Preview

Fate And Free Will In Euripides Medea

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
330 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Fate And Free Will In Euripides Medea
The main themes in Euripides’ Medea revolves around the idea of fate and freewill that separately or together result in the tragic deaths in the play. In addition to that, the play also gives us an insight on ancient Greek societies and their view of citizenship and xenophobia. Beginning with the idea of fate and the role of the Gods and everyday Greek life, the interactive oral respective to those topics explain the differences between Modern Times And ancient Greek societies. In Greek society, fate -the idea of your own future or life is in the hands of higher beings, is a very intricate ideology that shuns curiosity. If you are constantly informed that you are not in charge of your own life, it is hard to find the motivation to try it and

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    In novels and play writes such as Barbara Kingsolver’s, The Poisonwood Bible and Euripides, Medea, the theme Role of women arises: women in many societies are subjugated and displayed as the inferior gender, when they are truly the strongest; they carry all the pain and suffering of society, the wars and the deaths; thus they are the pedestal that keeps everyone up. In order to reveal theme Kingsolver and Euripides make use of literary devices such as symbolism, imagery and diction. Using all three literary devices Kingsolver reveals that women such as Orleana believe that they are just rag dolls that are pulled, pushed and just there, even so realize how strong they really are; that if it was not for them their children would not be able to live. Medea on the other hand represents all the pains and struggles of women and is attempting to inform all women that they have the power and must stand up for themselves.…

    • 607 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    In the play Medea written by Euripides, the patriarchal society of ancient Greece is examined and the role of women in a male centred society is explored. In this world where “the middle way,” or moderation in all things is valued and reason and logic are seen to be the ideal, there is no room for passion or emotion which further limits the value of women. In response to Jason’s arrogant sense of superiority and his disregard for his wife’s feelings, Medea shows criminal behaviour by killing Jasons children and his new wife so he cannot continue his family line and denying him burial rights for his own children. However, it is Jason who acts like a criminal because he betrays his oath to Medea, and his criminal behavior forces Medea to commit the unjustifiable act of infanticide because she felt she had no other alternative.…

    • 1687 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    In many Greek tragedies, there will be one tragic hero and one tragic hero only. However, in Euripides’ drama Medea there are two tragic heroes within one story. One of these heroes is who the play is titled after, Medea. The other tragic hero is Medea’s ex-husband and father of her children, Jason. To be classified as a tragic hero, a character must present certain qualities such as, a royal status (king, queen, princess, prince etc.), an extraordinary power (wisdom, compassion, strength etc.), a fall from grace based on the hero’s own actions, and finally acceptance of their mistake or mistakes. Medea and Jason’s family history, impressionable characteristics, downward spiral caused by their own blunders, and their willingness to expect their wrongdoings in the end, portrays them both as tragic heroes.…

    • 1292 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    "Now give those kine a wide berth, keep your thought intent upon your course home, and hard seafarings brings you all to Ithca. But if you raid the beeves, I see destruction for ship and crew..." Odysseus has his own decisions this quote is a prefect example of how he had control and choices in/of his life especially in the Land of the Dead and Charybdis, Sirens and Scylla that could change his journey. Odysseus had control of his own fate and was not a puppet of the gods because he was able to make his own life altering decisions.…

    • 810 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Oedipus the King, a play written by Sophocles, is the story of Oedipus and his prophecy. The prophecy stated that he would kill his father and marry his mother. Against all efforts to prevent this prophecy from becoming true, Oedipus discovers the truth behind his past and how he unknowingly fulfilled the prophecy. Was Oedipus responsible for his actions, or was he bound by the fate of the Gods?…

