Euripides

In Euripides’ The Bacchae Dionysus tells Pentheus that, “Wise speech seems thoughtless to the ignorant” (56). An alternative translation and one more commonly seen in any quote generating website is “Talk sense to a fool and [they] calls you foolish.” The problem with this quote is that almost anyone can use this logic to reason that their own logic is wise and that those who do not heed it are ignorant fools. If “wise speech” is automatically perceived to be ignorance by the fool, facts and…

historically been fairly standard, men provide for their family and the women are simply their husband’s property. Many old-time plays and stories embrace this simple concept, men over women. However, Euripides’ Medea shatters the concept of gender roles by having a woman, Medea, triumph over a man’s tyranny. Euripides description of Medea is that of a clever sorceress who will stop at nothing to achieve her goal. At the beginning of the story, Medea is depicted as a woman that’s madly in love…

Euripides's Medea is a tragedy of a woman who feels that her husband has betrayed her with another woman. Upon this betrayal, Medea swears to exact revenge upon Jason and his new wife Gluace, the daughter of Creon, King of Corinth. We are first introduced to an agonizing Medea, racked by sorrow over husband's lack of faith. Medea's nurse is relaying Medea's reaction to Jason taking a new bed: She just lies there. She won't eat—her body…

characters featured in the plays written by Euripides are mortals and gods which appear in multiple other plays, poems and works of fiction during that time. As such, some qualities of these characters were universal such as their lineage, the circumstances of their birth, and their progeny, though there were occasional disputes over even these details. However, due to the culture around which these stories revolve, and the propensities of the author Euripides it is only natural that there are…

In Euripides’ Medea, the actions of Medea where displayed throughout the story as she dealt with a lot of things with her husband Jason. Medea was deeply in love with Jason and had his back in certain situations that he encountered. In the beginning of the story, the nurse states that “There is no greater security than this in all the world: when a wife does not oppose her husband” (787). Her love that she had for him is what made her go above and beyond in a positive yet negative way. Once she…

bear the blame and anger on others to suffer in their place. In other words, displacement is a way for a character to project his or her emotions onto another character. This term used all throughout literature, even though it may be subtle. In Euripides Medea, we see this idea of a displacement being used. Medea, the main character in the Greek play Medea, is enraged at the fact that her husband has replaced her with a new wife after years of marriage. One would expect Medea to express her…

The play Bacchae is written by Euripides. This is in fact based on the themes, revenge and idolization. One of the main characters, Dionysus shares with us that he is in fact in mortal disguise as the mortal of the stranger – Son of Zeus and Semele, a mortal woman and the most powerful Greek God. One of the turning points of the play seems to be when Dionysus travels to Thebes to share his religion but in Asia his rituals become known by all as being very controversial. Another turning point of…

been standard, men are supposed to supply, as women are to care for the family. For centuries, stories, plays, songs have embraced this concept. However, by having a woman, named Medea, triumph over a man, Euripides shatters the concept of differences between genders for the first time. Euripides’ description of Medea is that of a clever sorceress who will never stop to achieve her goal. At the beginning of the story, Medea is depicted as a woman who is madly in love with a man whose name is…

was done upon them, they had the right to return the favor in whatever means they found just. In Greek mythology, individuals would demand revenge if they felt humiliated, offended and betrayed. The issue of revenge takes place in both “Medea” by Euripides and “The Odyssey” by Homer. Both protagonist Medea and Odysseus plan revenge against characters that have greatly humiliated, offended and betrayed them. Revenge is an important underlying theme in The Odyssey because, in essence, it explains…

“Youth is the best time to be rich, and the best time to be poor” - Euripides, this wonderful statement by Athenian playwright Euripides states the beneficiaries of being young and having to make important, yet difficult decisions. Going to college is an opportunity to continue on furthering an education, eventually earning a comfortable job where you can continue to live the rest of your life. Although, for some college may be a luxury they cannot afford or gain time to attend. College may not…