Medea Essay Topics

Essay About Medea
If you saw something, would you say something? This is the questions posed by the Bullis players,
in there production of Medea, which I had the honor of seeing as a critic for Cappies on October
28th 2017. Medea is a show about love, loss and most of all murder. It was originally writeen in 431
BC by Euripides in ancient Greece. The show was repopularized in in the late 1940s and started on
broadway in 1947.
The show takes place a good few years after the events of the quest for the Golden Fleece, which
is where Medea (Played by Tamia Haskins) and Jason (played by William Evans) first met. Since
than they had two sons and all was happy for a brief time. Medea started to go mad, and eventually
Jason leves her to marry the princess of Corinth.This...show more content...
While theyre was the occasional stumbling over words, or speaking to fast, overall the show was
very good and most flaws with the show were not the faults of the actors, but instead the fault of the
ancient script.
The leading actress who played Medea, Tamia Haskins, was one of the best preformers in the
show. Haskins was very expressive and clearely enunciated and projected her words. She played
the part of a mad woman very well by showing powerful emotions and expressions, and even cried
on cue! Her supporting actress Sydney Smith (playing The Nurse) was just as good as Medea. She
never once forgot her lines and had amazing stage presence.
At the end of the play Bullis added on a epilogue where the ensemble and cast broke the fourth
wall and spoke to us as an audience. They spoke of how anyone of them could have seen how this
was going to end but didnt stop it anyway. Wheteher it was fear, or anger,none of the characters
spoke up, adding an amazing lessen to the play that if you see something, say something.Bullis
School made good work of a very diffucult show in a very limited amount of
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Medea
Is Medea Justified In Her Actions? Is the killing of anyone ever justified? Is the life of one
individual more important than another? In Euripides, Medea, Medea kills the princess of Corinth,
the king of Corinth, Creon, as well as her own children. Are her actions the actions of an insane,
distraught person or those of wise, foreign, barbaric woman trying to protect her children? Through
the story of Medea, Medea justifies the killing of others while several other characters portray the
injustice of her killings. Can a person show a justifiable reason to the killing of others or is the
killing of others justified under certain circumstances? In the work prologue, we discover Jason 's
quest to Colchis to obtain the Golden...show more content...
He even mentions that he didn 't leave her to betray her but he left her to support her and their
kids; to give them a life they could enjoy, "My motive was the best; so we 'd live well and not be
poor." He goes on to tell her that all women are the same; as long as they are satisfied at home, life
is well but "let there be some setback or disaster in the bedroom and suddenly you go against the
things

Medea
Title of work– Medea
Country/Culture– Greek
Literary Period– Classical
Type of literature (genre)– Drama/Tragedy
Author–...show more content...
Though many events do take place in other regions of the city, we only obtain knowledge of them
through hearsay. Euripedes used this tool in theaters for the audience to visualize the actions instead
of cheapening the experience with the few special affects available to them.
Theme– Medea had one obvious theme; hell hath no fury like that of a woman's scorn. It is
apparent from the opening statement of the Nurse that Medea is a very heartless towards anyone
who has crossed her. Once Jason's betrayal is exposed to Medea, she immediately starts to thinks of
in a murderous mentality toward Jason. She goes through any means necessary to hurt Jason.
Characters– Medea was born under king Aetees of Colchis as a witch–princess. As a youth she met
Jason the Argonaut and fell instantly in love, as was planned by the gods. This drove her to betray
her family and homeland of Colchis by aiding Jason in the retrieval of the Golden Fleece. After this
she was forced to leave with Jason, who she later wed. After many years though, Jason fell for
another and crossed Medea in a way no one should. This led Medea to thirst for a revenge far more
devious then many can imagine. She planned to kill her to children and Jason's new found love.
After succeeding in the destruction of Jason's whole point in existence she fled in a dragon drawn
chariot to Athens where she has been promised refuge.
The Nurse has been the

