Medea And Oedipus The King: A Literary Analysis

Medea by Euripides and Oedipus the king by Sophocles are two tragic plays that continue to be performed to this day. When both plays were created, they were performed by man, even the characters that were women. Ironically, both plays tend to highlight the dominance and power that women had during the time. Although some may argue that males hold more power than females, it is opposite from what is seen in both, Medea and Oedipus the king, that women can be as powerful as men by being better moral characters, their ability to be influential speakers, and the ability to make logical decisions. In Medea by Euripides, women’s better moral character is exemplified in the Nurse. She is angered when she figures out Jason’s actions and consequently states “Will Jason let his sons be so abused” (Euripides 80). She is against Jason’s despicable treatment towards his …show more content…
However, Oedipus suffers a fatal flaw, his hamartia. Jennifer Lewin describes Oedipus as such, “He was in fault for not perceiving the truth, now he is fault because he is too urgent to see it” (Lewin para. 5). Oedipus is too eager to act at any new information that is given to him, and this never gives him a chance to stop and analyze the situation. He does not handle the situation well and never makes a logical decision unlike Jocasta.
Women have had to deal with a lack of control over their lives for centuries, or at least, it is what it seems like. However, in both Tragic plays, we see women constantly overpowering the men. The Nurse demonstrates a strong moral character, in Medea. Then, Medea’s strong and influential speaking ability. Finally, Jocasta demonstrates her ability to be better fit for ruling Thebes. These plays offer a dramatized view on what the family structure and relationships were like back then. Today women still hold the same powers within individual family structures and in open political