    • 676 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Sophocles’ O edipus The King, Oedipus was born with the curse that he would kill his father, Laios, and marry his mother, Jocasta. Oedipus tries to avoid his fate by running away from Corinth, however this causes him and Laios to meet one last time, and Oedipus ends up fulfilling the prophecy. With this in mind, the gods create a person’s predetermined fate, and no one can ever escape it, as Jocasta points out; “No mortal can practise the art of prophecy, no man can see the future.” (935). O edipus The King i llustrates t hat the gods have the ultimate power in people's’ lives rather than free will of the people, an individual cannot overcome fate because the gods determine their future, and personalities are chosen by the gods and as well…

    • 820 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Medea Research Paper

    • 4900 Words
    • 20 Pages

    At times, the chorus is an active participant in the drama; at others, it can be merely a commentator or spectator. The chorus in Medea displays qualities of both, but its central task is to pass value judgments on the behavior of individual characters--its voice stands as the arbiter of objectivity in the play, supplying us with the most normative perspective on the events as they transpire. After having expressed a general sympathy with Medea earlier, the chorus now warns her against indulging in her emotions too severely, as her turmoil, while real, is a "common thing." Medea lacks this common sense perspective. The score of advisors that counsel her to refrain from indulging in her emotions only underscores Euripides' conceit that underneath common human problems (such as marriage breakup) rest potential forces that, although normally controlled, are capable of exploding into such extraordinary catastrophes as those recounted in his play. The chorus's viewpoint, then, though the most sensible, does not fully account for Medea's situation. As she puts it, she has left life behind (line 146) and become the conveyor of a higher, more cruel order of justice. Her appeals to the gods, especially as the protectors of oaths, reinforce her sense of purpose. The chorus' common sense perspective provides a useful counterpoint to Medea's far-reaching vision, and the interplay of each stands as a key source of…

    • 4900 Words
    • 20 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    When Leunig proclaims “It is the supreme way to hurt my husband,” she reveals to the audience her inability to concede defeat, ultimately leading to the destruction of Jason’s happiness and the City of Corinth’s order. On the surface, it may appear that Medea’s actions are driven by her homelessness and hereditary ties; she faces being left vulnerable with no “native land” to take her back. Yet, ultimately it is Medea’s pride which leads to her exacting revenge. Through her language and character development, Euripides paints the picture of a scorned woman, who must make others share in her own suffering to feel at peace. Medea will ignore the advice and pleas of the Chorus and Nurse, seeing her revenge out until the bitter end.…

    • 618 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Plato & Medea

    • 1101 Words
    • 5 Pages

    In ancient Greece women were viewed as many things. They were not viewed as equivalent to males by any means. Women were portrayed usually as submissive domestic, and controlled. They played supporting or secondary roles in life to men, who tended to be demanding of their wives, but expected them to adhere to their wishes. In the tragedy Medea, written by Euripides, Medea plays the major role in this story, unlike most Greek stories with women playing only minor roles, but she also demonstrates many behavioral and psychological patterns unlike any other Greek women. In Euripides' Medea the main character, Medea, Displays many traits that breakdown traditional Athenian misogyny by displaying her as proactive in taking her revenge, having cruel and savage passions, and being a very manipulative women.…

    • 1101 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Medea Argumentative Essay

    • 1366 Words
    • 6 Pages

    "When love is in excess it brings a man no honor nor any worthiness. But if in moderation Cypris comes, there is no other power at all so gracious" (Euripides). In the play Medea by Euripides, Medea is driven entirely by passion and fury and does not consider the consequences of what she is doing. She is so focused on her desire for vengeance that she does not stop to deem if what she is doing is right or wrong. Others around her do not console her but instead push Medea into her excessive nature. In the play Medea by Euripides, Medea allows others to rule her conscience which results in her destructive actions.…

    • 1366 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Medea Persuasive Essay

