Overview of Medea and Women in Ancient Greek Society · 2018-05-13 · Euripides’ Medea features...
Transcript of Overview of Medea and Women in Ancient Greek Society · 2018-05-13 · Euripides’ Medea features...
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OverviewofMedeaandWomeninAncientGreekSociety:
Ithasbeenalmost2500yearssinceEuripides’Medeawasfirstwrittenand
performed.WhyisMedeastillsorecognizableinoursocietyovertwothousand
yearslater?Perhapstheplayisstillperformedandvaluedtodaybecauseofthe
characterizationofthetitlerole.ThisplaytellsthestoryofMedea’srevengeagainst
hercheatinghusbandJason.AfterJasonspurnsMedeainordertomarrythe
princessofCorinthMedeaisheartbrokenandfurious.Medeaisnoordinarywoman
howeveranduseshermagictomurdertheprincessandkingofCorinthtomake
Jasonsuffer.TheplayendswithMedeamurderingherownchildreninorderto
ensureJason’seternalsuffering.Medeaisfarfromaconventionalcharacter,
especiallyincomparisonwithotherfemalecharactersfromtheGreekClassicalAge.
InordertoprovethatMedeastandsapartasanimportantanddifferentialcharacter
Ihavedrawninformationfrombothstandardacademicsourcesandfrompersonal
experienceviaanalyzingandportrayingthecharacter.InthispaperIwill
demonstratehowMedeadefiesthestereotypicalplaceofwomaninancientGreek
society,howMedeaisdifferentthanotherfemalecharactersfromtheGreek
ClassicalAge,andhowworkingwiththetextfromanactor’sperspectivegivesmore
insightintoMedea’scharacter.Thesedifferentaspectswillallcometogetherto
provethatMedeaisaextraordinarycharacter.Euripides’Medeafeaturesalead
femalecharacterthatstandsapartfromotherfemalerolesofthetimeandshouldbe
recognizedtodayasahighlyuntraditionalfemaleprotagonist.
InancientGreeksocietywomenwereheldtocertainrulesandsocialnorms
thatlimitedtheirabilitytoparticipateineverydayactivities.Manyofthesesocial
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normswereproblematicandsexist.Duringthistimeperiodwomen’s“publicroles
indemocraticAthenswereverylimitedexceptinthesphereofreligiouspractice”
thisstoppedthemfrombeingabletofullyparticipateinsociety(Griffith120).Itwas
generallyacceptedthatwomenwerelesscapablethenmeninalmosteveryaspect
oflife.Forexamplemedicalwritingsfromthetimetalkaboutwomeninthe
followingway:“thewombwhennotweighteddownwithchildorwetwithsemen,
canmigratetovariouspartsofthebody,causinginthewomenhysterical
symptoms,alustforwandering,orevenmadness”(Foley114).Withpopularbeliefs
focusingonawoman’sinabilitytocontrolherselfitisnotsurprisingthatwomen
wereconfinedtotheprivatesphereduringthistime.Sincealmostallofthewriting
fromthistimeperiodisfrommalesitishardtoknowwhatwomenofthetimewere
reallylike.WhatcanbegatheredfromthewritingsonancientGreekwomenisthat
“femalevirtuesaretoagreatextentmorepassivethanactive,morenegativethan
positive,andforthesereasonshardtodefinebeyondsimpleobediencetothe
dictatesofmenandsociety”(Foley115).Fromtheevidenceofthetimeperioditis
obviousthatwomenwerelookeddownuponinancientGreeksocietyand
encouragedtostayathomewiththeirguardians.
Theplaywrightswholivedinthissocietywerenotimmunetothebeliefsof
thetimeandmanyexamplesofinnatesexismcanbefound.Thesocietalviewsfrom
thetimetranslatedontothestage:“tragedydoesconfirmtheprejudicesandfearsof
itsaudienceaboutindependentfemaleactionsandattitudes”(Foley116).Ifthe
negativebeliefsaboutwomencarriedoverintothetragediesofthetimethenhow
canMedeabeafeministtext?ThereareseveralreasonswhyMedeacanstillbe
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consideredapositivetextforwomen.Therearethosewhobelievethat
“Euripides…playswithhowthespokenwordcangivepowertowomen”(Fletcher
30).BylettingMedeamakemeninvokeoathstothegodsonherbehalfEuripidesis
givingherpoweroverthem.IfEuripidesgaveMedeatheabilitytoinvokeoaths
frompowerfulmenthenperhapshewasnotasmisogynisticastheother
playwrightsofthetime.Itispossiblethat“Greekmalewriters[were]usingfictional
womentothinkinachallengingfashion”(Foley116).Euripidesdidnotleave
behindajournalwherehewrotedownthemeaningsbehindhistragedies.
UnfortunatelythismeansthatitisunknownexactlywhatEuripides’wassaying
withMedea.HoweverregardlessofEuripidesoriginalintentions,Medeacanstillbe
apositiveinfluenceforindependentwomentoday.