Medea the Feminist Essay
The role of women in Greek society is a major theme in Euripides' Medea. In ancient Greek society,
women are frail and submissive according to men, and their social status is considered very inferior.
Feminism is the theory of men being treated differently than women and the male dominance over
women in society. Because of Jason's betrayal of Medea, she is a challenge to the traditional views of
ancient Greek society based on her actions. She wonders about the differences between the treatment
of men and women and the active roles they play in society, such as the woman's role to bear and
nurture children. Medea ignores those feminine qualities and questions Jason's sexist ideals. She
internally struggles between self independence and...show more content...
She made the sacrifices without regrets because she loved Jason. But after finding out about the
marriage to the King's daughter, she has much regret, which was forbidden in Ancient Greek culture.
Medea is also comparing women, who are virtually servants, to their husbands who have freedom.
She is also comparing the chauvinistic views of men with men being able to have other friends
while women are to keep their eyes only on their husband and stay at home. Jason displayed his
chauvinistic qualities in the following monologue:
But you women have got into such a state of mind
That, if your life at night is good, you think you have
Everything; but, if in that quarter things go wrong,
You will consider your best and truest interest most hateful.
It would have been better far for men
To have got their children in some other way, and women
Not to have existed. Then life would have been good. (Euripides, 702) Jason boldly conveys his,
and perhaps society's, views of sex as being for reasons of procreation only and that men only
engage in this activity for the purposes of having children, that there is no pleasure in the act at all.
His desire is that men can avoid the act if there was some other way to have children. As Euripides
uses Jason's chauvinistic ways in this excerpt, the audience is developing pity and compassion for
Medea and feminism is supported.
Characteristic

Euripides 'Medea'
Euripides, in his tragedy, 'Medea' has embodied values of his time by critiquing and questioning his
own social, cultural and historical context. The play, sensitive to the zeitgeist and its influence on
philosophy, was written having recourse on the apprehensions and morality of non–partisanship and
equilibrium, set against a discordant society. The characterisation of Medea allowed Euripides to
challenge customary xenophobic beliefs delimitating the humanity of herself and others. The
obstinacy of such values gave birth to the rebel with a cause.

Medea Essay
Title of Work: Medea
Country/Culture: Greek
Literary Period: Classical
Type of Literature (genre): Drama/Tragedy
Author: Euripides
Authorial information:
Euripides was born in 484 BC and took up drama at the young age of 25. At most drama
competitions, however his plays came in last place until he was about 45 or 50 years old. In his
entire life, he wrote 92 plays of which only five received first place awards at competition. Euripides
despised women. He had been married twice to unfaithful women and had three sons. This hate of
women is shown in his work of Medea.
Author's unique style:
Euripides' characterization of women is considered unique in the play Medea because the tragic
Hero/ine – in this case Jason and Medea in each one's...show more content...
Jason obviously is not caring about his wife who actually killed to be with him. He does however
still love his children. His flaw of apathy or the fact that he is not perseverant causes his downfall
when Medea has his wife (the princess) murdered as well as his children. This causes Jason to be
extremely disturbed – but it is deserved.
King Aegeus – The present King of Athens who is very sympathetic. He is friends with Medea
and understands her problem. He tells her that she may come to Athens and seek refuge if she
pleases. He has no children and asks if she will "provide him with some". In this sense,
he is a jolly fellow who assists friends in time of need. He also provides Medea with a place to go
and be protected after she goes on her killing rampage.
Nurse – The Nurse plays a somewhat minor role and yet influences the story of Medea. She is
employed by Medea to look after the children but the Nurse also gossips and provides advice and
assistance to Medea. She provides the audience with background information on the play and puts
pieces together of the "big picture." The Nurse begs Medea to not do anything rash
because of Jason but says that she knows Medea will so that foreshadows the though of tragedy in
the play. She also sympathizes Medea but as soon as Medea is not looking, the Nurse criticizes her
as being somewhat over reactive.

Medea Reflection
The common event made me think differently of Medea. This was through having different actors
/actresses reading the same part of the play where Medea speaks to Jason. By having different
actors/actresses reading the same scene from Medea, it allowed me to see what the purpose of the
play was as well as the personal lesson it taught me. The purpose of this play was to see the
emotions of Medea and to validate her reason for murdering her two kids. The personal lesson it
taught me was to stick up for yourself no matter how bad your situation/circumstance is. Also, this
presentation allowed me to also appreciate the character Medea. Initially, I thought Medea was evil,
strange, and cold–hearted,but after the common event, I learned that Medea

