Representation of Women’s Roles in Society-Medea

Women’s lives are represented by the roles they either choose or have imposed on them. This is evident in the play Medea by Euripides through the characters of Medea and the nurse. During the time period which Medea is set women have very limited social power and no political power at all, although a women’s maternal and domestic power was respected in the privacy of the home, “Our lives depend on how his lordship feels”. The limited power these women were given is different to modern society yet roles are still imposed on women to conform and be a dutiful wife.

Women have always been disempowered due to their gender in modern and ancient times alike. In Corinth they are expected to run the household and conform to social expectations of a dutiful wife. Medea, being an immortal and descendant from the gods has a certain power in intelligence and sly cleverness. Being a foreigner, Medea’s wayward irrational behavior was expected in this play as she was not born in Greece and was seen as an exotic creature. She comes across to the audience as a powerful female character in terms of violence. Some of Medea’s reactions and choices appear to be blown out of proportion as authors generally make characters seem larger than life; this creates a better understanding of the text and the issues which are developed through the characters.

Medea’s illegitimate marriage and the betrayal of Jason drive Medea to extreme revenge. Medea chooses to act with her immortal self and commit inhumane acts of murder rather than rationalize the outcomes of her actions. Medea see’s this option as her only resort as she has been banished and has nowhere to go, “stripped of her place”. To create sympathy for Medea, Euripides plays down Medea’s supernatural powers until the end of the play. Throughout the play Medea represents all characteristics found in individual women put together, including; love, passion, betrayal and revenge. Medea’s portrayal of human flaws creates empathetic emotions from the audience. The audience commiserates with Medea’s human flaws as they recognize them in themselves. Medea plays the major role in this play as she demonstrates many behavioral and psychological patterns unlike any of the other Greek women in the play; this draws the audience’s attention to Medea for sympathy and respect.

The concept of gender is based on the locality of power present in Medea; this is evident through Medea’s relationship between social context and social expectations; for example the sympathy of the chorus when Medea feels betrayed by Jason “To punish him, you’ve cause enough to grieve.” Medea, playing the protagonist challenges power relationships and confronts the existing gender constructions and patriarchal ideologies in Ancient Greece. Medea steadily empowers herself and shifts these gender constructions. She gains this certain power and influence over male characters, such as the childless Aegus and manipulated them for her own benefit. “If Id not had secret plans? The fool could have me banished today”. Medea was one of the first plays in which powerful and vivid women are presented as the protagonist. Women are slotted into the roles of the maternal house keeper as Men believe this is their duty. Women are capable of doing most of the things men can do, although this would revoke men of the power they believe they constitute.

As Medea is not the average Greek Drama the roles of the gender are reversed at some points, when Medea gains power. Medea’s empowerment is taken on silently as she hides her power to seem vulnerable and deliberately manipulate men. The character of Medea displays many traits which breakdown the traditional views of Greek women by displaying her proactive in taking revenge against Jason, having cruel and savage passionate views and also empowering herself through the manipulation of the male characters. Medea’s first public statement demonstrates her complex and contradictory representation of gender. For example; “Of all Earth’s creatures that