Overview of Medea and Women in Ancient Greek Society · 2018-05-13 · Euripides’ Medea features...
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1 Overview of Medea and Women in Ancient Greek Society: It has been almost 2500 years since Euripides’ Medea was first written and performed. Why is Medea still so recognizable in our society over two thousand years later? Perhaps the play is still performed and valued today because of the characterization of the title role. This play tells the story of Medea’s revenge against her cheating husband Jason. After Jason spurns Medea in order to marry the princess of Corinth Medea is heartbroken and furious. Medea is no ordinary woman however and uses her magic to murder the princess and king of Corinth to make Jason suffer. The play ends with Medea murdering her own children in order to ensure Jason’s eternal suffering. Medea is far from a conventional character, especially in comparison with other female characters from the Greek Classical Age. In order to prove that Medea stands apart as an important and differential character I have drawn information from both standard academic sources and from personal experience via analyzing and portraying the character. In this paper I will demonstrate how Medea defies the stereotypical place of woman in ancient Greek society, how Medea is different than other female characters from the Greek Classical Age, and how working with the text from an actor’s perspective gives more insight into Medea’s character. These different aspects will all come together to prove that Medea is a extraordinary character. Euripides’ Medea features a lead female character that stands apart from other female roles of the time and should be recognized today as a highly untraditional female protagonist. In ancient Greek society women were held to certain rules and social norms that limited their ability to participate in everyday activities. Many of these social
Transcript of Overview of Medea and Women in Ancient Greek Society · 2018-05-13 · Euripides’ Medea features...
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OverviewofMedeaandWomeninAncientGreekSociety:
Ithasbeenalmost2500yearssinceEuripides’Medeawasfirstwrittenand
performed.WhyisMedeastillsorecognizableinoursocietyovertwothousand
yearslater?Perhapstheplayisstillperformedandvaluedtodaybecauseofthe
characterizationofthetitlerole.ThisplaytellsthestoryofMedea’srevengeagainst
hercheatinghusbandJason.AfterJasonspurnsMedeainordertomarrythe
princessofCorinthMedeaisheartbrokenandfurious.Medeaisnoordinarywoman
howeveranduseshermagictomurdertheprincessandkingofCorinthtomake
Jasonsuffer.TheplayendswithMedeamurderingherownchildreninorderto
ensureJason’seternalsuffering.Medeaisfarfromaconventionalcharacter,
especiallyincomparisonwithotherfemalecharactersfromtheGreekClassicalAge.
InordertoprovethatMedeastandsapartasanimportantanddifferentialcharacter
Ihavedrawninformationfrombothstandardacademicsourcesandfrompersonal
experienceviaanalyzingandportrayingthecharacter.InthispaperIwill
demonstratehowMedeadefiesthestereotypicalplaceofwomaninancientGreek
society,howMedeaisdifferentthanotherfemalecharactersfromtheGreek
ClassicalAge,andhowworkingwiththetextfromanactor’sperspectivegivesmore
insightintoMedea’scharacter.Thesedifferentaspectswillallcometogetherto
provethatMedeaisaextraordinarycharacter.Euripides’Medeafeaturesalead
femalecharacterthatstandsapartfromotherfemalerolesofthetimeandshouldbe
recognizedtodayasahighlyuntraditionalfemaleprotagonist.
InancientGreeksocietywomenwereheldtocertainrulesandsocialnorms
thatlimitedtheirabilitytoparticipateineverydayactivities.Manyofthesesocial
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normswereproblematicandsexist.Duringthistimeperiodwomen’s“publicroles
indemocraticAthenswereverylimitedexceptinthesphereofreligiouspractice”
thisstoppedthemfrombeingabletofullyparticipateinsociety(Griffith120).Itwas
generallyacceptedthatwomenwerelesscapablethenmeninalmosteveryaspect
oflife.Forexamplemedicalwritingsfromthetimetalkaboutwomeninthe
followingway:“thewombwhennotweighteddownwithchildorwetwithsemen,
canmigratetovariouspartsofthebody,causinginthewomenhysterical
symptoms,alustforwandering,orevenmadness”(Foley114).Withpopularbeliefs
focusingonawoman’sinabilitytocontrolherselfitisnotsurprisingthatwomen
wereconfinedtotheprivatesphereduringthistime.Sincealmostallofthewriting
fromthistimeperiodisfrommalesitishardtoknowwhatwomenofthetimewere
reallylike.WhatcanbegatheredfromthewritingsonancientGreekwomenisthat
“femalevirtuesaretoagreatextentmorepassivethanactive,morenegativethan
positive,andforthesereasonshardtodefinebeyondsimpleobediencetothe
dictatesofmenandsociety”(Foley115).Fromtheevidenceofthetimeperioditis
obviousthatwomenwerelookeddownuponinancientGreeksocietyand
encouragedtostayathomewiththeirguardians.
