From this quote, it may seem that women had no rights and were required to stay home, tend their husbands, and bear children in Ancient Greek times. However, it is also important to remember that “there were also categories of women which are less well-documented than others, such as professional women”
In Greek epics, tragedies, and mythology women are portrayed in various ways. Women are mainly considered to be weak and less important than men, but there are some women who are shown to be strong and heroic, despite the reputation that was placed onto them in Ancient Greek civilizations. There were two particular women that were strong and took the roles of their husbands while the men left to fight in the Trojan War. These two women were Penelope, wife of Odysseus, and Clytemnestra, wife of Agamemnon. These two women were different in how they chose to rule while their husbands were at war and how they acted once they got back.
Though all of Greece treated women badly (besides Sparta) it is believed that Athens was the worst for women treatment. The men say all these horrible things about women that are sometimes true, but are brought on by having to depend on men and then the men don’t take care of them. A well known story of this is that of Medea. The story shows this but it also shows that not all the men are bad because the king takes her in.
While both versions care for speech more than actions, the Norton version puts a bigger emphasis on it. When speaking, Medea is more deliberate in getting the response she craves. “Women of Corinth, I have stepped outside so you will not condemn me. Many people act superior- I’m well aware of this.
In Euripides’ text The Medea, Medea can easily be painted as the villian. She is a woman who killed her own children in an attempt to spite her husband. But, by examining the text, we can see that she deserves some sympathy. She has little to no control over her own life and has to rely on the will of men. And as a foreigner in Corinth abandoned by her husband, she faces even more challenges than the native women of Corinth did.
Medea and the women of Corinth both share, to a different extent, the experience of being unfairly categorized as the caretaker of the family, which aids Medea in persuasion because she can be trusted as a woman to speak on the patriarchal society. She continues as ‘’of all creatures that have life and reason we women are the sorriest lot’’ (229-230) of all the living things Medea describes women as the ‘’sorriest’’ which suggests that women are pitied and helps Medea to allure the Chorus to be on her side. Medea suggests to the Chorus that Females ‘’must at a great expenditure of money buy a husband and even take on a master over our body: this evil is more galling than the first. ’’(231-233) Medea is arguing that women must sacrifice a ‘’great’’ amount of money to ‘’buy’’ their partners. This conveys the patriarchal community in Corinth.
Medea is not one to conform to woman roles of her time, she is not submissive nor
However, their perception is entirely biased due to the context. They are influenced by the fact that they are women who are oppressed and controlled by the patriarchy,which existed in ancient Greece. This factor was bravely explored by Euripides, despite the prospect of social backlash and the possibility of his play not succeeding when Medea states; “of all creatures that have life and reason we women are the most miserable of specimens!” After presenting the audience with a female-dominated perspective, Euripides then introduces Jason to the play to defend his actions. Jason provides the audience with alternate perspective when mentions, “you speak your foolish mind and for this exile is to be your reward”.
Euripides’ Medea actively engages with varied notions of gender roles through the construction of Medea as a character. Based in an essentially heteronormative masculinist Greek society, the play is often complemented for empathising with females and their hardships, while censured for its multiple misogynist comments on female nature. Medea as the racial outcast is the wronged woman, grappling with gender boundaries while attempting to seek justice for her husband’s betrayal, which rendered her homeless. Many notions about the play seek to position certain impetuous comments as misogynist diatribes, deliberately deriding women. Though the thin streak of misogyny in the play can perhaps be not denied, it is necessary to analyse those speeches in the context of gender roles (and transformations) and power dynamics in a prevailing masculine ethos, further contrasting them with certain ‘received’ notions.
Medea: A villain more than a hero The ancient Greek society was a highly male-dominated society where, women had least of the rights. Unable to vote, own a land, women’s sole purpose was rearing children and pleasing their husbands, while men had all the liberty to explore many women and exercise all their political rights. The film Medea, explores these gender prejudices of the Ancient Greece while portraying Medea as rebel to these sexist oppressions with a violent and inhumane attitude. Although Medea was a strong and heroic woman who passionately fought against Greek gender injustice, her heroism was assisted by the murders of her kin, blinded by her cause; this heroism is highly unjustifiable and therefore is a negative example.
Explaining why the women are being treated unfairly and the outcomes that can happen to women in the Greek society. How men are portrayed in Greek society. Explaining why men have different expectations than women and the political aspects of the male gender role in Greek society. The effects of the non-traditional roles the men and women played in the Medea play. Also, discuss the
Paul Vu Dr. Elizabeth C. Ramírez THTR 475A.03 2 May 2017 Macbeth and Medea: Breaking Expectations Macbeth by William Shakespeare and Medea by Euripides are known for their powerful critiques on the social expectations of women. Women during the time of Elizabethan and Greek theatre were often stereotyped and considered the weaker sex. Men were depicted as strong individuals who supported and protected women. However, both Shakespeare and Euripides broke expectations by portraying strong and iconic female characters in their respective plays. The idea of a strong female character was often unheard of during the time of Elizabethan and Greek Theatre.
Medea’s appeal to the woman of Corinth is poignant, powerful and above all, convincing. She uses her genders natural role as child-bearers to tear down the belief that women are the weaker sex. Medea states, ‘They say that we live a life in the house without danger, while they fight with spears. They think wrongly. For I would rather stand in the line of battle three times than give birth once.’
Women were meant to be submissive and obedient to the dominant figures in society in their eyes, which is why when she acted submissive and feminine, he believed she finally understood his view and gained some sensibility. She told Jason, “Wretched woman (thus I scolded myself), why am I so mad as to hate those that mean me well, to treat as enemies the rulers of this land and my husband, who, in marrying a princess and getting brothers for my children, is only doing what is best for us all?” (Euripides 58). At that point, Medea was discussing in reference his justification for marrying the Princess of Corinth. He claimed that he was marrying her so that he and their children could gain citizenship since currently they were not citizens of Athens and thus, did not receive any benefits or protection.
She describes the world to be unjust, especially to women. Medea believes that women are looked as inferior to men, and even so, men are quick to display their unlikely maltreatment. To her, women have little to no say in their marriage, their bodies, and general society. Medea’s outlook of women is first conveyed through this quote, bringing upon the theme of the state of women within Greece. This quote reveals the state of women within Greece, a leading theme of the story.