WhiletheindependenceofwomenwasfearedinancientGreeceitisvalued
andstrivedforinmoderntimes.WhilecharacterslikeMedeawerewrittento
exemplifythefearsofsocietyin400B.C.,todaytheyareofteninterpretedtobetter
exemplifyfeministideals.Stillitmustrememberedthat“theseroles[came]outofa
culturewherewomenhadnovoice”(Zinman20).Onecannotforgettheoriginal
contextofawork,andwhilemodernadaptationsofancientGreekplaysdistance
themselvesfromthepatriarchalcontextoftheoriginalworkitisimportantto
rememberthatthesefemaleroleswerenotalwaysseeninapositivelight.Knowing
thebackgroundandoriginalsocialcontextofaworkgivesanactormoreinsight
intothecharacter’sactionsandintentions.EuripidesgaveMedeatheabilitytodo
thingsthatweretabooforwomeninancientGreeceandbecauseofthisshestands
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outamongstothercharactersofthetimethatwerewrittentodemonstratethe
properactionsofwomen.
MedeaComparedtoOtherFemaleCharactersoftheTime:
ItisclearthatMedeaisdifferentfromactualwomeninancientGreece,
howeveronecannotclaimthatacharacterisdifferentorimportantwithout
comparinghimorhertoothercharacters.InordertodemonstratethatMedeais
unlikeotherfemalecharactersfromtheGreekClassicalAgeIwillbeexaminingtwo
additionalfemalecharactersfromthetime.TogetasmuchvarietyaspossibleIhave
chosentocompareMedeawithClytemnestrafromAeschylus’Agamemnon,and
AntigonefromSophoclesAntigone.Bychoosingcharacterswrittenbytheothertwo
knowntragicplaywrightsoftheGreekClassicalAgeIwillbeabletoanalyzethe
charactersnotonlyintermsoftheplaytextbutalsohowtheperspectivesofeach
playwrightinfluencedthecharacter’sattributes.Medeaisanindividualand
importantcharacterbecauseofthewayshewaswrittenbyEuripidesandhowshe
hasbeeninterpretedsince.
ClytemnestraisanotherfamousfemalecharacterfromtheGreekClassical
Age.WhilesheisnotthetitlecharacterinAeschylus’Agamemnon,sheisthe
protagonist.AgamemnontellsthestoryofthehomecomingofAgamemnon,Kingof
Argos,aftertheTrojanWar.Beforeheleftforthewar,Agamemnonsacrificed
Iphigenia,oneofhisdaughters.Thoughshepretendstobeunaffectedatfirstitlater
becomesclearthatClytemnestra,wifeofAgamemnonandmotherofIphigenia,
harborsresentmenttowardherhusbandbecauseofthemurderoftheirdaughter.
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AfterwelcomingAgamemnonbackintoArgosClytemnestramurdershimwhilehe
bathes.TheplayendswithClytemnestratriumphantandrulingArgos.
ThereareafewgeneralsimilaritiesbetweenMedeaandClytemnestra,such
asbothhavinghusbandswhobetraythem,bothplottingrevengeandboth
murderingmorethanonepersonbytheendoftheirrespectiveplays.Howeverthe
similaritiesdonotstopthere,intheirrespectiveplaysbothwomenarepresentedas
masculine.Clytemnestraforexampleisdescribedas“[having]afieryheart,the
determinedresolutionofaman”(Aeschylus11-12).WhileMedeaisnotexplicitly
describedasmasculineinthetextmanyscholarsseeheractionsinthatway.For
exampleMarkGriffithclaimsMedeahas“a‘masculine’determinationtoexact
revengeonherenemiesatanycost”(124).Alongwiththeirabnormalmasculine
demeanors,MedeaandClytemnestraarebothdrivenbyrevenge.Clytemnestra
abhorsherhusbandforhismurderofIphigenia:“hesacrificedhisownchild,that
deargirlIboreinpaintocharmwindsfromThrace—anddidn’tcaretohimshewas
abeastforslaughter”(Aeschylus1673-1676).Sheletstheresentmentshefeelsfor
herhusbanddrivesheractionsanddecisions.Similarly,Medeaisalsodrivenbythe
needtotakerevengeagainstherhusband.Whendiscussingherretaliationagainst
JasonMedeaclaimsthatshewilldo“anythingtomakeJason’ssufferingworsethan
mine”(Euripides808-809).HoweverMedeaandClytemnestra’sneedforrevenge
stemsfromtwodifferentplaces.Clytemnestraisdrivenbyherloveforherchildren
whileMedeaisdrivenbyprideandademandforrespectfultreatmentbyher
husband.
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MedeadiffersfromClytemnestrainonemajorway.WhileClytemnestra
slightlydownplaysherintelligencewhenwelcomingherhusbandbackhome,
Medeausesherstatusasawomantodeceivethreedifferentmen.Medeafirstplays
upthesocietalbeliefofwomen’sinnocencebyquellingCreon’sfears“Creon,I’mnot
soclever.Don’tfearme.Ihaven’tthepowertokillaking”(Euripides324-326).Here
herstrategicuseofstereotypicalfemininecharacteristicsbuyshertimetocarryout
herrevengeagainstJason.MedeaalsoappealstoAegeusbypretendingsheisless
capablethanshetrulyis:“savemefromfriendlessexile,Ineedrefugeinyour
country”(Euripides705-706).Puttingonanactofinabilityallowshertosolidifya
safehidingplaceonceshecarriesouthercrimes.FinallyMedeatricksherhusband
Jasonintobelievingsheisapologeticandincapableofdoingharm,“womenare
dumbandwickedbynaturebutwearewhatweare.Knowingthis,youshouldavoid
treatingmethewayItreatedyou”(Euripides869-871).Medea’sabilitytofoolmen
intobelievingsheissimplyanaïveandweakwomanispartiallyduetohercunning
natureandpartiallyduetomen’sdesiretoviewwomenasstereotypically
incapable.WhileotherfemalecharacterslikeClytemnestramayusetheirfemale
statustoachievetheirgoalsnoothercharacterfromtheGreekClassicalAgedoesso
totheextentofMedea.
