Unrealism in Medea and Odyssey

Unrealism is something unusual, which is usually illustrated as an exaggeration of a realistic phenomenon that leaps the boundaries of reality to present an improbable yet possible picture of life. It is a technique authors deploy in intensifying a particular situation through inherent exaggerations helping them to create the desired dramatic effect which tends to have a profound and enduring impact on the audiences. In the books, Medea by Euripides (431 B.C.) and The Odyssey by Homer (800 B.C.), the use of unrealism presents to the audiences an exaggerated manifestation of the situation, which tends to generate tension among the audiences and consequently intensifying the otherwise ‘realistic' plot. In trying to achieve the aforementioned purpose, the element of unrealism reveals the characters, through their actions in those intensified situations which help the audience to comprehend their heroism or otherwise. Consequently this helps to shed light upon certain universal truths and inject a didactic element into the plot. Thus unrealism successfully binds the situations and characters in a manner that allows the audiences to elicit the underlying universal messages that the author wishes to share with his audience.
For instance, during certain situations, the element of unrealism presents to the audiences an exaggerated picture of it, creating tension and/or excitement among the audiences and subsequently intensifying the plot. In Medea, for instance, the pathetic condition of Medea has been dramatized to reflect the intensity of her unhappiness and misery from the start itself. The very first dialogue spoken by Medea "Oh, oh! What misery, what wretchedness! What shall I do? If only I were dead!" helps the audiences somewhat realize her feelings upon being betrayed by Jason. While the chorus's description of her to be "sobbing and wailing" and "shouting shrill accusations" further dramatizes the condition of Medea as a result of which the plot is intensified... [continues]

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