A feminist or misogynistic Essay

In the get Medea, Euripides recognises the lack of gender comparison of his time and comments on the patrichial nature of ancient Greek society. A feminist theme resonates in the play and has been developed through the characterisation of Medea and Jason. Medea, the wo universehoodish protagonist, is portrayed as powerful figure. Medea is spurned and aggrieved by a man but instead of accepting the situation submissively as she would brace been expected to do, she asserts her receive power. Further more than, when King Creon decides to banish her, she doesnt hesitate to contest persuasively on her own behalf despite his position of power.She naturally assumes that she has the secure to speak as a man might do. Medea recognizes the oppression of women in her society when she decl bes we women are the sorriest lot first we must at big expenditure of money but a husband and even bespeak on a master of our body. However, Medea herself denounces women by admitting that they were born unserviceable for honest purposes suggesting that womans skills lie solely in the top executive to exert their will by deceit and manipulation. Her deceptive nature is unmistakable in the nature of the murder of Glauce by giving gifts laced with poison.Medea argues that although women mystify a deserved temper for treachery, they only do so as the patriarchal society to which they belong deprives them of any other avenues of power. Yet Medeas response to masculine exploitation surpasses any reasonable measures by her outrageous murder of her children. The audience is positioned to be shocked and unsympathetic towards her actions. Medeas actions are portrayed as hers alone not indicative of the natural style of women and Euripides acknowledges that the social injustice experienced by Medea cannot absolve her personal answerableness for her actions.In the play through his characterisation of Jason, Euripides mocks the mens so-called entitlement to authority and supremac y over women. Jason, the key male figure, from the onset of the play reveals himself to the audience to be a weak character, at odds with his reputation as a hero. His abandonment of his obedient wife, Medea, his greed-driven re-marriage and his inability to admit his own culpability in the drama that ensued, portrays him to the audience as vapid, vacuous man whose actions are fuelled almost entirely by self-interest.His constant emasculation of Jason by his exposure as a weak and flawed character makes him break through unsympathetic to the audience. Medea is a strong-willed and powerful individual whose personality traits would be stereotypically attributed to a male character whilst Jasons self-obsessed and treacherous ways would more often be linked to a female character. Through the depiction of Medea and Jason, Euripides makes the conjecture their characters are both highly flawed and so they should be condemned for their deeds rather than for the gender.