Theplaywrightswholivedinthissocietywerenotimmunetothebeliefsof
thetimeandmanyexamplesofinnatesexismcanbefound.Thesocietalviewsfrom
thetimetranslatedontothestage:“tragedydoesconfirmtheprejudicesandfearsof
itsaudienceaboutindependentfemaleactionsandattitudes”(Foley116).Ifthe
negativebeliefsaboutwomencarriedoverintothetragediesofthetimethenhow
canMedeabeafeministtext?ThereareseveralreasonswhyMedeacanstillbe
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consideredapositivetextforwomen.Therearethosewhobelievethat
“Euripides…playswithhowthespokenwordcangivepowertowomen”(Fletcher
30).BylettingMedeamakemeninvokeoathstothegodsonherbehalfEuripidesis
givingherpoweroverthem.IfEuripidesgaveMedeatheabilitytoinvokeoaths
frompowerfulmenthenperhapshewasnotasmisogynisticastheother
playwrightsofthetime.Itispossiblethat“Greekmalewriters[were]usingfictional
womentothinkinachallengingfashion”(Foley116).Euripidesdidnotleave
behindajournalwherehewrotedownthemeaningsbehindhistragedies.
UnfortunatelythismeansthatitisunknownexactlywhatEuripides’wassaying
withMedea.HoweverregardlessofEuripidesoriginalintentions,Medeacanstillbe
apositiveinfluenceforindependentwomentoday.
WhiletheindependenceofwomenwasfearedinancientGreeceitisvalued
andstrivedforinmoderntimes.WhilecharacterslikeMedeawerewrittento
exemplifythefearsofsocietyin400B.C.,todaytheyareofteninterpretedtobetter
exemplifyfeministideals.Stillitmustrememberedthat“theseroles[came]outofa
culturewherewomenhadnovoice”(Zinman20).Onecannotforgettheoriginal
contextofawork,andwhilemodernadaptationsofancientGreekplaysdistance
themselvesfromthepatriarchalcontextoftheoriginalworkitisimportantto
rememberthatthesefemaleroleswerenotalwaysseeninapositivelight.Knowing
thebackgroundandoriginalsocialcontextofaworkgivesanactormoreinsight
intothecharacter’sactionsandintentions.EuripidesgaveMedeatheabilitytodo
thingsthatweretabooforwomeninancientGreeceandbecauseofthisshestands
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outamongstothercharactersofthetimethatwerewrittentodemonstratethe
properactionsofwomen.
MedeaComparedtoOtherFemaleCharactersoftheTime:
ItisclearthatMedeaisdifferentfromactualwomeninancientGreece,
howeveronecannotclaimthatacharacterisdifferentorimportantwithout
comparinghimorhertoothercharacters.InordertodemonstratethatMedeais
unlikeotherfemalecharactersfromtheGreekClassicalAgeIwillbeexaminingtwo
additionalfemalecharactersfromthetime.TogetasmuchvarietyaspossibleIhave
chosentocompareMedeawithClytemnestrafromAeschylus’Agamemnon,and
AntigonefromSophoclesAntigone.Bychoosingcharacterswrittenbytheothertwo
knowntragicplaywrightsoftheGreekClassicalAgeIwillbeabletoanalyzethe
charactersnotonlyintermsoftheplaytextbutalsohowtheperspectivesofeach
playwrightinfluencedthecharacter’sattributes.Medeaisanindividualand
importantcharacterbecauseofthewayshewaswrittenbyEuripidesandhowshe
hasbeeninterpretedsince.
ClytemnestraisanotherfamousfemalecharacterfromtheGreekClassical
Age.WhilesheisnotthetitlecharacterinAeschylus’Agamemnon,sheisthe
protagonist.AgamemnontellsthestoryofthehomecomingofAgamemnon,Kingof
Argos,aftertheTrojanWar.Beforeheleftforthewar,Agamemnonsacrificed
Iphigenia,oneofhisdaughters.Thoughshepretendstobeunaffectedatfirstitlater
becomesclearthatClytemnestra,wifeofAgamemnonandmotherofIphigenia,
harborsresentmenttowardherhusbandbecauseofthemurderoftheirdaughter.
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AfterwelcomingAgamemnonbackintoArgosClytemnestramurdershimwhilehe
bathes.TheplayendswithClytemnestratriumphantandrulingArgos.
ThereareafewgeneralsimilaritiesbetweenMedeaandClytemnestra,such
asbothhavinghusbandswhobetraythem,bothplottingrevengeandboth
murderingmorethanonepersonbytheendoftheirrespectiveplays.Howeverthe
similaritiesdonotstopthere,intheirrespectiveplaysbothwomenarepresentedas
masculine.Clytemnestraforexampleisdescribedas“[having]afieryheart,the
determinedresolutionofaman”(Aeschylus11-12).WhileMedeaisnotexplicitly
describedasmasculineinthetextmanyscholarsseeheractionsinthatway.For
exampleMarkGriffithclaimsMedeahas“a‘masculine’determinationtoexact
revengeonherenemiesatanycost”(124).Alongwiththeirabnormalmasculine
demeanors,MedeaandClytemnestraarebothdrivenbyrevenge.Clytemnestra
abhorsherhusbandforhismurderofIphigenia:“hesacrificedhisownchild,that
deargirlIboreinpaintocharmwindsfromThrace—anddidn’tcaretohimshewas
abeastforslaughter”(Aeschylus1673-1676).Sheletstheresentmentshefeelsfor
herhusbanddrivesheractionsanddecisions.Similarly,Medeaisalsodrivenbythe
needtotakerevengeagainstherhusband.Whendiscussingherretaliationagainst
JasonMedeaclaimsthatshewilldo“anythingtomakeJason’ssufferingworsethan
mine”(Euripides808-809).HoweverMedeaandClytemnestra’sneedforrevenge
stemsfromtwodifferentplaces.Clytemnestraisdrivenbyherloveforherchildren
whileMedeaisdrivenbyprideandademandforrespectfultreatmentbyher
husband.
