Nurse about Medea
“Its clear this anger will grow; soon enough her greed like a gathering could will be kindled by it and burst into Storm
- smile suggests violent relapse of anger + greed is inevitable
- storm shows gathering monumental + violent bursts shows instability and danger
Medea to Jason
“All i have done for you and yet you have betrayed me, you unfeeling monster.”
- Js lack of feeling + empathy combined with willingness to tolerate his sons exiles justifies ms anger
- to little feeling for others -> great harm
Jason to Medea
“I i have acted like a true friend to you and to my children.”
- J= lack of love and affection to m and children
- claims new marriage will raise sons future and fortunes
- lack of concern at parting with family
- boasts about clever decisions
Medea as she prepares to kill her children
“I am well aware how terrible a crime I’m about to commit, but passion is master of my reason”
- m wrestles with her decision to kill her children
- Feeling of rage overrides her logic and mortality which leads to falls Cade
- desire to get revenge against J= stronger than her maternal love and allow for her to commit barbaric act
Jason to Medea at end of the play
“In heavens name, let me touch my children’s soft skin”
- j= completely grieving for lost children
- transformed from man of logic to man of feeling
- to little, to late
Chorus
“Uphill flows the water of sacred rivers; nature and all things r overturned”
- chorus guides audiences reaction and explicitly states e views and values
- explain how j has broken an oath that was made infant of Zeus= distributed the proper order
- sig to audience that actions of men have far reaching consequences
Jason to Medea
“My lady and like a seasoned helmsman, i must trim the edges of my sail to run before the tempest of your noisy protestations”
- j= experienced helmsman= captain of a ship
- j= seeking royal confidence
- j feels secure even though he broke on oath
- j= rational, capable of controlling tides of m emotions
- m= noisy protestations make her seem unreasonable and.childish by implying that she is ruled by her emotions.
Final to message to audience
“What men expect does not happen; for the unexpected heaven finds a way”
- mortal lives can be changed easily
- gods r in control of everything and mortals predict what they do and who they favour
- key idea= humans need to respect the power of gods because id they don’t it can cause chaos
Stage direction
“Medea suddenly appears above the stage in chariot down by dragons visible to the audience r the corpses of her children”
-above stage= position usually reserved for the gods/ demigods such as Medea that shows power
=implies gods approve of ms actins
-dragons= gift from m grandmother= sun god Helios/ sent m escape route
-m + j roles reserved/ j is empowered by emotion and allows m to get away with the crime
Jason to Medea
“There should be some other means for mankind to reproduce its self without the need for the female sex; this would ride the world of all its troubles”
- reveals that patriarchy would support removing most basic aspects of femininity because they r annoyed that their powers can’t control or extend to women’s bodies
- j holds women responsible for all problems in the world
- demon straights patriarchal arrogance because they refuse to recognise own privilege and power
Chorus
“Ageus, you have a noble heart”
- implies a wont break his oath
- a is deeply respectful of gods + not go against them
- c= declared he has a noble heart and that he is worthy of admiration
Chorus to m as she reveals plans to murder children
“Do not break mankind’s law”
“By every means, in every way we beg you not to murder your children”
- c guid audiences reaction and explicitly states es views and values
- m extreme plan to seek revenge against j is not endorsed. Y c
- c have supported m unwaveringly up until now and considered her actions against j as just but refuses to support f as it would break man kinds law
Messenger describes croons death
“He tore the withered flesh from his own bones”
-ms sorcery physically devours c body and reinforces her animalistic capacity for violence
Tuscan Scylla
Lioness
J compares m to a Tuscan scylla = sea monster / implies m has dangerous powers / can even destroy a seasoned helmsman j
Close of the play m has become a lioness / victorious / queen of all beasts / m triumphs over the destruction of others
Juxtapostion of Greek society noir as as women aren’t usually at the top of the food chain
Monster rep barbaric charecteristics of a forigener
Shows myth creature created by the gods = shows the power of m
Rock
Bull
Prologos m = rock / suggests that she cant be influenced + fried has made her cold isolated and indifferent
N fears ms passion is wild. bull therefore relentless and destructive
Savage + aggressive + scary
Bull= male so strong woman not fem = something to dislike / men to be scared off
Goes against normal Greek society
J to M / during Agon I should not wish either for gold in my house or the skill to sing a song lovelier than any Orpheus sang, if these gifts were not accompanied by a famous name Medea: 'It was marriage to a foreigner that you felt would detract from that great name of yours as old age drew near
J has been revered for his heroics by Greek society >
greatly inflamed ego
I wants to be immortalised + leave a legacy that is
“famous”
+ consistent w/ his reputation
Phil evedibhat,-or a *nameles mean nothing without
> leads to disorder b/c some names more valuable than others (forigeners name = less) motivates men to view their oaths as disposable and commit huberius
J + cr have betrayed their people by vomiting the sins they should have been condemning / own wants/ desires have been placed ahead of their responsibilities to uphold scared bonds