Antigoneisawell-knownfemaleheroinefromthetimeperiodof
ClytemnestraandMedea.Sophocles,thethirdknowntragicplaywrightfromthe
GreekClassicalAgewroteAntigone,aplayaboutawomanwhobetrayshercountry
inordertohonorherdeadbrother.Antigonerisksexileandherownlifeinorderto
giveherfallenbrotherPolyneicestheproperfuneralrites.UnlikeAgamemnonand
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Medeathisplaydoesnotendwiththemainfemalecharactertriumphant,itendsin
herdeathbecauseoftheactionsshetook.
AntigoneandMedeahaveafewsimilarcharacteristics;mostprominentis
theirparallelbeliefinhigherpowers.Antigonehassuchastrongbeliefinthegods
thatsheiswillingtodieratherthendisobeythem.SheargueswithKingCreon
claimingthatshewentagainsthisdemands“because[she]didnotbelievethatZeus
wastheonewhohadproclaimedit;neitherdidJusticeorthegodsofthedead”
(Sophocles550-554).Medeaalsovaluesthehigherpowerofthegodsandplaces
specificvalueonoathssworntothegods.Jason’sbrokenmarriageoathisthe
drivingfactorintheplay“Medeaenraged,recitesthelistofJason’svows…and
demandsthegodsstandwitnesstowhatherfaithfullove’sproduced”(Euripides
16-20).Bothwomenvaluethelawofthegodsmorethantheactionsanddecreesof
men.MedeaandAntigonearebothalsostubbornwomen.Scholarspointoutthatin
Antigone“thechoruschargestheheroinewiththefaultofstubbornness”(Lattimore
21).Antigoneprovesherstubbornnessseveraltimesintheplaytext,forexample
sherefusestochangehermindeventhoughhersisterpleadswithhertoobeythe
King’sdecree.MedeaisdescribedbytheNurse,thecharacterwhohasknownher
longest,as“fierceandstubborn”(Euripides94-95).Itisobvioustothereaderthat
Medeaisstubbornfromothercharacters’descriptionsofherandtheactionsshe
takeswithintheplay.ThetitlecharactersofMedeaandAntigonearebornintoroyal
bloodlinesandthereforehaveacertainsenseofpride,whichpartiallyexplainstheir
stubbornness.
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OnemajordifferencebetweenAntigoneandMedeaistheirdedicationto
theirbiologicalfamilies.Antigoneknowinglybreaksthelawandultimatelylosesher
lifebecauseofherdedicationtoherbrother.ConverselyMedeadoesnotshare
Antigone’sfamilialdedication.InfactinordertobewithJasonMedeamurdersher
brotherandbetraysherfamily,“Ibetrayedmyfather…Ibutcheredmybrotherat
homethendroppedhimpiecebypiecefromtheArgo”(Euripides159-161).Because
shebetrayedherfamilyandleftherhomelandtofollowJasontoCorinthMedeais
anoutsiderandisisolatedfromCorinth’ssociety.Severaltimesthroughouttheplay
shereferencesherloneliness,“whatcountryorhouseholdwillwelcomeandprotect
me?None”(Euripides407-408).ThesolitudeAntigonefeelsisverydifferentfrom
theisolationofMedea.WhileAntigonedeclaresherself“unmournedandfriendless”
sheisstillinherhomecountryanditislaterrevealedthatmanycitizensagreed
withherdecisiontoburyPolyneices(Sophocles1025).Medeaontheotherhandis
trulyaloneafterJason’sbetrayalbecauseshehasnoonetoturnto.
ItiseasytofindsimilaritiesbetweenMedeaandothercharactersofthetime
likeAntigoneandClytemnestra.However,whatmakesMedeaextraordinaryarethe
waysshediffersfromthesecharacters.Medeaiscompetentindownplayingher
intelligenceinordertomakemenbelievesheisnotathreatandistrulyisolatedin
theworldbecauseofherhusband’sbetrayal.Medeadiffersfromotherfemale
charactersoftheGreekClassicalAgebecausesheiswhollydedicatedtorevengeand
willletnothing,notevenherloveforherownchildren,getinthewayofmaking
Jasonsuffer.
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ActorAnalysisofMedea:
Oneoftheformsmyresearchtookwasthatofanactor’sanalysis.Thereisno
definiteguideonhowtoproperlyanalyzeacharacterwhenyouaregoingtoportray
himorher,soaspartofmyresearchforthispaperIhavecreatedmyownversionof
anactor’sanalysis.Thecreatedactor’sanalysiscanbeseeninAppendixA,this
documentlistsalltheactionsandexercisesthatIhavecompletedinordertodelve
furtherinthecharacterofMedea.