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MedeadiffersfromClytemnestrainonemajorway.WhileClytemnestra
slightlydownplaysherintelligencewhenwelcomingherhusbandbackhome,
Medeausesherstatusasawomantodeceivethreedifferentmen.Medeafirstplays
upthesocietalbeliefofwomen’sinnocencebyquellingCreon’sfears“Creon,I’mnot
soclever.Don’tfearme.Ihaven’tthepowertokillaking”(Euripides324-326).Here
herstrategicuseofstereotypicalfemininecharacteristicsbuyshertimetocarryout
herrevengeagainstJason.MedeaalsoappealstoAegeusbypretendingsheisless
capablethanshetrulyis:“savemefromfriendlessexile,Ineedrefugeinyour
country”(Euripides705-706).Puttingonanactofinabilityallowshertosolidifya
safehidingplaceonceshecarriesouthercrimes.FinallyMedeatricksherhusband
Jasonintobelievingsheisapologeticandincapableofdoingharm,“womenare
dumbandwickedbynaturebutwearewhatweare.Knowingthis,youshouldavoid
treatingmethewayItreatedyou”(Euripides869-871).Medea’sabilitytofoolmen
intobelievingsheissimplyanaïveandweakwomanispartiallyduetohercunning
natureandpartiallyduetomen’sdesiretoviewwomenasstereotypically
incapable.WhileotherfemalecharacterslikeClytemnestramayusetheirfemale
statustoachievetheirgoalsnoothercharacterfromtheGreekClassicalAgedoesso
totheextentofMedea.
Antigoneisawell-knownfemaleheroinefromthetimeperiodof
ClytemnestraandMedea.Sophocles,thethirdknowntragicplaywrightfromthe
GreekClassicalAgewroteAntigone,aplayaboutawomanwhobetrayshercountry
inordertohonorherdeadbrother.Antigonerisksexileandherownlifeinorderto
giveherfallenbrotherPolyneicestheproperfuneralrites.UnlikeAgamemnonand
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Medeathisplaydoesnotendwiththemainfemalecharactertriumphant,itendsin
herdeathbecauseoftheactionsshetook.
AntigoneandMedeahaveafewsimilarcharacteristics;mostprominentis
theirparallelbeliefinhigherpowers.Antigonehassuchastrongbeliefinthegods
thatsheiswillingtodieratherthendisobeythem.SheargueswithKingCreon
claimingthatshewentagainsthisdemands“because[she]didnotbelievethatZeus
wastheonewhohadproclaimedit;neitherdidJusticeorthegodsofthedead”
(Sophocles550-554).Medeaalsovaluesthehigherpowerofthegodsandplaces
specificvalueonoathssworntothegods.Jason’sbrokenmarriageoathisthe
drivingfactorintheplay“Medeaenraged,recitesthelistofJason’svows…and
demandsthegodsstandwitnesstowhatherfaithfullove’sproduced”(Euripides
16-20).Bothwomenvaluethelawofthegodsmorethantheactionsanddecreesof
men.MedeaandAntigonearebothalsostubbornwomen.Scholarspointoutthatin
Antigone“thechoruschargestheheroinewiththefaultofstubbornness”(Lattimore
21).Antigoneprovesherstubbornnessseveraltimesintheplaytext,forexample
sherefusestochangehermindeventhoughhersisterpleadswithhertoobeythe
King’sdecree.MedeaisdescribedbytheNurse,thecharacterwhohasknownher
longest,as“fierceandstubborn”(Euripides94-95).Itisobvioustothereaderthat
Medeaisstubbornfromothercharacters’descriptionsofherandtheactionsshe
takeswithintheplay.ThetitlecharactersofMedeaandAntigonearebornintoroyal
bloodlinesandthereforehaveacertainsenseofpride,whichpartiallyexplainstheir
stubbornness.
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OnemajordifferencebetweenAntigoneandMedeaistheirdedicationto
theirbiologicalfamilies.Antigoneknowinglybreaksthelawandultimatelylosesher
lifebecauseofherdedicationtoherbrother.ConverselyMedeadoesnotshare
Antigone’sfamilialdedication.InfactinordertobewithJasonMedeamurdersher
brotherandbetraysherfamily,“Ibetrayedmyfather…Ibutcheredmybrotherat
homethendroppedhimpiecebypiecefromtheArgo”(Euripides159-161).Because
shebetrayedherfamilyandleftherhomelandtofollowJasontoCorinthMedeais
anoutsiderandisisolatedfromCorinth’ssociety.Severaltimesthroughouttheplay
shereferencesherloneliness,“whatcountryorhouseholdwillwelcomeandprotect
me?None”(Euripides407-408).ThesolitudeAntigonefeelsisverydifferentfrom
theisolationofMedea.WhileAntigonedeclaresherself“unmournedandfriendless”
sheisstillinherhomecountryanditislaterrevealedthatmanycitizensagreed
withherdecisiontoburyPolyneices(Sophocles1025).Medeaontheotherhandis
trulyaloneafterJason’sbetrayalbecauseshehasnoonetoturnto.
