Prompt help- Medea

[QueenDemetria]

Hi guys,

I'd like to write an essay on the following prompt "Medea challenges the notion of what it is to be a hero. Discuss".

I'm not really sure of what key ideas i could use though. Any ideas? I want to mention how Medea is a tragic hero... but I'm not sure how i could do that.


Thanks guys!

[Sam M]

I think a good point to definitely include in this is that Medea isn't a hero by her society's ideals, yet she has undeniably triumphed in resisting her patriarchal environment. This could show how she challenges that a hero is someone who represents the ideals of their society.

You could also challenge the question and talk about how Medea is ultimately heroic as she resists against the (suggested) injustice of Jason's betrayal of her and delivers what she believes justice. This supports the traditional view of a hero.

I suppose if you wanted to include her being a tragic heroine you could include how, despite taking justice into her own hands, she is rejected by the chorus who previously supported her and Jason -- she is given no recognition for her bravery (if thats what you interpret her actions as). This could link in nicely with the divine intervention in the exodus.

Hope that helps.

[boooom]

Consider how Euripides portrays what was considered 'heroic' back then. In particular, is he saying that heroism is a good or bad thing, and to what extent?

[QueenDemetria]

Thanks for the help, guys! 

[LifeisaConstantStruggle]

I'm not sure if you're referring to Medea as a character or the play itself, but if it is the play as a whole then the question gets kinda specific, and hard to answer correctly? But this is open to a lot of interpretation tho. As Medea is a very specific type of play (tragedy), it conforms to special rules.
For Medea's case the main tragic hero would be Jason, though Medea fits within some of the criteria as well, you can argue that the play challenges the notion of a "hero" in the Greek context in many ways (as stated below), good luck.
A "tragic hero" in Ancient Greek (or Aristotle's) terms refer to a character (often the lead) who possesses these characteristics:
1) A tragic flaw, or error (hamartia)
- This is fairly obvious for Jason for his excessive use of cold reasoning and callous decisions that starts off the play, and caused Medea's sorrow and grief. (You can describe Jason as Apollonian, which relates to the rational and ordered aspects of human nature)
- Medea can also be qualified as a tragic hero as she has a fatal flaw as well. As the antithesis of Jason in terms of gender roles and character, Medea possesses excessive passion and emotion. (It is also quite common for playwrights to portray women like this in Ancient Greece, they are often referred to as Dionysiac, which relates to the passionate and emotional aspects of nature)
- In a sense Medea does not challenge the notion of a Greek hero, but conforms to the idea which has been passed down for centuries, when they made these kinds of plays.
2) Excessive pride (hubris)
- I think this is kinda self-explanatory, which yknow both Medea and Jason possesses, which is why they did not tolerate or condone each other's actions.
- This could be considered a hamartia of the "heroes" in the play (both Jason and Medea), and can be put in the same paragraph with the first point.
3) A reversal of events, brought about because of a hero's hamartia. (peripeteia)
- In this case the peripeteia here would be Medea's killings, which has caused Jason's downfall.
- Again Euripides conforms to the idea of a "tragic hero" and does not challenge it.
- The next point is where it gets tricky.
4) The discovery that the reversal of fortune was brought about by the hero's own hamartia. (anagnorisis)
- Essentially during the last agon both "heroes" attempt to blame each other for the events that have happened.
- You can say that both of them do acknowledge the fault of the other character in the play during its resolution, but they fail to realise that their hamartia counts as well.
- Here's where Euripides, and the play challenges the notion of a tragic hero, as the characters themselves do not realise their own flaws, with Medea being triumphant, and escaped the consequences of her reprehensible actions through divine intervention (a deus ex machina)
5) A character's fate must be greater than what he/she truly deserves.
- This is kinda subjective to interpretation as well, and it's kinda specific to Jason for the infanticide and all that fluff.
- You can say that he does not (?) deserve the punishment put forth by Medea, or you can argue otherwise as well.
- The gist of this point would depend on how you interpret the play itself, if you agree that he received far more than he deserves, then it is reasonable to state that the play conforms to the notion of being a hero, if not, you can argue otherwise.