Themes of Medea
Jessica Barr
February 21, 2011
Medea Video Project Analysis
The "Medean" Hillbillies Euripides' Medea is classified an ancient Greek tragedy. However, this
story is much more than a tragedy. The story of Medea is one that definitely grabs the reader's
attention through both its text and its themes. The themes that the story of Medea presents are very
practical and still continue to exist in humanity today. The three largest and most obvious themes
that a reader is most likely to find and relate to while reading Medea are revenge, manipulation and
passion. These three themes are not only apparent in the story of Medea; they are obvious in our
video version, entitled The Medean Hillbillies, as well. Revenge is a common theme that occurs in
...show more content...
Medea manipulates the Princess in giving her "a precious gift" which readers quickly find out is
actually a gift of poison and would kill the Princess. Not only does Medea manipulate the Princess,
King Creon, and her two children but she also manipulates King Aegeus. Medea takes advantage of
Aegeus' "soft–heartedness" personality to gain an advantage and support from him (Borey). In
the end, Aegeus sides with Medea and the two leave the city together. Manipulation is very
visible in our hillbilly version of Medea. Medea manipulates her children by tricking them into
going fishing with her. The children are looking forward to an enjoyable fishing trip with their
beloved mother, away from their father. Medea manipulates them at the beginning of the fishing
trip as they discuss the nice weather, and express their feelings of despair towards Jason. The
children are very unaware that Medea will soon be throwing them overboard to drown. Medea
also illustrates her manipulation through the Messenger as she sends what she refers to as a
"precious gift" to the Princess. This precious gift is actually a death sentence as it is a poisoned
necklace. When the Messenger arrives and gives the necklace to the Princess she is overjoyed.
However, the Princess immediately dies as the Messenger places it upon her neck. Again, Medea
successfully uses manipulation to complete an act of murder. The final scene in our video

Betrayal In Medea
In the Greek tragedy, Medea, by Euripides, most readers would characterize Medea as being selfish,
cruel, and a cold–blooded murderer. This characterization is due to the extreme actions she took to
seek revenge on her husband for betraying her and their children. As the story opens with the nurse
telling of the betrayal towards Medea and her children by her husband, Jason, it is very easy to feel
sympathy towards Medea. She betrayed her family and followed her true love to an unknown land,
and now she has been deceived by him. Medea's words, early in the story, strongly express her
broken heart. "Aaaah! Oh, horrible, horrible, all that I suffer, my unhappy struggles. I wish I could
die" (105–106). She feels shamed by Jason. He allowed his desire to marry into royalty cause him
to betray a loving, faithful wife. Even though the betrayal of her husband has caused her great
heartache and to act emotionally unstable, readers can also portray Medea as being passionate,
intelligent, and caring.
Being passionate can be recognized as either a strength or a weakness. You can look at Medea's
passion with Jason as a strength. She discovered a deep love for Jason, and in her words, she told
Jason, "you've made me the happiest girl in all of Hellas. I have you, the perfect spouse, a marvel,
so trustworthy" (520–522). Medea done whatever was necessary to ensure Jason's happiness. Her
extreme passion for him led her to betray her family and homeland in many ways. She defeated the
dragon that watched over the Golden Fleece so Jason could succeed in getting it (485–486). She had
King Pelias killed in the most horrific way (491–492). She manipulated the children of the king into
murdering their father. She tells Jason, ""For my part, I betrayed my home, my father, and went
with you to Pelion's slopes, Iolcus" (489–490). Many readers may look at the actions Medea took as
a weakness because of the betrayal against her family and land for love. Her actions can also be
portrayed as a strength. Medea was faithful to Jason. She sacrificed everything she knew and
loved, because of her desire for him. I saw this as being strong because she gave up everything she
knew to go and live with her lover in his land. She

