Medea as Woman, Hero and God in Euripides Play Essay -- Euripides Med

Medea as Woman, gun and GodIn Euripides wanton away the title role and focus of the play is the foreign witch Medea. Treated differently through the play by different people and at different times, she adapts and changes her character, finally triumphing over her despised husband Jason. She can feasibly be seen as a mortal woman, Aristotles sad hero figure and even as an exulted goddess. Medeas identity as a weak woman is emphasised at the very start of the play. It is do very clear that she has come to misfortune through no blur of her own and is powerless in her problem (her world has turned to rancor). Being unable to change her situation is an example of her portrayal as a weak woman figure. We are told that she has been utter for days (lies collapsed in agony). Soon after these descriptions of her weeping, the Tutor arrives and informs us that yet to a greater extent bad news is coming her way (not heard the strike banish them). At this point all the pity is directed to wards Medea, shunned by her husband and unable to control what is happening around her, instead crying uncontrollably (shouting shrill, pitiful accusations). Behind this weak figure however, we sop up the warnings of the Nurse, shadowing this pity. She describes Medeas fury brewing from the sadness and how powerful it is (not unlax her rage like a mad bull or a lioness). Her appearance as a woman in grief is comfortably depicted but very soon Medea emerges from the house, shaking off this grief and instead focusing on revenge. Her speech when she leaves the house gives us virtually evidence of her sour temper. While talking she comes across as spiritless (I accept my place) and describes the unenviable position of women in monastic order (we women are the most wretc... ...tion for what they perceive to be justice. Works Cited Bates, William Nickerson. Euripides. Philadelphia Philadelphia Press, 1930. Euripides. Image-Nation. http//www.imagi-nation.com/moonstruck/clsc4.htm L ucas, F.L. Euripides and His Influence. NY cooper Square, 1963. Euripides. Medea. The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces. Ed. Sarah Lawall. New York and London W. W. Norton & Company, 1999. 642 - 672. Hamlyn, Paul. Larousse Encyclopedia of Mythology. Westbook House, Fulham Broadway, London. Paul Hamlyn Limited 1959. McDermott, E A (1989) Euripides Medea The Incarnation of Disorder. Pennsylvania State UniversityUSA Oxford Companion to sheer Literature. Oxford Oxford University Press, 1989. Zissos, Professor. Classical Myth Lecture Notes. July 20, 2001. http//ccwf.cc.utexasz.edu/paz/myth/notes.html