ItiseasytofindsimilaritiesbetweenMedeaandothercharactersofthetime
likeAntigoneandClytemnestra.However,whatmakesMedeaextraordinaryarethe
waysshediffersfromthesecharacters.Medeaiscompetentindownplayingher
intelligenceinordertomakemenbelievesheisnotathreatandistrulyisolatedin
theworldbecauseofherhusband’sbetrayal.Medeadiffersfromotherfemale
charactersoftheGreekClassicalAgebecausesheiswhollydedicatedtorevengeand
willletnothing,notevenherloveforherownchildren,getinthewayofmaking
Jasonsuffer.
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ActorAnalysisofMedea:
Oneoftheformsmyresearchtookwasthatofanactor’sanalysis.Thereisno
definiteguideonhowtoproperlyanalyzeacharacterwhenyouaregoingtoportray
himorher,soaspartofmyresearchforthispaperIhavecreatedmyownversionof
anactor’sanalysis.Thecreatedactor’sanalysiscanbeseeninAppendixA,this
documentlistsalltheactionsandexercisesthatIhavecompletedinordertodelve
furtherinthecharacterofMedea.
Itisimportanttoutilizedifferenttypesofresearchwheninvestigatinga
character.Itisespeciallyessentialtodohandsonresearchasanactorwhen
studyingatheatricalcharacter.Playsaremeanttobeperformedandsocharacters
cannotreachtheirfullpotentialandcharacterizationuntiltheyareportrayed.In
CharlesMcGaw’sactingtextbookhestates:
Anaudiencecanneverseeacharacterasthedramatistconceivedhim.They
alwaysseewhateversignificanceaparticularactorhasbeenabletofind.And
thepersonwhoprefersreadinghisplaystoseeingthemismerely
substitutinghisowninterpretativeabilitiesforthoseoftheactor.(103)
Actorsbringlifetocharactersbycombiningtheirowninsightwiththeplaywright’s
text.IfIhadonlyresearchedthecharacterofMedeabyreadingwhatscholarshad
writtenIwouldbemissinganimportantlayerofunderstanding.Howeverby
completinganactor’sanalysisIwasabletoapplymyownunderstandingto
Euripides’textandfindnewmeaningswithintheroleMedea.
Theexercisefromtheactor’sanalysisthattaughtmethemostaboutMedea
wasvalidatingherchoices.Whenreadingaplaytextoneonlyseesthechoicesa
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charactermakesandjudgesthemfromanoutsider’sperspective.Howeverwhen
portrayingacharacteranactorneedstounderstandwhytheyaremakingthat
particulardecisionandwhatotheroptionstheycouldhavechosen.WhydidMedea
choosetokillherchildren?ShecouldhaveinsteadkilledJasonorsimplyhiddenher
sonsawayfromtheirfatherforever.InordertounderstandMedea’schoiceone
needstounderstandtheimportanceofheirs.Eveninmoderntimeschildrenare
thoughttobeanextensionoftheirparents.Havingchildrenmeansyouhave
solidifiedyourownplaceinthefutureandthatyourgeneticswillgoon.Medea
wantedJason’s“housedestroyed”(Euripides107).ByensuringthatJasonwillhave
nochildrentosurvivehimMedeaiscondemninghimtoalonelylife.Medeawanted
Jasontofeelisolatedandalonesimilartothewayshefeltafterhisbetrayal.IfMedea
hadkilledJasonhewouldn’thavesufferedinisolationlikeshewasforcedtooncehe
marriedtheprincessofCorinth.IfshehadtakenhersonsawayfromJasoninstead
ofkillingthemhislineagewouldstillcontinueandJasonwouldliveonthroughtheir
children.ByvalidatingMedea’schoiceIcanbetterunderstandhercharacterina
waythatIcouldn’tifIhadsimplyreadacademicsources.
Goingmorein-depthintoMedea’scharacterviaanactor’sanalysisalso
helpedmetodiscoverjusthowcunningshereallyis.ThespecificsectionofMedeaI
workedwithislines241-284;duringthissegmentMedeaisaddressingthechorus.
Whileatfirstglancethismonologuemayseemtobeaconversationbetweenfriends
itisactuallymuchmorethanthat.ByapplyingMedea’smainobjective,making
Jasonsufferlikeshedidwhenhebetrayedher,andlookingatthesubtextofthe
linesthemonologuetakesonanewmeaning.Insteadofventingtoherfriendsas
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onemaythinkatfirst,Medeaisactuallyusingsharedexperiencestomakethe
choruspityher.Byappealingtothechorusasafellowwomanwhohasbeen
wronged,Medeaiscreatingarelationshipwiththechorusinordertoearntheir
allegianceagainstJason.Medeawantsthechorustoseeherasanoutsideranda
heartbrokenwomansotheywillpityherandkeepquietabouthermurderous
revengeplot.Withoutlookingintothetextasanactorandattemptingtofindthe
truemeaningbehindthewordsIwouldnothaverealizedthedepthofMedea’s
intelligenceandabilitytomanipulateothers.
Conclusion:
Euripides’Medeaisawidelyknownandcelebratedplayevenafterhundreds
ofyears.Itsfameisinpartduetothetitlecharacterwhoisanimportant,distinct,
andextraordinaryfemaleprotagonist.Thereareseveralimportantreasonswhy
Medeaissucharemarkablerole.Medeawaswrittenin431B.C.,atimewhenactual
womenwerenotallowedtodomuchofanything.Medeadoesmanythingsinthe
playthatwouldhavebeenconsideredtabooforwomenofthetime.Ofthemany
customsofthetimethatMedeabreaks,simplyspeakingisthemostnoticeable:“one
ofthemostdistinctivesignsof‘femininity’…isfailuretospeakatall”(Griffith123).