Medea Essay
Susan Smith murdered her own two children in 1994. Kathleen Folbigg killed her only child in
1998. Caro Socorro killed her three children in 1999. And in 431 B.C. the fictional character, Medea,
murderedmurdured her own two sons. When hearing about these extreme atrocities we are repulsed.
What sane mother could murder her own children? But thats just the point isn't it, no sane mother
would kill her own young. No, each of these women had underlying psychological issues that led to
them committing these unnatural, morally wrong acts. Susan was rejected by her lover, Kathleen's
father had brutally murdered her mother, Caro was a victim of a failed marital relationship, whilst in
Euripides play, Medea was not only rejected and a victim of a...show more content...
The shocking addition of having a mother slaughter her own children makes a dark story even
darker, it deepens the revenge and shocks the moral of the audience. Euripides manipulates the
audience through traditional Greek play techniques to increase the intensity of the revenge, by
playing with our thoughts and inviting his audience to question the way their society lives. Through
the Chorus of Corinthian women Euripides directs the audiences view of Medea. Throughout the
play the Chorus voices their opinion, influencing the audience to their point. Originally the Chorus
celebrates Medea's desire for revenge, chanting "To punish Jason will be just" (line 267, p. 25), the
audience agrees with the Chorus, Jason should be punished. Once the Chorus become aware of her
intentions they turn against her, attempting to make her see reason and in the final ode they
condemn her while acknowledging that her actions are the manifestation of a greater power and
thereby re enforce Euripides tragic theme. The Chorus's 5 stasimons and short interventions during
the play direct the audience's thoughts and opinions. As a tragic heroine Medea is a creation
unique to Euripides, the psychological study of a woman entirely consumed by love and hate. He
reminds us that her love for Jason resulted in the betrayal of her father, the murder of her brother
and the murder of Pelias. Rejected, mocked and betrayed, her pride and hatred of Jason cause the
destruction

Medea Research Paper
A Teenager's Reaction to a Play that is Centuries Old I had the privilege of going to see Medea by
Euripides at the Long Center in Austin on February 17. Euripides plays often feature the victims
of society. In Medea he focused on how the main character, a woman, named Medea, was
victimized by her society. A combination of lighting, dancers and music really helped make the
experience for me. The production of Medea, perfectly captured the struggle Medea went through
to ensure she got her revenge on her husband Jason. After Jason left Medea for a princess, she was
determined to do whatever it took to get her revenge on him, no matter the cost. Going into Medea,
I didn't know what to expect. I had been to a musical before, but not a play. Prior to seeing the play,
I read and annotated the play, marking certain places that didn't make sense to me, or parts that I
wanted to see how the actors portrayed. I researched the gods mentioned in the exposition, and the
history of Euripides. I even watched other people's interpretation of...show more content...
During the entire play, I felt as if I was in Ancient Greece. The actors portrayed the characters
exactly as I pictured them when I read the play on my own. From my point of view, Medea is fine
art. The play focuses on her struggle with revenge and betrayal, there isn't one clear cut lesson to be
learned. It is definitely a play that you go and see to distract yourself from your life, and help you
realize how much worse you could have it. Going to see Medea was definitely a good use of my
time. I got to experience a play, I felt like I was in ancient Greece and it forced me to examine
myself and ask myself what length would I go to in order to get revenge? All in all , going to see
Medea at the Long Center was a fantastic experience and I am very glad I got to partake in

Passion In Medea
Typically, throughout history a tragedy has been defined by containing a male hero who goes
from happiness to misery. Medea is just one example of an Ancient Greek play which actively
rejects this trope. Written in 431 BC by Euripides, Medea is based on the Greek myth of Jason
and Medea wherein Medea is rejected by her husband and resorts to killing their children in an act
of vengeance. It can be argued whether her actions were justified or whether she was acting out of
passion as a 'fickle', emotional woman. Worthen argues that woman are seen as "creatures of
passion" whereas men represent the "organizing principles of the Greek state: Reason, the law and
legitimate society." This argument is based on the idea that passion and emotion are...show more
content...
Why does she feel the need to go further? Medea uses the excuse that they won't be killed "by
another hand less kindly than them" but "the children are his property, an extension of himself,
of his identity ... the children are his successors, representing his continued presence in the
world." (65) Medea's decision to murder her children can be seen as a 'sublime' act, as she puts
her desire for vengeance and justice above her own feelings. It can be said that choosing the pain
or suffering that you will endure is recognition of your own free will. Medea was aware she was
being exiled and she had already lost her husband, thus by choosing to kill her children she was
regaining control of her situation. Furthermore, she represents the women in her community, who
are viewed as second–class citizens. "The way that Medea – and, she argues, all women – is
positioned as an outsider, an 'exile' to the governing categories of Greek life, is a deeper, more
permanent isolation" than her exile. The Chorus, a vital part of a tragedy according to Aristotle,
describe a world where men will be known for deception & women will be honoured, representing a
reversal of presumed

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