Itisimportanttoutilizedifferenttypesofresearchwheninvestigatinga
character.Itisespeciallyessentialtodohandsonresearchasanactorwhen
studyingatheatricalcharacter.Playsaremeanttobeperformedandsocharacters
cannotreachtheirfullpotentialandcharacterizationuntiltheyareportrayed.In
CharlesMcGaw’sactingtextbookhestates:
Anaudiencecanneverseeacharacterasthedramatistconceivedhim.They
alwaysseewhateversignificanceaparticularactorhasbeenabletofind.And
thepersonwhoprefersreadinghisplaystoseeingthemismerely
substitutinghisowninterpretativeabilitiesforthoseoftheactor.(103)
Actorsbringlifetocharactersbycombiningtheirowninsightwiththeplaywright’s
text.IfIhadonlyresearchedthecharacterofMedeabyreadingwhatscholarshad
writtenIwouldbemissinganimportantlayerofunderstanding.Howeverby
completinganactor’sanalysisIwasabletoapplymyownunderstandingto
Euripides’textandfindnewmeaningswithintheroleMedea.
Theexercisefromtheactor’sanalysisthattaughtmethemostaboutMedea
wasvalidatingherchoices.Whenreadingaplaytextoneonlyseesthechoicesa
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charactermakesandjudgesthemfromanoutsider’sperspective.Howeverwhen
portrayingacharacteranactorneedstounderstandwhytheyaremakingthat
particulardecisionandwhatotheroptionstheycouldhavechosen.WhydidMedea
choosetokillherchildren?ShecouldhaveinsteadkilledJasonorsimplyhiddenher
sonsawayfromtheirfatherforever.InordertounderstandMedea’schoiceone
needstounderstandtheimportanceofheirs.Eveninmoderntimeschildrenare
thoughttobeanextensionoftheirparents.Havingchildrenmeansyouhave
solidifiedyourownplaceinthefutureandthatyourgeneticswillgoon.Medea
wantedJason’s“housedestroyed”(Euripides107).ByensuringthatJasonwillhave
nochildrentosurvivehimMedeaiscondemninghimtoalonelylife.Medeawanted
Jasontofeelisolatedandalonesimilartothewayshefeltafterhisbetrayal.IfMedea
hadkilledJasonhewouldn’thavesufferedinisolationlikeshewasforcedtooncehe
marriedtheprincessofCorinth.IfshehadtakenhersonsawayfromJasoninstead
ofkillingthemhislineagewouldstillcontinueandJasonwouldliveonthroughtheir
children.ByvalidatingMedea’schoiceIcanbetterunderstandhercharacterina
waythatIcouldn’tifIhadsimplyreadacademicsources.
Goingmorein-depthintoMedea’scharacterviaanactor’sanalysisalso
helpedmetodiscoverjusthowcunningshereallyis.ThespecificsectionofMedeaI
workedwithislines241-284;duringthissegmentMedeaisaddressingthechorus.
Whileatfirstglancethismonologuemayseemtobeaconversationbetweenfriends
itisactuallymuchmorethanthat.ByapplyingMedea’smainobjective,making
Jasonsufferlikeshedidwhenhebetrayedher,andlookingatthesubtextofthe
linesthemonologuetakesonanewmeaning.Insteadofventingtoherfriendsas
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onemaythinkatfirst,Medeaisactuallyusingsharedexperiencestomakethe
choruspityher.Byappealingtothechorusasafellowwomanwhohasbeen
wronged,Medeaiscreatingarelationshipwiththechorusinordertoearntheir
allegianceagainstJason.Medeawantsthechorustoseeherasanoutsideranda
heartbrokenwomansotheywillpityherandkeepquietabouthermurderous
revengeplot.Withoutlookingintothetextasanactorandattemptingtofindthe
truemeaningbehindthewordsIwouldnothaverealizedthedepthofMedea’s
intelligenceandabilitytomanipulateothers.
Conclusion:
Euripides’Medeaisawidelyknownandcelebratedplayevenafterhundreds
ofyears.Itsfameisinpartduetothetitlecharacterwhoisanimportant,distinct,
andextraordinaryfemaleprotagonist.Thereareseveralimportantreasonswhy
Medeaissucharemarkablerole.Medeawaswrittenin431B.C.,atimewhenactual
womenwerenotallowedtodomuchofanything.Medeadoesmanythingsinthe
playthatwouldhavebeenconsideredtabooforwomenofthetime.Ofthemany
customsofthetimethatMedeabreaks,simplyspeakingisthemostnoticeable:“one
ofthemostdistinctivesignsof‘femininity’…isfailuretospeakatall”(Griffith123).
Medeaisnotthetraditionalfemalecharacterofthetimeperiodeither.Shebreaks
manystereotypesandfallsneitherintothecategoryofmasculinenorfeminine,“she
canappealtoasharedbondofwomen’soppressiononemomentandnegotiatelike
amanwithothermenthenext”(Fletcher33).WhileClytemnestraandAntigoneare
alsonotidealfemalecharactersforthetimeperiodtheyarefartamerand
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conventionalthanMedea.Clytemnestradoesmurderherhusband,butshestays
truetotheancientGreekroleofmotherbyavengingherdaughter’smurder.
Antigonegoesagainstaman’sdecree,butshedoesitinordertogiveherbrother
properfuneralrites,somethingwomenwereencouragedtodoatthetime.Medea
rejectstherolesofwifeandobedientcitizenlikeClytemnestraandAntigone,
howevershealsorejectstherolesClytemnestraandAntigonestaytrueto:mother
andsister.Medeadefiesmorefemininestereotypesofthetimethananyother
femalecharacterwrittenduringtheGreekClassicalAge.ExploringMedea’s
characterfirsthandbycompletinganactor’sanalysisonlyrevealedhowfarshewas
fromtheideaofa‘proper’woman.Medeaisextremelyintelligentandchoosesher
wordswithcareinordertomakepeoplereactinacertainway.Sherecognizesthe
inflatedmaleegoandusesittoheradvantageseveraltimesthroughouttheplay.By
realizingthatsocietyviewswomenasinherentlyweakerandstupiderthanmen
Medeaisabletotrickthreeseparatemalecharactersintobelievingsheisinnocent
andfrail.
Inconclusion,Medeaisanintelligent,cunning,ruthless,dedicatedand
manipulativewomanwhoisdifferentfromotherfemalecharactersoftheGreek
ClassicalAge.UtilizingbothhandsonexperienceandacademicresearchIhave
arguedthatMedeaisremarkableandsignificantwhichisthereasonwhyEuripides’
Medeaisstillrelevanttoday.
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AppendixAActorAnalysis-
• BasicBackgroundInformation:name,gender,age,relationshipstatus,
family,intelligencelevel,posture,appearance
o Whatdoesthisinformationsayaboutcharacter?
o Canbehelpfultowriteashortbiographyfromcharacter’sPOVset
beforestartofplay.
• MotivatingForce:statementofspecificdesirethatdemandssomethingfrom
othercharacters(SeeAlsoGoalandObjective)
o Ex.Iwish…Iwant…
o Whatdoescharacterwant?Whataretheywillingtodoforit?
o Yourcharacterwantssomethingwhichmakesthemdosomethingin
anefforttoachieveagoal.
• Objective:whatcharacteristryingtoaccomplish.Canbeperbeatandper
scene.(SeeAlsoMotivatingForceandGoal)
o Mustbesingular,importantandpresent(somethingthatcanbe
achievenow)
• SuperObjective:charactersoverallgoalofentireplay(SeeAlsoGoaland
MotivatingForce)
o Allactionsofthecharacterleadtothis
• GOTE:canbedonepersceneandforplayoverall.
o Goal:whatspecificthingdoesthecharacterwanttoachieve(SeeAlso
ObjectiveandMotivatingForce)
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o Other:Thepersonyourcharacterseeksthegoalfororagainst
o Tactic:Howyourcharactertriestoachievetheirgoal
o Expectation:Whatdoyouexpecttogainfromachievingyourgoal?
Whatareyouexcitedabout?
• Playwright’sIntentions:
o Whatdidplaywrightwantthecharactertostandfor/represent?
§ Mayhavetodowithtimeperiodofplaywrightandwhatwas
happeningintheirsociety.Whatwouldplaywrighthave
wantedtosayaboutthattypeofcharacterduringthattime?
o SuperObjectiveofPlay:Whatistheplaywrightobservingaboutlife?
Whataretheycommentingon?
• CharacterChoices:
o Whydidcharactermakethatchoice?Howdidithelpachieve
motivatingforce/goal/objective?
o Whatotherchoicescouldtheyhavemade?
§ Whyweren’tthosethefinaldecision?
§ Besuretorationalizecharacterchoice.
• Through-line:thebasicdirectionofthecharacterarch.
o Thiscanbefoundbydoingasummaryoftheplay,highlightingeach
beatandintentionwithinthatbeat.Togetherthesewillbecomethe
through-lineandshowhowthecharacterevolvesthroughplay.
• SceneAnalysis:
o Whatdoescharactersay?Whatdoescharacterdo?
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o Whatdoothercharacterssayaboutyourcharacterandwhatistheir
motivationbehindsayingit?
o Whatactionsdoyourcharacter’slinessuggest?
o Whatstagedirectionsdoestheplaywrightgive?
• SceneBreakdown:breakeachsceneintobeatsinordertobetter
understandcharacter
o Whatisaction/objectiveineachbeat?
o Whataretheintentionsineachbeat?
o Whatisimportanceofthisscene?Whatwouldbelostifitwerecut?
• Subtext:
o Whatdoescharacterwanttoresultfromspeaking?
o Whatismotivationbehindspeech?
o Whyischaractersayingthoseexactwords?
o Howdoeseachlinerelatetothepreviousline?
o Howdolineshelpcharactergetclosertomotivating
force/goal/objective?
• GivenCircumstances:canbedonepersceneandforplayoverall.
o Who
§ Generalrelationshipsex.mom,dad
§ Specificrelationships-incontextofplaywhatisrelationship
o Where
§ Physicalenvironmentex.climate,location
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§ Socialenvironmentex.timeperiodandwhatthatmeansfor
yourcharacter.
o Whenex.timeofday,season,historicalperiod.
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WorksCitedandConsulted:
Aeschylus.Agamemnon.Trans.IanJohnston.Johnstonia.VancouverIsland
University,Mar.2014.Web21April2016.
Benedetti,Robert.TheActorinYou.5thed.NewYork:PearsonEducation,Inc.2012.
Print.
Euripides.Medea.Trans.MichaelCollierandGeorgiaMachemer.NewYork:Oxford
UniversityPress,2006.ProQuestebrary.Web.21April2016.
Fletcher,Judith."WomenandOathsinEuripides."TheatreJournal55.1(2003):29-
44.ProQuest.Web18Feb.2016.
Foley,HeleneP..FemaleActsinGreekTragedy.Princeton,NewJersey:Princeton
UniversityPress,2001.Print.
Griffith,Mark.“AntigoneandHerSisters:EmbodyingWomeninGreekTragedy.”
MakingSilenceSpeak:Women’sVoicesinGreekLiteratureandSociety.Ed.
AndréLardinoisandLauraMcClure.Princeton:PrincetonUniversityPress,
2001.117-136.Print.
Lattimore,Richmond.StoryPatternsinGreekTragedy.AnnArbor:TheUniversityof
MichiganPress,1965.Print.
McGaw,Charles.ActingisBelieving.3rded.NewYork:Holt,RinehartandWinston,
1975.Print.
Rabinowitz,NancySorkin.“WomenasSubjectandObjectoftheGazeinTragedy.”
HELIOS40.1(2013):195-221.ProjectMuse.Web21Apr.2016.
Reed,Valerie.“BringingAntigoneHome?”ComparativeLiteratureStudies45.3
(2008):316-340.ProjectMuse.Web21Apr.2016.
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Sophocles.Antigone.Trans.RichardEmilBraun.NewYork:OxfordUniversityPress,
1973.Print.
Zinman,Toby.“StillDangerousAfterAllTheseYears.”AmericanTheatreMar.1999:
19-22,62-63.AcademicSearchComplete.Web21Apr.2016
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AnnotatedBibliography:
PrimarySources
MedeabyEuripides
Medeaisaplaythatwasoriginallyperformedin431BCatthefestivalCity
Dionysia.ScholarsknowthatMedeawasfirstperformedin431BCbecausetheCity
Dionysiafestivalkeptrecordsofenteredplays.In431BCEuripidesenteredMedea
intothetragedycontestandlost.AnythingconcerningAncientGreeceisslightly
uncertainbecauseithappenedsolongagoandtherearefewremainingtextsand
artifacts;however,scholarsareverycertainthatMedeawaswrittenbyEuripides
andperformedin431BC.MedeawaswritteninGreeksoanyversionthatIreadwill
beatranslationoftheoriginalwork.Translationsarenevertrueandpurecopiesof
theoriginal;howeverIthinkthisversionisprettysimilartotheoriginal.Ihaveread
severaltranslationsofMedeaandthisversioniscomparabletotheothersIhave
read.BecauseIdonothaveaccesstotheoriginaltextIhavetotrustthatthe
translationisasclosetotheoriginalasitcanbe.
IamusingtheplayMedeatofurtherinvestigateandunderstandthecharacter
ofMedea.EuripideswrotethisplayinthecontextofancientGreeksocietysoitis
inherentlyreflectiveofthatcommunity.AncientGreecedidnotvaluewomeninthe
samewaywedotodayandthiscanbeseenintheplay.Whileevaluatingthissource
Ineedtokeepinmindthatitwaswrittenbyamaleinaverypatriarchalsociety.
ThissourceisamoderntranslationoftheplaythatIamfocusingmyresearchon.
ModerntranslationsmakeiteasiertounderstandtheactualmeaningbecauseI
don’thavetosortthroughold-fashionedwordsandphrases.Medeaasawholeis
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veryinterestingtomeandIhavealwaysfeltconnectedtothecharacterMedea.I’m
veryintriguedbyherrageandintensefocusonrevenge.InparticularIhavealways
lovedthemonologuewhereMedeaisdiscussingwomen’splaceinsociety.Iwantto
lookintothecharacterofMedeaandseehowsheisdistinctanddifferentfromother
femalecharacters.
MedeadirectlycompareswithAgamemnonbyAeschylus.Boththeseplays
werewrittenduringtheClassicalAgeinGreecesoitisinterestingtoseehowthe
femalecharactersdifferbetweenthetwoplays.Thiscomparisonbringsupsome
questions.Whyarethefemalecharactersthatwerewrittenduringthesametime
periodwithinthesamesocialcontextsodifferent?Doestheplaywright’sviewof
womeninfluencehistreatmentoffemalecharacters?
