Created for the festival of Dionysus in 431 BC, Medea is a controversial study of impassioned love turned into furious hatred. It examines the liability of various characters for the final tragedy of the play, whence Medea butchers her two innocent children. It also disregards the concept of ‘heroes’ common to dramas in Euripides time. The clash of two contrasting characters — one, a barbarian woman with extreme emotional reactions, and her husband, a vain man of civilisation who lacks empathy — allows Euripides to explore whether it is the heart or the head that drives humans to commit inhumane acts. Medea’s extreme emotional attachments can only be expressed through extreme measures.
“My friends at home now hate me…” Medea even earned more enemies when helping Jason. For examples, she killed Pelias and his daughters. “There I put king Pelias…” Through the play, Euripides shows that Medea is an obedient wife when she had borne for Jason two sons. She always tries
Euripides has been accused of being a misogynist as well as the world's first feminist. In your view, do the portrayals of Medea and Jason allow such contradictory interpretations? Euripides' Greek tragic play, 'Medea', depicts a wife's desire to right the wrongs done to her by her husband and in the pursuit of satisfaction, she commits the heinous of crimes, infanticide. The play is set in a patriarchal society, where women are treated as mere tools to satisfy their male partners. Euripides' portrays Medea as both a weak and strong woman, being able to stand up to some of the male characters and simultaneously succumb to their presence.
Module A: Comparison of Texts Individuals challenge the values that permeate time, in a manner that is relevant to their society. This rebellion is evident in William Shakespeare’s play The Taming of the Shrew and Gil Junger’s film 10 Things I Hate About You whereby Katherina and Kat initially disregard the social expectations for women of their context. The composers portray this comparably, using textual integrity so the women’s misunderstood, shrew-like behavior is suited to their culture and society. This in turn, provokes both characters to experience a transformation of self and their values. In The Taming of The Shrew, Katherina challenges the values and themes of courtship and marriage, dismissing the female etiquette when meeting her suitor.
A major factor that affects Mayella in her life, and especially in the trial, is her fear of her father. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Bob Ewell beats up Mayella and blames it on Tom Robinson, which is the reason for the trial. Bob Ewell’s influence on Mayella can be seen in the way she glances at her father and changes her words depending on his reaction. She harbors a fear of her father that makes her submissive to him and match her testimony with his, even if he abused her. For example, Mayella tries to hide her father’s drinking problem, and only reveals it when Atticus coaxes it out of her.
The actions of the nurse and the Friar are responsible for Romeo and Juliet’s deaths. From the very begging of Romeo and Juliet’s newfound love, the nurse is supportive and helpful with Juliet. The nurse was an influential adult to Juliet and knew that the Capulets planned for Paris and Juliet to be married. She should have known better and discouraged Juliet from seeing Romeo. Instead, the nurse acted as a messenger between Romeo and Juliet for information about the wedding (Act II, scene iv).
Claudia Cox ‘The main interest of the novel is in its portrayal of intricate characters.’ Explore the methods which the writer uses to create complex characters in the yellow wallpaper. The Yellow Wallpaper, written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman in 1892 focuses on the main interest of the novel being the portrayal of intricate characters. The text explores the mental deterioration of the nameless protagonist, who is trapped under patriarchal control and the reader shares the journey of the protagonist’s descent into madness. ‘The chilling tale of a woman driven to the brink of insanity’ (Maggie O’Farrell, 2008) aims to educate other women within society, despite being isolated within her marriage; in which she is refused power, dismissed and belittled by her husband. The characters in the novel display complex personalities and the main focus is on the intricate protagonist, the
“Is your man secret? Did you ne'er hear say, ‘Two may keep counsel, putting one away’?” (2.5.185-186). By allowing and even helping Juliet to keep her marriage from her parents, the nurse digs them both into a bigger hole with each lie that passes her lips and every time she helps Romeo and Juliet instead of going to the parents. Had she told the truth the deaths of the young lovers could have easily been avoided, but the Nurse continued to feed people disinformation. In Juliet’s most time of need, she goes on to say “(Romeo) Hath not so green, so quick, so fair an eye As Paris hath.”(3.5.222-223).
Regardless of the sacrifices she made for him, she ended up being banished by the King of Creon and then deserted by Jason, only to be left with Jason’s two sons to raise all on her own. In addition to this, she gives much of her time and energy to make Jason happy, along with raising their children, only to him leave her for a younger and more beautiful princess. The jealousy and rage that is exhibited by Medea may be a reflection of how she sees her position in society, in which men are in control and she is forced to and be submissive. In seeking revenge on Jason, she is fighting back against her oppression and lack of power in owning her choices and future. Medea feels in order to be at peace, she must destroy Jason regardless of the
Antigone ends up defying Creon (and therefore the state) after several instances of attempting to change Creon's decision, claiming how her brother had earned a proper burial, and eventually going so far as to bury him herself (which is again revealed through dialogue as opposed to external action) – an act which would eventually cause her death. Antigone's greatest fault lays in her stubbornness to give up on her desires; as noble as her intentions were, it was her inability to concede her desires that led to her ultimate