane acts of murder rather than rationalize the outcomes of her actions. Medea see’s this option as her only resort as she has been banished and has nowhere to go, “stripped of her place”. To create sympathy for Medea, Euripides plays down Medea’s supernatural powers until the end of the play. Throughout the play Medea represents all characteristics found in individual women put together, including; love, passion, betrayal and revenge. Medea’s portrayal of human flaws creates empathetic emotions from the audience. The audience commiserates with Medea’s human flaws as they recognize them in themselves. Medea plays the major role in this play as she demonstrates many behavioral and psychological patterns unlike any of the other Greek women in the play; this draws the audience’s attention to Medea for sympathy and respect.