AgamemnonbyAeschylus
Thissourceisusefulformysubjectmatterbecauseitcanbedirectly
comparedwithMedea,whichismyprimarytext.AgamemnonandMedeawereboth
writtenduringtheClassicalAgeofGreece,whichmeansboththesubjectstheydeal
withandthecharacterstheyfeatureareverycloselyrelated.Thisistruebecause
bothplayswerewritteninthewithinthesamesocialcontexts.FormypaperIam
focusingonwhatdifferentiatesMedeaasacharacter,inordertoprovethatsheis
differentIwillneedtocomparehertoothercharacters.Agamemnonfeatures
Clytemnestra,astrongfemalecharacter,whowillcompareandcontrastwellwith
Medea.IwilluseAgamemnontogaintextualinformationaboutClytemnestraand
seewhichofhercharacteristicsarestrongest.Thesecharacteristicswillcompare
21
andcontrastdirectlywithMedea’scharacter.Clytemnestraisagoodcandidatefor
comparisonwithMedeabecauseoutofallAeschylus’worksIhavereadsheisthe
mostindependentandcapablefemalecharacter.
AntigonebySophocles
AntigonewaswrittenduringtheClassicalAgeofGreecesoitcanalsobe
compareddirectlywithMedea.UsingAntigonealongwithAgamemnonallowsmeto
furthercompareandcontrastMedeawithotherfemalecharactersthatwerecreated
inthesametimeperiod.Antigone,AgamemnonandMedeawereallwrittenby
differentplaywrights.Whileeachplaywrightlivedandparticipatedinthesame
society,theircharactersareverydifferent;thismaybebecauseeachplaywrighthad
variedexperienceswithwomen.AntigoneisdifferentthanbothClytemnestraand
Medea.MedeaandClytemnestraarebothmarriedwithchildrenandhave
committedmurderwhileAntigonediesavirgin.AntigoneisanothercharacterthatI
willcomparewithMedeainordertodetermineMedea’smostdefining
characteristics.OutofSophocles’femalecharactersIchosetocompareAntigone
withMedeabecauseIwasinterestedinthedifferencesbetweenMedea’streatment
offamilyandAntigone’s.
SecondarySources
FemaleActsinGreekTragedybyHeleneP.Foley
FemaleActsinGreekTragedyisabookpublishedbyPrincetonUniversity
Press.ThisbooklooksatancientGreektragedy’streatmentofwomen.Foleytakes
22
everythingintoaccountinthisbook.Shediscussesawoman’splaceinancientGreek
societyandhowthatmayhaveinfluencedthefemalecharactersintragedy.She
similarlydiscussesthelawsandcustomsofthetimeandwhatwomenwere
expectedtodoincontrasttowhattheywerenotallowedtodo.Foleyalsoexamines
thethreetypicalcaricaturesofwomen:virgin,wifeandmother.Foleygives
examplesofcharactersthatfitthesecaricaturesandexplainswhyeachcharacter
fitsthismold.
Foleyfocusesonanalyzingthecharacters’actionsandvoices,andthen
puttingthemincontextwithancientGreeksociety.Athemethroughoutthisbookis
femalecharactersbeingusedasmoralagentsintragedyandhowthatrelatestothe
socialcontextofancientGreece.FemaleActsinGreekTragedyaimstoinform
readersoffemalecharacters’purposesintragedy.Foleypresentsherbookalmost
likeasequenceoffacts.Theopeningfewchaptersgivebackgroundonwomen’s
rolesinancientGreeksociety,thenchaptersaredividedbasedoncharacter.Foley’s
bookisbothahistoricalanalysisandaliteraryanalysis.Becauseofherfocuson
theseanalysesFemaleActsinGreekTragedyemphasizesculturalandliterary
contexts.HighlightingliteraryandculturalcontextsleadsFoley’sbooktobe
structuredinacertainway.Thefirsthalfofthebookismeanttoputthereaderin
theculturalcontextofancientGreeksocietyandthesecondhalffocusesonpulling
evidencedirectlyfromtheplaysinordertodemonstratehowtheculturalcontext
influencesthecharacters.
FemaleActsinGreekTragedyisareputablesourcebecauseitwaswrittenby
HeleneP.FoleywhoisaprofessoratBarnardUniversityandhaswrittenmany
23
booksaboutancientGreektragedyandculture.PrincetonUniversityPressalso
publishedthisbook.WithinthebookFoleysupportsallherclaimswithevidence,
eitherfromtheplaysthemselvesorotherscholarlyworks.Thefactsthatare
presentedinthissourcereflectclaimsthatIhaveseeninothersources.
Foley’svoiceisveryprofessionalandauthoritative.Itisassumedthat
readersofthisbookhavebasicbackgroundknowledgeaboutGreeksocietyand
havereadmanyoftheGreektragedies.Byassumingthatreadershaveknowledgeof
theplaysFoleycanskiprighttoanalyzingthecontentoftheplaysandnotspend
timesummarizing.Thissourceisveryrelevanttomyresearchbecauseitanalyzes
notonlyMedeabutalsoAntigoneandClytemnestra,thecharactersIamcomparing
Medeato.ThisbooksetsthefemalecharactersinthecontextofAncientGreek
societyandanalyzeshowtheyaretreatedinrelationtomalecharacters.This
source,similartoothersourcesIfound,callsoutthepatriarchalsocietythatthe
playswerewritteninandanalyzesthefemalecharactersinrelationtothatsociety.
