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Themes In Medea - Online Term Paper

Themes In Medea

1. Why does Medea kill her children:
1. Jason has betrayed her
2. Vengeance: to leave him childless in old age
3. Failed heroism
2. Revenge-drama:
1. Medea gravely wronged by Jason
1. Jason a non-citizen and exile offered opportunity to marry princess of Corinth, inherit throne
2. Medea regarded as concubine and her children reduced to dependents of Jason's children by princess
3. Violation of oaths to gods
2. Situation of woman thinking rashly
1. Need to avenge herself according to male code of honor: "to harm enemies and help friends"
2. Woman's "friends"--her husband and children--become enemies. Perversion of code.
Medea ex machina
1. Appearance of sun-chariot at ...

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Crossing of Gender Boundaries
1. Medea as female
1. Incorporates forces of chaos
2. Represents the non-human and non-Greek
2. Medea as male
1. Successfully avenges slighted honor
2. Punishes breaker of oaths and so acts as agent of divine justice--classic patriarchal role
3. Contrast with Penelope's failure to protect household: why does Penelope fail in the masculine role and Medea succeed?
4. Gender = power (dominance vs. submission)

Medea was a devotee of the goddess Hecate, and one of the great sorceresses of the ancient world. She was the daughter of King Aeetes of Colchis, and the granddaughter of Helios, the sun god.
King Aeetes' most valuable possession was a golden ram's fleece. When Jason and the crew of the Argo arrived at Colchis seeking the Golden Fleece, Aeetes was unwilling to relinquish it and set Jason a series of seemingly impossible tasks as the price of obtaining it. Medea fell in love with Jason and agreed to use her magic to ...

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PAPER DETAILS

Added: 10/1/2006 02:16:36 AM
Category: English
Type: Premium Paper
Words: 673
Pages: 3

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