Medeaisnotthetraditionalfemalecharacterofthetimeperiodeither.Shebreaks
manystereotypesandfallsneitherintothecategoryofmasculinenorfeminine,“she
canappealtoasharedbondofwomen’soppressiononemomentandnegotiatelike
amanwithothermenthenext”(Fletcher33).WhileClytemnestraandAntigoneare
alsonotidealfemalecharactersforthetimeperiodtheyarefartamerand
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conventionalthanMedea.Clytemnestradoesmurderherhusband,butshestays
truetotheancientGreekroleofmotherbyavengingherdaughter’smurder.
Antigonegoesagainstaman’sdecree,butshedoesitinordertogiveherbrother
properfuneralrites,somethingwomenwereencouragedtodoatthetime.Medea
rejectstherolesofwifeandobedientcitizenlikeClytemnestraandAntigone,
howevershealsorejectstherolesClytemnestraandAntigonestaytrueto:mother
andsister.Medeadefiesmorefemininestereotypesofthetimethananyother
femalecharacterwrittenduringtheGreekClassicalAge.ExploringMedea’s
characterfirsthandbycompletinganactor’sanalysisonlyrevealedhowfarshewas
fromtheideaofa‘proper’woman.Medeaisextremelyintelligentandchoosesher
wordswithcareinordertomakepeoplereactinacertainway.Sherecognizesthe
inflatedmaleegoandusesittoheradvantageseveraltimesthroughouttheplay.By
realizingthatsocietyviewswomenasinherentlyweakerandstupiderthanmen
Medeaisabletotrickthreeseparatemalecharactersintobelievingsheisinnocent
andfrail.
Inconclusion,Medeaisanintelligent,cunning,ruthless,dedicatedand
manipulativewomanwhoisdifferentfromotherfemalecharactersoftheGreek
ClassicalAge.UtilizingbothhandsonexperienceandacademicresearchIhave
arguedthatMedeaisremarkableandsignificantwhichisthereasonwhyEuripides’
Medeaisstillrelevanttoday.
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AppendixAActorAnalysis-
• BasicBackgroundInformation:name,gender,age,relationshipstatus,
family,intelligencelevel,posture,appearance
o Whatdoesthisinformationsayaboutcharacter?
o Canbehelpfultowriteashortbiographyfromcharacter’sPOVset
beforestartofplay.
• MotivatingForce:statementofspecificdesirethatdemandssomethingfrom
othercharacters(SeeAlsoGoalandObjective)
o Ex.Iwish…Iwant…
o Whatdoescharacterwant?Whataretheywillingtodoforit?
o Yourcharacterwantssomethingwhichmakesthemdosomethingin
anefforttoachieveagoal.
• Objective:whatcharacteristryingtoaccomplish.Canbeperbeatandper
scene.(SeeAlsoMotivatingForceandGoal)
o Mustbesingular,importantandpresent(somethingthatcanbe
achievenow)
• SuperObjective:charactersoverallgoalofentireplay(SeeAlsoGoaland
MotivatingForce)
o Allactionsofthecharacterleadtothis
• GOTE:canbedonepersceneandforplayoverall.
o Goal:whatspecificthingdoesthecharacterwanttoachieve(SeeAlso
ObjectiveandMotivatingForce)
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o Other:Thepersonyourcharacterseeksthegoalfororagainst
o Tactic:Howyourcharactertriestoachievetheirgoal
o Expectation:Whatdoyouexpecttogainfromachievingyourgoal?
Whatareyouexcitedabout?
• Playwright’sIntentions:
o Whatdidplaywrightwantthecharactertostandfor/represent?
§ Mayhavetodowithtimeperiodofplaywrightandwhatwas
happeningintheirsociety.Whatwouldplaywrighthave
wantedtosayaboutthattypeofcharacterduringthattime?
o SuperObjectiveofPlay:Whatistheplaywrightobservingaboutlife?
Whataretheycommentingon?
• CharacterChoices:
o Whydidcharactermakethatchoice?Howdidithelpachieve
motivatingforce/goal/objective?
o Whatotherchoicescouldtheyhavemade?
§ Whyweren’tthosethefinaldecision?
§ Besuretorationalizecharacterchoice.
• Through-line:thebasicdirectionofthecharacterarch.
o Thiscanbefoundbydoingasummaryoftheplay,highlightingeach
beatandintentionwithinthatbeat.Togetherthesewillbecomethe
through-lineandshowhowthecharacterevolvesthroughplay.
• SceneAnalysis:
o Whatdoescharactersay?Whatdoescharacterdo?
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o Whatdoothercharacterssayaboutyourcharacterandwhatistheir
motivationbehindsayingit?
o Whatactionsdoyourcharacter’slinessuggest?
o Whatstagedirectionsdoestheplaywrightgive?
• SceneBreakdown:breakeachsceneintobeatsinordertobetter
understandcharacter
o Whatisaction/objectiveineachbeat?
o Whataretheintentionsineachbeat?
o Whatisimportanceofthisscene?Whatwouldbelostifitwerecut?
• Subtext:
o Whatdoescharacterwanttoresultfromspeaking?
o Whatismotivationbehindspeech?
o Whyischaractersayingthoseexactwords?
o Howdoeseachlinerelatetothepreviousline?
o Howdolineshelpcharactergetclosertomotivating
force/goal/objective?
• GivenCircumstances:canbedonepersceneandforplayoverall.
o Who
§ Generalrelationshipsex.mom,dad
§ Specificrelationships-incontextofplaywhatisrelationship
o Where
§ Physicalenvironmentex.climate,location
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§ Socialenvironmentex.timeperiodandwhatthatmeansfor
yourcharacter.
o Whenex.timeofday,season,historicalperiod.
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WorksCitedandConsulted:
Aeschylus.Agamemnon.Trans.IanJohnston.Johnstonia.VancouverIsland
University,Mar.2014.Web21April2016.
Benedetti,Robert.TheActorinYou.5thed.NewYork:PearsonEducation,Inc.2012.
Print.
Euripides.Medea.Trans.MichaelCollierandGeorgiaMachemer.NewYork:Oxford
UniversityPress,2006.ProQuestebrary.Web.21April2016.
Fletcher,Judith."WomenandOathsinEuripides."TheatreJournal55.1(2003):29-
44.ProQuest.Web18Feb.2016.
Foley,HeleneP..FemaleActsinGreekTragedy.Princeton,NewJersey:Princeton
UniversityPress,2001.Print.
Griffith,Mark.“AntigoneandHerSisters:EmbodyingWomeninGreekTragedy.”
MakingSilenceSpeak:Women’sVoicesinGreekLiteratureandSociety.Ed.
AndréLardinoisandLauraMcClure.Princeton:PrincetonUniversityPress,
2001.117-136.Print.
Lattimore,Richmond.StoryPatternsinGreekTragedy.AnnArbor:TheUniversityof
MichiganPress,1965.Print.
McGaw,Charles.ActingisBelieving.3rded.NewYork:Holt,RinehartandWinston,
1975.Print.
Rabinowitz,NancySorkin.“WomenasSubjectandObjectoftheGazeinTragedy.”
HELIOS40.1(2013):195-221.ProjectMuse.Web21Apr.2016.
Reed,Valerie.“BringingAntigoneHome?”ComparativeLiteratureStudies45.3
(2008):316-340.ProjectMuse.Web21Apr.2016.
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Sophocles.Antigone.Trans.RichardEmilBraun.NewYork:OxfordUniversityPress,
1973.Print.
Zinman,Toby.“StillDangerousAfterAllTheseYears.”AmericanTheatreMar.1999:
19-22,62-63.AcademicSearchComplete.Web21Apr.2016
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AnnotatedBibliography:
PrimarySources
MedeabyEuripides
Medeaisaplaythatwasoriginallyperformedin431BCatthefestivalCity
Dionysia.ScholarsknowthatMedeawasfirstperformedin431BCbecausetheCity
Dionysiafestivalkeptrecordsofenteredplays.In431BCEuripidesenteredMedea
intothetragedycontestandlost.AnythingconcerningAncientGreeceisslightly
uncertainbecauseithappenedsolongagoandtherearefewremainingtextsand
artifacts;however,scholarsareverycertainthatMedeawaswrittenbyEuripides
andperformedin431BC.MedeawaswritteninGreeksoanyversionthatIreadwill
beatranslationoftheoriginalwork.Translationsarenevertrueandpurecopiesof
theoriginal;howeverIthinkthisversionisprettysimilartotheoriginal.Ihaveread
severaltranslationsofMedeaandthisversioniscomparabletotheothersIhave
read.BecauseIdonothaveaccesstotheoriginaltextIhavetotrustthatthe
translationisasclosetotheoriginalasitcanbe.
IamusingtheplayMedeatofurtherinvestigateandunderstandthecharacter
ofMedea.EuripideswrotethisplayinthecontextofancientGreeksocietysoitis
inherentlyreflectiveofthatcommunity.AncientGreecedidnotvaluewomeninthe
samewaywedotodayandthiscanbeseenintheplay.Whileevaluatingthissource
Ineedtokeepinmindthatitwaswrittenbyamaleinaverypatriarchalsociety.
ThissourceisamoderntranslationoftheplaythatIamfocusingmyresearchon.
ModerntranslationsmakeiteasiertounderstandtheactualmeaningbecauseI
don’thavetosortthroughold-fashionedwordsandphrases.Medeaasawholeis
20
veryinterestingtomeandIhavealwaysfeltconnectedtothecharacterMedea.I’m
veryintriguedbyherrageandintensefocusonrevenge.InparticularIhavealways
lovedthemonologuewhereMedeaisdiscussingwomen’splaceinsociety.Iwantto
lookintothecharacterofMedeaandseehowsheisdistinctanddifferentfromother
femalecharacters.
MedeadirectlycompareswithAgamemnonbyAeschylus.Boththeseplays
werewrittenduringtheClassicalAgeinGreecesoitisinterestingtoseehowthe
femalecharactersdifferbetweenthetwoplays.Thiscomparisonbringsupsome
questions.Whyarethefemalecharactersthatwerewrittenduringthesametime
periodwithinthesamesocialcontextsodifferent?Doestheplaywright’sviewof
womeninfluencehistreatmentoffemalecharacters?
