Term
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Definition
-play begins w/ nurse preparing for the appearance of Medea
-mentions recent news that Jason is abandoning her to marry the princess of Corinth, in order to obtain a throne |
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Term
Oath btwn Jason and Medea |
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Definition
-Jason pledged oath to aid/stand by Medea in return for her previous aid in his adventures
-this is in no way typical of how oaths functioned in relation to marriage; typically an oath was pledged btwn the father of the bride and the groom (btwn two male parties) |
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Term
in Athenian society a woman had to have a male kurios (guardian) to represent her, typically marriage meant... |
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Definition
| -movement from the guardianship of her father to that of her husband |
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Term
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Definition
-she has no kurios just before marrying Jason, since she has in effect separated herself from her family by helping Jason
-her power/capabiity, seen by her aid to Jason, make her more a heroic equal than a dependent
-hence Medea seems to have in effect acted as her own kurios |
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Term
How does the poem emphasie the importance of oaths in general? |
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Definition
| -scene w. Aegeus; meant to be foil/contrast to w/ Jason does because Aegeus does uphold the sanctity of the oath |
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Term
Giving and Taking an oath is a religious matter; the sanctity of the oath is guaranteed by... |
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Definition
Zeus Horkios (Zeus of Oaths) |
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Term
Why don't the gods listen to Jason at the end of the play? |
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Definition
| -he is being rightly punished for his neglect/abuse of the oath |
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Term
Theme of Deceptive Language: Jason
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Definition
-willingness to ignore oaths
-overreliance on language rather than deed makes him less heroic |
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Term
Theme of Deceptive Language:
Cultural Influence of the time |
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Definition
| -emphasis on deceptive language reflects influence of the sophists who taught rhetoric at the time |
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Term
The agon btwn Jason and Medea: Jason's argument |
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Definition
agon- formal debate in tragedy w/ once highly rhetorical speech balancing another
Jason's argument: does not care w/ Medea thinks of him (contrary to the heroic code), specious argumentation (abandoning Medea for her own good) |
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Term
Medea's use of Decepive Language |
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Definition
-Medea's use of deceptive language results from Jason's use of deceptive language
-while it was often assumed that women were naturally prone to deception
-here the female figure learns deception from the failure of her husband to maintain ethical norms
-Medea deceives Jason herself ironically by stating she had some sort of female tantrum, she now agrees that Jason is acting in their best interests |
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Term
How does Medea take revenge upon the princess of Corinth and her family? |
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Definition
| -poisoned garments brought by her children |
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Term
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Definition
-Jason's ethical failure allowed Medea to step into the position of the hero
-Medea's taking the role of the hero is also a result of her own characterization as well:
(1) she is obsessed w/ her reputation, fears mockery by her enemies
(2)her language is marked by military colouring that reflects the ethical stance of masculine heroism; she must "steel/armor herself" |
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Term
Medea as a woman: brings up fundamental contraditions and ideological inconsistencies for the Athenians |
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Definition
-speaks of herself and women in general in terms that connect w/ the historical context of the drama (231-51)
-societal unease at the idea of the female hero is presented by means of the notion that for Medea to succeed in her heroic pursuits she must give up her supposedly natural feminine characteristics (she must kill her own children) |
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Term
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Definition
Literal: appearance of a god at the end of the play on the mechane
Meaning: artificial resolution of the plot by such a figure |
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Term
The Ending: Medea as a god-like figure |
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Definition
-after she has killed the children Jason comes to seize her
-Medea appears over the skene upon the mechane in the chariot of Helios, her grandfather
-she is presented as something of a god in this scene, at least divine in some sense
-she seems to have the power of a god in that she is completely dominant over Jason at this point; she is the divine agent of the gods' punishment of Jason for his abuse of the oath |
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