Mansi Patel
Mrs. Neeley
English A1 HL
19 January 2018
Euripides’s portrayal of femininity in a Greek patriarchal society Feminism is the belief that women are inferior to men in society and inequalities between the two genders exist. The concept of feminism is deeply engraved in Euripides’s tragic play Medea. Jason, the male protagonist, has abandoned his wife, Medea, along with their two children and sproted an affair with Glauce, the daughter of the king of Corinth. Jason plans to remarry Glauce to gain access to the throne. However, his decision angers Medea, who has sacrificed her family to be with him. Out of rage, she executes a revenge. By showing Medea’s actions against male authority, portraying her strong will, and illustrating her neglection of the role of motherhood, Euripides challenges the role of women in a …show more content…
She challenges the stereotype that women are passive and weak by comparing restrictions of women to the freedom of men and voicing ideas of masculinity. She believes that “life is to be envied” if “a husband shares [his] life with [his wife];” otherwise, women “are better off dead” because they “are the worst treated things alive” and “have just [their husband] to look to” (Line 229-230). However, she mentions that when a husband “is bored with things at home he can go out to ease the weariness of his heart. Medea compares the virtual slavery of women to the absolute freedom of men, thus showing the inequality and disempowerment of women in society at that time. In addition to being a strong headed feminist, Medea, by some standards, is also a masculine woman. By saying she would “rather stand her ground three times among the shields than face a childbirth once,” Medea rejects the foundation of the traditional role of women (Line 249-250). Not only does Medea oppose feminine ideals, but she goes as far as avoiding her maternal
Mrs. Neeley
English A1 HL
19 January 2018
Euripides’s portrayal of femininity in a Greek patriarchal society Feminism is the belief that women are inferior to men in society and inequalities between the two genders exist. The concept of feminism is deeply engraved in Euripides’s tragic play Medea. Jason, the male protagonist, has abandoned his wife, Medea, along with their two children and sproted an affair with Glauce, the daughter of the king of Corinth. Jason plans to remarry Glauce to gain access to the throne. However, his decision angers Medea, who has sacrificed her family to be with him. Out of rage, she executes a revenge. By showing Medea’s actions against male authority, portraying her strong will, and illustrating her neglection of the role of motherhood, Euripides challenges the role of women in a …show more content…
She challenges the stereotype that women are passive and weak by comparing restrictions of women to the freedom of men and voicing ideas of masculinity. She believes that “life is to be envied” if “a husband shares [his] life with [his wife];” otherwise, women “are better off dead” because they “are the worst treated things alive” and “have just [their husband] to look to” (Line 229-230). However, she mentions that when a husband “is bored with things at home he can go out to ease the weariness of his heart. Medea compares the virtual slavery of women to the absolute freedom of men, thus showing the inequality and disempowerment of women in society at that time. In addition to being a strong headed feminist, Medea, by some standards, is also a masculine woman. By saying she would “rather stand her ground three times among the shields than face a childbirth once,” Medea rejects the foundation of the traditional role of women (Line 249-250). Not only does Medea oppose feminine ideals, but she goes as far as avoiding her maternal