AgamemnonbyAeschylus
Thissourceisusefulformysubjectmatterbecauseitcanbedirectly
comparedwithMedea,whichismyprimarytext.AgamemnonandMedeawereboth
writtenduringtheClassicalAgeofGreece,whichmeansboththesubjectstheydeal
withandthecharacterstheyfeatureareverycloselyrelated.Thisistruebecause
bothplayswerewritteninthewithinthesamesocialcontexts.FormypaperIam
focusingonwhatdifferentiatesMedeaasacharacter,inordertoprovethatsheis
differentIwillneedtocomparehertoothercharacters.Agamemnonfeatures
Clytemnestra,astrongfemalecharacter,whowillcompareandcontrastwellwith
Medea.IwilluseAgamemnontogaintextualinformationaboutClytemnestraand
seewhichofhercharacteristicsarestrongest.Thesecharacteristicswillcompare
21
andcontrastdirectlywithMedea’scharacter.Clytemnestraisagoodcandidatefor
comparisonwithMedeabecauseoutofallAeschylus’worksIhavereadsheisthe
mostindependentandcapablefemalecharacter.
AntigonebySophocles
AntigonewaswrittenduringtheClassicalAgeofGreecesoitcanalsobe
compareddirectlywithMedea.UsingAntigonealongwithAgamemnonallowsmeto
furthercompareandcontrastMedeawithotherfemalecharactersthatwerecreated
inthesametimeperiod.Antigone,AgamemnonandMedeawereallwrittenby
differentplaywrights.Whileeachplaywrightlivedandparticipatedinthesame
society,theircharactersareverydifferent;thismaybebecauseeachplaywrighthad
variedexperienceswithwomen.AntigoneisdifferentthanbothClytemnestraand
Medea.MedeaandClytemnestraarebothmarriedwithchildrenandhave
committedmurderwhileAntigonediesavirgin.AntigoneisanothercharacterthatI
willcomparewithMedeainordertodetermineMedea’smostdefining
characteristics.OutofSophocles’femalecharactersIchosetocompareAntigone
withMedeabecauseIwasinterestedinthedifferencesbetweenMedea’streatment
offamilyandAntigone’s.
SecondarySources
FemaleActsinGreekTragedybyHeleneP.Foley
FemaleActsinGreekTragedyisabookpublishedbyPrincetonUniversity
Press.ThisbooklooksatancientGreektragedy’streatmentofwomen.Foleytakes
22
everythingintoaccountinthisbook.Shediscussesawoman’splaceinancientGreek
societyandhowthatmayhaveinfluencedthefemalecharactersintragedy.She
similarlydiscussesthelawsandcustomsofthetimeandwhatwomenwere
expectedtodoincontrasttowhattheywerenotallowedtodo.Foleyalsoexamines
thethreetypicalcaricaturesofwomen:virgin,wifeandmother.Foleygives
examplesofcharactersthatfitthesecaricaturesandexplainswhyeachcharacter
fitsthismold.
Foleyfocusesonanalyzingthecharacters’actionsandvoices,andthen
puttingthemincontextwithancientGreeksociety.Athemethroughoutthisbookis
femalecharactersbeingusedasmoralagentsintragedyandhowthatrelatestothe
socialcontextofancientGreece.FemaleActsinGreekTragedyaimstoinform
readersoffemalecharacters’purposesintragedy.Foleypresentsherbookalmost
likeasequenceoffacts.Theopeningfewchaptersgivebackgroundonwomen’s
rolesinancientGreeksociety,thenchaptersaredividedbasedoncharacter.Foley’s
bookisbothahistoricalanalysisandaliteraryanalysis.Becauseofherfocuson
theseanalysesFemaleActsinGreekTragedyemphasizesculturalandliterary
contexts.HighlightingliteraryandculturalcontextsleadsFoley’sbooktobe
structuredinacertainway.Thefirsthalfofthebookismeanttoputthereaderin
theculturalcontextofancientGreeksocietyandthesecondhalffocusesonpulling
evidencedirectlyfromtheplaysinordertodemonstratehowtheculturalcontext
influencesthecharacters.
FemaleActsinGreekTragedyisareputablesourcebecauseitwaswrittenby
HeleneP.FoleywhoisaprofessoratBarnardUniversityandhaswrittenmany
23
booksaboutancientGreektragedyandculture.PrincetonUniversityPressalso
publishedthisbook.WithinthebookFoleysupportsallherclaimswithevidence,
eitherfromtheplaysthemselvesorotherscholarlyworks.Thefactsthatare
presentedinthissourcereflectclaimsthatIhaveseeninothersources.
Foley’svoiceisveryprofessionalandauthoritative.Itisassumedthat
readersofthisbookhavebasicbackgroundknowledgeaboutGreeksocietyand
havereadmanyoftheGreektragedies.Byassumingthatreadershaveknowledgeof
theplaysFoleycanskiprighttoanalyzingthecontentoftheplaysandnotspend
timesummarizing.Thissourceisveryrelevanttomyresearchbecauseitanalyzes
notonlyMedeabutalsoAntigoneandClytemnestra,thecharactersIamcomparing
Medeato.ThisbooksetsthefemalecharactersinthecontextofAncientGreek
societyandanalyzeshowtheyaretreatedinrelationtomalecharacters.This
source,similartoothersourcesIfound,callsoutthepatriarchalsocietythatthe
playswerewritteninandanalyzesthefemalecharactersinrelationtothatsociety.
