Medea is a woman who sacrificed greatly to be with Jason; the man she fell in love with and later married. She not only helped him obtain the Golden Fleece from her own country, but fled with him to his homeland to build a new life. Medea bore two children with Jason and looked to having a future with him. "But, of course, the heart of the play is the quarrel between Medea and Jason, the deserted wife and the deserting husband" (Page xiv). A future with Jason was not to be. Jason fell in love with the daughter of Kreon, the king of Corinth, and left Medea in order to wed the princess. Medea's nurse states of Medea: "And she herself helped Jason in every way. This is indeed the greatest salvation of all,- For the wife not to stand apart from the husband. But now there's hatred everywhere. Love is diseased." (Euripides 642). When Medea is tossed aside by her husband, she has declared that she will get revenge. Medea does not want to directly kill Jason, "but one that shall bring down in ruin Jason, his new bride, his children, his whole house" (Kitto 195). She feels that if she cannot be happy then no one will. Medea displays personality traits that psychologists would define as egoism, shamelessness, and remorselessness. "Egoism is an attitude of self-interest that causes a person to view objects solely in terms of fulfilling their own desires or needs" (362 Hall and 4Lindzey). Calvin S. Hall and Gardner Lindzey go on to describe in their text, Theories of Personality, 3rd edition, that shamelessness and remorselessness allow a person to disregard the opinions of others and one's own internalized standards. When these factors hold sway, a person views evil acts without compunction, and so is apt to misbehave this mental state underlies any act of ill will (362). Medea's mental state is further pushed to the edge when Kreon speaks with her and commands, "I order you to leave my territories an exile, and take along with you your two children" (Euripides 648).
As an example the Greeks mad kraters, also known as two handled vases, a very wide mouth to mix wine and olive oil in. ... Some of our buildings could be lopsided looking from afar. ... All of the early Greek plays were always tragedies. During theses plays the lead character struggles against fate and or doom. ... Government The two most famous city-states in Greece were Sparta and Athens. ...
This actor was called the protagonist, or the main character of a drama. ... Tragedy was at its height in Greek society when that society was at its height and comedy was an outlet for the frustrations of society as well as a diversion for the masses. ... Previous to the invention of the skene, entrances could only be made through the two ramps which led onto the orchestra. ... This was the dominion of female characters. ... The masks worn by the actors looked more 'natural' than bare faces in the TDA. ...
Aristotle, a Greek philosopher and polymath, defines and distinguishes in the "Poetics" what he believes are the most important components and criteria of a model tragedy. ... Aristotle believes Sophocles has written the perfect plot, and all other elements of his play fulfill the Greek philosopher's definition of a tragedy. It is through Sophocles's plot, character, language, and also the way the play was performed on stage that we can understand what tragedians in the modern age need to improve to fit all Aristotle's different criteria for a tragedy and also be known as a cla...
In relation to Greek tragedy the question of just how central is violence in tragedy is interesting considering that no blood was spilled on stage in Greek tragedy. In fact the tragedy was in the description, the dialogue of the characters. ... Of course there were different morals and the two audiences would not necessarily focus of the same tragic elements of one play. ... I believe that even Sophocles looked upon violence as the second tragedy of his plays and that for Oedipus the ill-fated relationship with his mother is an unchangeable tragedy alone. ... In looking closely at Oedipu...
They introduced us to politics, democracy, philosophy, metaphysics, literature, architecture, history, entertainment and tragedy. ... He composed the "Iliad" and "The Odyssey", which are two famous epic poems. ... Often, it is thought as a kind of a story in the lives of the characters. Drama, especially tragedy, became the most important literary form. ... The Greeks were also interested in architecture of Greece and Greek colonies. ...
Tragedy as a genre is made of strict conventions carried forward from its Greek conception. ... Edgar then is a restorative force just as Cordelia is, an alternative to the two conflicting worlds. ... However if assessed in terms of strict Greek or Shakespearean models then Lear falls down somewhat as a tragedy, as it does not belong to a world in which transcendent human values exist. ... Looking at Beckett's Endgame may illuminate further the problem inherent in modern tragedy. ... If we look at the opening of the play we are already confronted with irregularity. ...
The Tragic Hero Sophocles is well known for his great Greek tragedies, which focus in on the lives of a small group of people that ultimately lead to an awful tragic ending that applies to their lives. ... The protagonist of a tragedy is referred to as a tragic hero; they must be high ranking, a noble character and of a dignified stature before the tragic events occur. ... The tragedy of tragedies lies within the life of one man, Creon. ... I look for comfort; my comfort lies here dead. ... His dignified stature, noble character, high rank, and courageousness brought down to dust as he faces...
I will begin this section with a general look at the lives of women in ancient Greece. I will then proceed to look at the social attitudes towards women at the time. ... These two authors depict the most constant view of women in ancient times. ... The populace of Athens put a picture of her on their coins and as Athens became more imperialistic, Athena started to look different, more war like. Now I will look at what the many Greek philosophers said about women. ...