    • 1014 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Although Euripides play Medea creates feelings of fear in the audience, it also creates feeling of pity in the audience as well. Medea is firstly portrayed as a pitiful woman whose problem is much bigger than her own life. Facing the fact that she will be exiled very soon and the fact that she has nowhere to go, combined with her abhorrence towards her enemies, she starts to devise a plan that not only will set her free from her problems but also will cost a fortune to her enemies. But the audience is later shocked by the way she does her revenge. Her revenge is horrendous and brutal. It now shows a totally different character of Medea – she is no longer a woman to be pitied, but she is now a monster to be feared – because she breaches normative values that the society holds dear by murdering her enemies in an inhumane way to even murdering her own children as a way to hurt her enemy even though she herself is also hurt.…

    • 1014 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Both Fifth century B.C. playwright Euripides and Roman poet and dramatist Ovid tell the story of Jason ditching Medea for another woman; however, they do not always share a perspective on the female matron's traits, behavior, and purpose. Euripides portrays a woman who reacts to injustice by beginning a crusade to avenge all who harmed her which she is prepared to see through even if it means resorting to the most contemptible methods. Ovid, on the other hand, tells of a much less extreme figure whose humble goal is only to persuade Jason to return. Despite these differences, both Medeas create trouble by acting with emotions instead of with reason, and as a result, put themselves in regrettable situations.…

    • 1553 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Oedipus Fate Vs Free Will

    • 413 Words
    • 2 Pages

    If the culture someone was in was very religious, Oedipus the King would be a play that explains how fate is too powerful to conquer. Oedipus’s fate was what caused his downfall, there was nothing he could do. Depending on what religion their culture is fond of, the god/gods would have wanted Oedipus to kill his own father, marry his mother, and stab his eyes out. Oedipus couldn’t have done anything about it. Fate led Oedipus to the crossroads as said in the play, "Short work, by god-with one blow of the staff" (Sophocles 189). Fate was the one that decided all his actions. If the audience was religious, they would have felt bad for Oedipus because there was nothing he could have possibly done to avoid his fate. On the contrary, in a culture where religion is not prevalent, free will would be the theme that is the most prominent. The whole play would be about how Oedipus chose to kill his father and marry his mother, due to his actions and decisions. For starters, Oedipus could have neglected the throne when he solves the Sphinx riddle. If he had refused to take the throne, he wouldn’t have married his mother and the situation all together. Not only that, considering he chose to find out about his fate, his free will is based on his drive for knowledge. Oedipus’s expressed this determination when he said, "Oh no, listen to me, I beg you, don't do this....Listen to you? No more. I must know it all, see the truth at last " (Sophocles 195). This quote expresses how his own ignorance led to his downfall in the end. He had the option of dropping the whole situation, but he decided to continue. If someone that grew up in a culture where free will was a common…

    • 413 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Medea Argumentative Essay

    • 982 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Medea is a representation of the mistreatment of women in Greek society. In the play, she complains of how unfairly women were treated. For instance, she complains “For women, divorce is not respectful; to repel the man, not possible. Still more, a foreign woman, coming among new laws, new customs, needs the skill of magic to find out what her home could not teach her, how to treat the man whose bed she shares. If in this exacting toil we are successful, and our husband does not struggle under the marriage yoke, our life is enviable; otherwise, death is better.” (236-245) During this time period, women were treated unfairly and viewed as a lower class. Medea also proclaims “Of all creatures that can feel and think, we women are the worst treated things alive.” (230-231) The play shows how far a woman’s limits are pushed until she is forced to do the unspeakable.…

    • 982 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In ancient Greek literature, there are two types of drama’s. There was the comedic drama, and the tragic drama. The difference between these two dramas would be decided by the fate of the hero at the sisation of the play. Tragedy being the most popular, was the biggest part of Greek society. This is proven by all of the plays, stories, and works the Greeks created concerning this topic. Tragic plays were so heavily conducted that all of them began to share common traits. These similarities are present in two of the most popular Greek tragedies, Oedipus the King and Medea. Both Oedipus the King and Medea have the protagonist’s exhibit excessive stubbornness and steadfastness in their stories which ultimately leads to their downfall.…

    • 997 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays