The Tragedy Of Medea By Euripides - 1968 Words

The characters in Medea by Euripides have no free will; the gods control all. Consequently, the concept, â€Å"Divine Double Bind,† described by the author Ruth Padel in Whom Gods Destroy as â€Å"Divinity issues prohibitions (do not kill your mother), forces you to break them, then punishes you for doing so† (215) explains perfectly the actions and ultimate fates of Medea, Jason, King Creon and his daughter, the chorus leader, and the two sons. Many of Medea’s actions, which offend the gods, and the subsequent consequences for such actions throughout the story exhibit the â€Å"Divine Double Blind† concept. Medea starts off by offending the gods when, according to Jason, Medea’s husband, she â€Å"slaughtered [her] brother in [her] home† (81), and then, as is explained by the nurse, Medea’s servant, she causes Pelias’ daughter to kill their father (32). Medea’s first misdeed is thus murder, and although it is through Medea’s actions that these crimes are committed, because the gods control all the mortals, the gods are actually the ones who made her do them. Sticking with the â€Å"Divine Double Blind† concept, the gods punish Medea by having her marriage to Jason fall apart. The nurse recites that â€Å"their fine love’s grown sick, diseased, for Jason . . . married the daughter of king Creon† (32). Jason has neglected Medea and married another woman, which Medea responds to with rage. She kills again, this time targeting Jason’s new wife and her father, King Creon. Medea has her childrenShow MoreRelatedThe Tragedy Of Euripides Medea1593 Words   |  7 PagesEuripides’ Medea is considered, according to Aristotle’s Poetics, a tragedy. The play centers on Medea, an outsider and wife to Jason, who seeks to punish Jason for taking another wife. The play is considered a tragedy because it contains the three unities as well as the six elements o f drama mentioned by Aristotle. Despite the fact that the does the play fits the criteria of what Aristotle considers tragedy, however, Medea is actually not a tragedy but tells the story about a successful revengeRead MoreThe Tragedy Of Medea By Euripides1970 Words   |  8 PagesMedea The characters in Medea by Euripides have no free will; the gods control all. Consequently, the concept, â€Å"Divine Double Bind,† described by the author Ruth Padel in Whom Gods Destroy as â€Å"Divinity issues prohibitions (do not kill your mother), forces you to break them, then punishes you for doing so† (215) explains perfectly the actions and ultimate fates of Medea, Jason, King Creon and his daughter, the chorus leader, and the two sons. Many of Medea’s actions, which offend the gods, andRead MoreGreek Tragedy By Euripides Medea1646 Words   |  7 Pages Discuss the ways Greek tragedy authors addressed such topics as duty, honor, kingship, gender roles, and the other. Greek tragedy authors tend to use their writings as a means of social, political, and religious commentary. Both of the authors we read of, use their characters and the storyline development to test their reader’s moral boundaries. On the one hand, Euripides’ Medea emphasizes Greek thoughts concerning foreigners, and denounces Athenian social bases through his character’s traitsRead MoreThe Tragic Tragedy Of Medea By Euripides1844 Words   |  8 PagesIn  Medea  by Euripides, an unfortunate tragedy arose from devastating circumstances, centralizing around intense grief and rage. In the center of the horrific situation was Medea, who was the daughter of King Aeetes. She was the former wife of Jason, until he decided to abandon his family and duties as the head of the household by marrying Glauce, the Princess of Corinth. She murdered her children, Glauce, and Creon, the King of Corinth to satiate her overwhelming lust for blood and revenge. UndeniablyRead MoreThe Tragedy Of Euripides Medea And Ovid s Metamorphoses, Medea, And Juno898 Words   |  4 Pagespain they have caused. In Euripides’ Medea and Ovid’s’ Metamorphoses, Medea and Juno exhibit vengeance to defend th eir dignity. Primary Source In Euripides’ Medea, Medea is very furious because Juno left her and her children to remarry the princess. Medea does not accept the betrayal and demands punishment for leaving her after all she has done for him. Creon is aware â€Å"I’m afraid of you. You could hurt my daughter, even kill her. Every indication points that way†(793). Medea knew she was going to exileRead MoreEvaluation of Euripides Essay942 Words   |  4 PagesEvaluation of Euripides Euripides has met the conventions of Attic Tragedy up to a particular extent. Although he was often criticised for his work, he followed the structure and cycles of the traditional tragedy. However, his stance on the themes and ideas set him apart from the other writers. It is unreasonable to compare Euripides with the traditional writers of Attic tragedy without understandingRead MoreThe Tragedy Of Medea By Sophocles1611 Words   |  7 Pagesnecessary for a top-notch tragedy. While these norms may seem to be easily understood through the reading of Aristotle’s fine-tuned poetics, there is a different understanding that needs to be interpreted to truly grasp the significance and qualifications that makeup a good tragedy. Of the many tragedies that Euripides provides us with, I chose the tragedy of Medea to further analyze, and present a strong argument for why I think Aristotle would find Medea a top-notch tragedy. According to AristotleRead MoreAnalysis Of Euripides The Play Medea 1202 Words   |  5 PagesThe Greek playwright Euripides, who lived from 480 BC to 406 BC, had four victories as a Tragedian. A third of the â€Å"Big Three† of tragedians, Euripides was, in his time, less successful than both Aeschylus and Sophocles, who had 13 and 20 victories. Euripides’ writing was drast ically different from that of the others. While playwrights like Sophocles wrote characters the way they should be ideally, Euripides wrote his characters truthfully and portrayed people as compassionate and cruel and complicatedRead More Love and Deception in Medea, by Euripides Essay507 Words   |  3 PagesLove and Deception in Medea, by Euripides There are many pieces of literature that may entail more than one theme throughout the story. The tragedy, Medea, by Euripides is very good example of this. Throughout this story, the themes of betrayal and love, revenge, and women’s rights arise. Euripides brings these points up to help the reader to realize that women are powerful.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Betrayal is a very important theme throughout this story. Her husband Jason betrays Medea, when he abandons herRead MoreThe Concept of the Tragic Hero: an Analysis of Jason and Medea in Euripides Medea1442 Words   |  6 PagesIn ‘Medea’, Euripides shows Medea in a new light, as a scorned woman that the audience sympathises with to a certain extent, but also views as a monster due to her act of killing her own children. The protagonist of a tragedy, known as the Tragic Hero is supposed to have certain characteristics which cause the audience to sympathise with them and get emotionally involved with the plot. The two main characters, Medea and Jason, each have certain qualities of the Tragic Hero, but neither has them all