1

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.

8

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

12

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)

14

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?

15

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

16

§ Socialenvironmentex.timeperiodandwhatthatmeansfor

yourcharacter.

o Whenex.timeofday,season,historicalperiod.

17

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.

18

Sophocles.Antigone.Trans.RichardEmilBraun.NewYork:OxfordUniversityPress,

1973.Print.

Zinman,Toby.“StillDangerousAfterAllTheseYears.”AmericanTheatreMar.1999:

19-22,62-63.AcademicSearchComplete.Web21Apr.2016

19

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.