Medea- a tragic heroine to Aristotle'
This paper is an illustration of the characteristics inherent to the protagonist in Plays of Euripides: Medea that was conceived in 431 BC, as they collaborate to Aristotle's concept of tragedy and tragic protagonists
In order to effectively understand the topic of this paper, it is imperative that we first take a look at the character who is supposed to analyzed in the light of her fulfilling the criterion of that of a tragic heroine; Medea: the Wife of Jason, who has deserted her at the beginning of the play for the daughter of King Creon, subsequently creating a scenario that is prevalently tense and regretful, particularly in aspect of the effect that his departure to another wife has had on Medea. The occurrence of Medea's link to Jason as his wife comes about as the Argonauts, a group of Greek set under to command of Jason in order to locate the legendary Golden Fleece; a mythical fleece. However, when Jason reached Colchis, Aeetes, the king of the Colchians, compelled Jason to yoke and plow a field with a pair of fire-snorting bulls. After this, in order to obtain the fleece, there was one thing that Jason absolutely had to do; he had to overcome the huge serpent that guarded the fleece within its coils.
These things, however, though virtually impossible, he managed to do with the...
Medea relates a story about the power of love, which induces sacrifice as well as jealousy and feelings of revenge aroused by betrayal. Medea, the principal character, is a woman, who is so smitten by her love for Jason that she forsakes her family, country and people to live in "...the land of Corinth with her husband and children, where her exile found favour with the citizens to whose land
Medea Villianness, Victim, or Both? Medea has emerged from ancient myth to become an archetype of the scorned woman who kills her own children to spite her husband, who must then suffer the fate of outliving them. The story itself is horrific, and yet it remains strangely fascinating, and into the mouth of its maniacal heroine many writers have given philosophies which were too subversive to be voiced in open discourse. Many
Medea also uses her children by having them deliver poison in the disguise of gifts, as no one would expect the children to have ill intentions. The children present the gifts as a request to let them avoid banishment, but in reality the gifts have been sent not to aid the children's situation at all. Throughout the play Medea acts like a puppet-master using the children to get her
This double standard is prominent in Medea, for example when Jason admits that it is normal for women to get very angry when their husband is being unfaithful, yet he expects Medea to forget about it. (Euripides, ln 908-910) This is yet another way in which Medea parallels the position of women in our society today who are also expected to keep their feelings hidden. Medea has an inclination towards
Freudian theory believes that extreme suffering removes own from the tamed state which each individual resides within civilization, "Just as satisfaction of instinct spells happiness for us, so severe suffering caused us if the external world lets us starve, if it refuses to state our needs," (Freud 28). Medea is so affected by her suffering that she removes herself from everyday life, "She lies without food and gives herself
"As a female foreigner whose relationship with Jason was only formalized with the birth of the children, Medea would have been viewed as an irregular companion, and after Jason's betrothal to Glauce, she would be reduced to the status of concubine." (Guastella in Claus) This makes them a helpful tool in securing her bond to Jason. Another means by which they can be useful props for Medea is when she
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