"WomenandOathsinEuripides”byJudithFletcher
Thisarticleisinterestingbecauseitlooksspecificallyatoathsthatoccurin
playswrittenbyEuripides.Thisisrelevantformyresearchbecauseasectionofthis
articlespecificallydiscussesMedeaandtheoathssheinvokes.Medeadoesmany
thingswithintheplaybutfocusingononeinparticularallowsfordeeperanalysis.
BylookingataspecificactionthatMedeadoesonecanlearnmoreabouther
characterasawhole.SheinvokestheseoathsonbothJasonandAegeus.Bymaking
bothmenswearoathstoherMedeaisdemonstratinghervaluesandsomeofher
24
characteristics.Thisarticleanalyzeswhatoccursintheplaytextandaddsinsight
intoMedea’scharacter.Thissourcecanbedirectlycomparedto“AntigoneandHer
Sisters:EmbodyingWomeninGreekTragedy”byMarkGriffith.Thesesourcesare
interestingtocomparebecauseonefocusesonoathsandtheotherfocusesonthe
characteristicsoffemalesintragedy.Thisraisesquestionsaboutfemininityand
masculinityinregardstoinvokingoaths.Thinkingaboutwhatcharactertraitsare
neededtoinvokeoathsinAncientGreeksocietycouldbeveryinteresting.
“AntigoneandHerSisters:EmbodyingWomeninGreekTragedy”byMarkGriffith
Thisarticlediscussesthe“traits”thatmakeupastandardfemalecharacter.
Griffithmentionstheaspectsoffemininityandmasculinityinregardstotragedy’s
femalecharacters.Griffithoutlineswhatwasconsideredtraditionallyfemaleand
traditionallymasculineinAncientGreeksocietyandhowtheactionsoffemale
charactersreflectthesenorms.HethengoesintoAntigonespecificallyandcompares
thethreemainfemalecharactersoftheplayinregardstohowtheyportray
femininityandmasculinitydifferently.ThisisbeneficialformyresearchbecauseI
canutilizethecomparisonsGriffithmakesinthisarticleandapplythemtoMedea,
AntigoneandClytemnestra.Asstatedabove,thissourcecandirectlycomparewith
“WomenandOathsinEuripides”byJudithFletcher.Thesesourcesareinterestingto
comparebecausetheydealwithdifferentspecificsubjectmatters,butfocusonthe
sameoveralltopicofwomeninancientGreektheatre.BycomparingthesesourcesI
canmakeastrongargumentformasculinityinMedea’scharacter.Fletcherstates
thatoathsareawaytogivewomenpower,whichwasconsideredmasculine,and
25
GriffithpointsoutthatMedeaispartiallymasculineandpartiallyfeminine.Medea’s
untraditionalmasculinityisanotherwayofarguingthatsheisauniquecharacter
fromtheGreekClassicalAge.
ReferenceSources
ActingisBelievingbyCharlesMcGaw
ActingisBelievingisatheatretextbook.Thistextbookdealswithactingasan
artformandhowtobecomethebestactorthatyoucanbe.Thisisafairlybroad
subjectbutIbelievethebookcoversthebasicsverywellandalsogoesindepthon
specifictechniques.ActingisBelievingisbrokenintothreeparts,theactor’s
relationshiptohimself,theactor’srelationshiptotheplayandtheactor’s
relationshiptotheproductionasawhole.Thistextbookisreputablebecauseitwas
usedinmyhighschoolanditisusedinmanyotherschoolsaroundthecountry.
WhileIownthethirdeditiontherearenowtwelveeditionsofthistextbook,which
showsthattheacademiccommunitymustvalueit.Ihavelearnttheinformationin
thisbookbeforefrommanytheatreprofessors.Thewaythebookiswrittenisalso
veryprofessionalandtheauthorreferencesmanywell-knownactingtexts.
Onecouldbeskepticalaboutthissourcebecauseonemanwritesitandsoit
focusesonhisbeliefsaboutactingtechniques.Modernactingtextbooksfocus
mainlyoncontemporaryplaysandtheactingstrategiesarebasedonthesetexts,
thiscouldbeanotherreasontobeskepticalofthistextandthewayIuseitfor
Medea.HoweverIbelievethatthisisnotanissuebecauseIamamodernactor.Iam
notattemptingtoactMedeathewaythatthecharacterwouldhavebeenactedin
26
ancientGreece.IalsodidnotuseeveryexercisementionedinthebookIchosethose
thatIbelievedworkedbestwiththeplayandwouldhelpmelearnthemostMedea.
Thistextbookisveryimportanttothepracticeintoresearchportionofmy
project.Icompiledmyownactor’sanalysisguideusingthisbookasamainsource.
BypullingdifferenttechniquesthataredescribedinthebookIwasabletodecide
howIwantedtoinvestigatethecharacterMedea.Withoutthisbooktheremaynot
havebeenapracticeintoresearchportionofmyproject.
TheActorinYoubyRobertBenedetti
Thistextbookwasimportanttocompilingmyactor’sanalysisguide.While
manyofthetechniquesinthisbookarealsomentionedinActingisBelievingthis
bookalsogivesveryhelpfulexercises.Theseexercisescontributedtomyactor’s
analysisandmademethinkmorecriticallyabouttheMedeaasacharacter.
Benedettialsogoesmoreindepthoncertaintechniquesthatareonlymentionedin
ActingisBelieving.