"WomenandOathsinEuripides”byJudithFletcher
Thisarticleisinterestingbecauseitlooksspecificallyatoathsthatoccurin
playswrittenbyEuripides.Thisisrelevantformyresearchbecauseasectionofthis
articlespecificallydiscussesMedeaandtheoathssheinvokes.Medeadoesmany
thingswithintheplaybutfocusingononeinparticularallowsfordeeperanalysis.
BylookingataspecificactionthatMedeadoesonecanlearnmoreabouther
characterasawhole.SheinvokestheseoathsonbothJasonandAegeus.Bymaking
bothmenswearoathstoherMedeaisdemonstratinghervaluesandsomeofher
24
characteristics.Thisarticleanalyzeswhatoccursintheplaytextandaddsinsight
intoMedea’scharacter.Thissourcecanbedirectlycomparedto“AntigoneandHer
Sisters:EmbodyingWomeninGreekTragedy”byMarkGriffith.Thesesourcesare
interestingtocomparebecauseonefocusesonoathsandtheotherfocusesonthe
characteristicsoffemalesintragedy.Thisraisesquestionsaboutfemininityand
masculinityinregardstoinvokingoaths.Thinkingaboutwhatcharactertraitsare
neededtoinvokeoathsinAncientGreeksocietycouldbeveryinteresting.
“AntigoneandHerSisters:EmbodyingWomeninGreekTragedy”byMarkGriffith
Thisarticlediscussesthe“traits”thatmakeupastandardfemalecharacter.
Griffithmentionstheaspectsoffemininityandmasculinityinregardstotragedy’s
femalecharacters.Griffithoutlineswhatwasconsideredtraditionallyfemaleand
traditionallymasculineinAncientGreeksocietyandhowtheactionsoffemale
charactersreflectthesenorms.HethengoesintoAntigonespecificallyandcompares
thethreemainfemalecharactersoftheplayinregardstohowtheyportray
femininityandmasculinitydifferently.ThisisbeneficialformyresearchbecauseI
canutilizethecomparisonsGriffithmakesinthisarticleandapplythemtoMedea,
AntigoneandClytemnestra.Asstatedabove,thissourcecandirectlycomparewith
“WomenandOathsinEuripides”byJudithFletcher.Thesesourcesareinterestingto
comparebecausetheydealwithdifferentspecificsubjectmatters,butfocusonthe
sameoveralltopicofwomeninancientGreektheatre.BycomparingthesesourcesI
canmakeastrongargumentformasculinityinMedea’scharacter.Fletcherstates
thatoathsareawaytogivewomenpower,whichwasconsideredmasculine,and
25
GriffithpointsoutthatMedeaispartiallymasculineandpartiallyfeminine.Medea’s
untraditionalmasculinityisanotherwayofarguingthatsheisauniquecharacter
fromtheGreekClassicalAge.
ReferenceSources
ActingisBelievingbyCharlesMcGaw
ActingisBelievingisatheatretextbook.Thistextbookdealswithactingasan
artformandhowtobecomethebestactorthatyoucanbe.Thisisafairlybroad
subjectbutIbelievethebookcoversthebasicsverywellandalsogoesindepthon
specifictechniques.ActingisBelievingisbrokenintothreeparts,theactor’s
relationshiptohimself,theactor’srelationshiptotheplayandtheactor’s
relationshiptotheproductionasawhole.Thistextbookisreputablebecauseitwas
usedinmyhighschoolanditisusedinmanyotherschoolsaroundthecountry.
WhileIownthethirdeditiontherearenowtwelveeditionsofthistextbook,which
showsthattheacademiccommunitymustvalueit.Ihavelearnttheinformationin
thisbookbeforefrommanytheatreprofessors.Thewaythebookiswrittenisalso
veryprofessionalandtheauthorreferencesmanywell-knownactingtexts.
Onecouldbeskepticalaboutthissourcebecauseonemanwritesitandsoit
focusesonhisbeliefsaboutactingtechniques.Modernactingtextbooksfocus
mainlyoncontemporaryplaysandtheactingstrategiesarebasedonthesetexts,
thiscouldbeanotherreasontobeskepticalofthistextandthewayIuseitfor
Medea.HoweverIbelievethatthisisnotanissuebecauseIamamodernactor.Iam
notattemptingtoactMedeathewaythatthecharacterwouldhavebeenactedin
26
ancientGreece.IalsodidnotuseeveryexercisementionedinthebookIchosethose
thatIbelievedworkedbestwiththeplayandwouldhelpmelearnthemostMedea.
Thistextbookisveryimportanttothepracticeintoresearchportionofmy
project.Icompiledmyownactor’sanalysisguideusingthisbookasamainsource.
BypullingdifferenttechniquesthataredescribedinthebookIwasabletodecide
howIwantedtoinvestigatethecharacterMedea.Withoutthisbooktheremaynot
havebeenapracticeintoresearchportionofmyproject.
TheActorinYoubyRobertBenedetti
Thistextbookwasimportanttocompilingmyactor’sanalysisguide.While
manyofthetechniquesinthisbookarealsomentionedinActingisBelievingthis
bookalsogivesveryhelpfulexercises.Theseexercisescontributedtomyactor’s
analysisandmademethinkmorecriticallyabouttheMedeaasacharacter.
Benedettialsogoesmoreindepthoncertaintechniquesthatareonlymentionedin
ActingisBelieving.
