1 / 15

Euripides Medea Part 2

Recap and Update What Kind of Tragedy? Discussion… Medea: Mother? Monster? Other?. Euripides Medea Part 2. A Different Kind of Tragedy. Lost in Translation? Medea’s thumos. MEDEA

fadhila
Download Presentation

Euripides Medea Part 2

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Recap and Update What Kind of Tragedy? Discussion…Medea: Mother? Monster? Other? Euripides Medea Part 2 A Different Kind of Tragedy

  2. Lost in Translation?Medea’s thumos MEDEA “I know indeed what evil I intend to do,But stronger than all my afterthoughts is my fury (thumos),Fury that brings upon mortals the greatest evils.”(Euripides Medea p. 35, trans. Warner) Literal rendering:“I know indeed what sorts of evils I am about to do, but thumos (“anger”? “spirit”? “passion”?) is master of/stronger than/controlling my deliberations – thumos, the very thing that causes the greatest of evils for mortals.”

  3. Recap and Update What Kind of Tragedy?

  4. Aristotle Poetics Plot, muthos simple complex episodic anagnorisis peripeteia hamartia complication / reversal Ethical component ēthos-“temperament” thought hamartia Other schemata Blood-guilt Cycle of suffering “Tragic Formula” koros hubris atē dikē pathei mathos, “from suffering, knowledge” A Different Kind of Tragedy?

  5. Mythic Versatility • Tradition (child-killings) • Innovation • Medea murderer • Aegeus’ visit • Creon, Daughter killed • Medea ex machina

  6. Gender-Ethnic Dialectic Jason, Creon Male bia (force, violence) dominance, honor Greek intelligible speech civilized, orderly Human within justice Medea Female metis (cunning), softness submission, acquiescence Barbarian “ba-ba-ba” (not in play) violent, uncouth Other-worldly? beyond justice?

  7. Dialectic Internalized? Medea Male bia (force, violence) dominance, honor Greek intelligible speech civilized, orderly Human within justice Medea Female metis (cunning), softness submission, acquiescence Barbarian “ba-ba-ba” (not in play) violent, uncouth Other-worldly? beyond justice?

  8. Agōn : Tragic Sophistic, Jason vs. Medea (pp. 15 ff.)

  9. chorus helps us side with her helps see m’s side j is determined blaming the victim j maybe thinks he’s justified j feels no guilt at all covering bases j ignorant he was feeling guilty! damage control Character Dynamics …

  10. “To make the weaker argument appear the stronger” –Protagoras Sophistic • sophos • wise/clever/skilled • sophia • wisdom/cleverness/skill • sophistēs • teacher/practitioner of sophia • sophistic • teaching/practice of sophia

  11. Medea: arguments M. helped-saved J. at cost J. broke vows. Where to go? shameful betrayal Jason: arguments Aphrodite saved J. though Medea helped M. gained more than gave. by moving to Greece Prudent match (argument from expediency). for J., for M., for children Women as trouble. (Tips his hand?) Medea “a hypocrite who is too glib only multiplies the danger that it puts him in” “you felt your glory tarnished by an aging, oriental wife” J. should have persuaded M. Jason “has nothing to do with women” generous motives Agon Content Analysis(pp. 15 ff.)

  12. The agōn Inside:Medea’s Monologue affectionate maternity- versus -bruised honor(pp. 33 ff.)

  13. Medea ex machina cult foundation (aetiology …) prophecy Medea withchildren Exodos stage building(skene) Jason

  14. Discussion… Medea: Mother? Monster? Other?

  15. agrees with m (horrible) before/atfer after unsympathetic non-aristotelian sympathized before not after doesn’t sympathize gave up her life to jason more sym. does it matter that the kids are boys? j needs male heirs more interesting if girls by killing kids setting herself free shows self better than j Medea preventing suffering can we sympathize with a villain?? admire medea the scorned women often lose, but not m triumphs over disrespect she’s shown Mother? Monster? Other?

More Related