Medea: power of women a mythological context

Medea is the sorceress born to pouf Aeetes of Colchis and is verbalise to be the granddaughter of Helios the god of Sun. Ja tidings sought the friendly rams fleece be to Aeetes, in the process of earning the same as per conditions laid down by the King, Medea mow in love with Jason and assisted him in obtaining the fleece through and through her magical force plays on the conditions that he married her. On obtaining the fleece, Jason fled the dry land with Medea and Absyrtis, her younger br otherwise. To prevent Aeetes, from successfully move them, Medea killed her younger brother and scattered his be in pieces so that her fathers men had to perforce stop to find out the pieces and give a decent sepulture to Absyrtis.The couple accordingly settled in Corinth and Medea bore two sons to Jason. When Jason decided to hook up with the daughter of the might of Corinth, Creon, and Medea killed her as hygienic as her own children borne from Jason to spite him in the harshest possible way. After the killing she took base hit with Aegeus, the king of Athens and bore him a son Medus, but finally failed in killing the elder son of Aegeus, thereby a tally having to flee from her hubby. Medus later became the king of Media. The fictionological tale of Medea provides a opinion of the graphic symbol of women in Grecian partnership and their pursuit to break onward from a emotional state given to serving the require of men be it in the utilization of the daughter, sister, wife or mother.Viewing classic Gender Role through the myth of MedeaMedeas struggle is that of a mythic charwoman in ancient measure attempting to take control of her own life through a series of own(prenominal) as well as habitual travails. The irony lies in it denoting, that to gain lure in society a woman has to be a force of evil, a sorceress with super natural plys tending(p) as an exception rather than an emancipated mail for all women folk. Medea thus embodies the opp osite of the handed-down gender government agency for women in classical society precludeing the status quo, the stereophony slip of women being actorless and having to do the mastery of their male person relatives and ultimately rules made by society for them.The traditional role granted to classical women in mythology is that of a, helper first (Clauss and Iles (Ed), 1997, 13). Some other views of gender roles repoint that women had a passive, domestic, emotional and somewhat anomalous role to play while the male function was indicated as being dynamic, thinkable, and perspicacious and representing the public face. Medea attempts to carve an independent role not just for herself but for Hellenic women as a whole, heretofore she is maybe one of the few exceptions of her clock clock and other women argon unable to support her in-person conviction.In assuming an independent role for herself, Medea highlights to Jason that had he perchance told her about his tar perish of aid conglutination, things would hold been different, though Jason course scoffs at this suggestion of hers as,Oh yes, if Id told you of the wedding,Im sure you would have lent me fine support. Even now you posteriort stand to set aside that commodious rage in your heart. (Johnston, Nd)Medea highlights her fierce liberty by rejecting the second non consensual spousal of Jason and also his offer to provide for her if she can only request him for help. She totally refuses to assert him, despite his generous offer, as Jason states, both remunerate, but I call the gods to attestantIm willing to help you and the children. however you reject my goods and stubbornly push away your friends, and that the reason you suffer still more(prenominal) pain. (Johnston, Nd)Medea in relation to PeersMedeas attempt to analyze the role of women has been epitomized in the struggle against the stereo type, feminine role in Greek mythology. This role confined women to being a wif e, a bearer of children and one who continues to be miserable both before and subsequently matrimony. Unlike other women, who perhaps stick out their fate, Medea laments that,First, we need a conserve, someone we get for an excessive price. He then becomes the dominion of our bodies. ___ For a divorce loses women all respect, insofar we cant refuse to take a husband. __ But if the marriage doesnt work, then death is ofttimes to be preferred. ___ We women have to look at just one man. (Johnston, Nd)Medea detests the role of the distaff as a womb for the children of her husband however she assumed these thoughts only by and by she has been scorned by her husband who has taken another(prenominal) women. She represents a women scorned, thus,In other things a woman may be timidin watching battles or seeing steel, but when shes hurt in love, her marriage violated, theres no heart more desperate for blood than hers. (Johnston, Nd)But then women in Greek society are not supposed t o complain against such(prenominal) wrong. And her lament bore no growth as in the classical Greek tradition, the women who rebels is expelled from society, thus Creon says,You there, Medea, scowling in elicit against your husband. Im ordering you out of Corinth. You must go into exile, and take those two children of yours with you. (Johnston, Nd)To Medea this is dual injustice as she has lost her husband to another woman and for protesting has been expelled from Corinth. Women in Corinth as the King told Medea had to suffer in silence. They had to be save by bearing children for their husbands, through charity, solemn behavior and faith. This very lucidly highlights the Greek view that women have no right to protest in case their husband has abandoned them and have to suffer in solitude. The key issue is thus neglect of choice to women while not for men.Medea however succeeds in gaining ability through her role as a sorceress. Thus by her knowledge of herbs and health potion s, she is able to gain control of her adversaries as well as her loved ones. These potions have power to heal, denoted as magic in mythology. This is one ingredient of power which has been invariably granted to women in Greece, given their greater knowledge of the look upon and utility of different types of herbs.Another allusion to the power of women expressed by being a sorceress is Medeas killings, first her brother, than Jasons second wife and her own children. The power of create death which is a negative twist is generally seen to be granted to the male in Greek mythology through his competency to wage war and victory. Medea aspires to and gains this power through her facility with potions, causing death with equanimity. This is the power of evil, so be it feels the scorned women, for perhaps in ancient Greece that is the only power that women could aspire for.By assuming an active role in each of her common encounters with Jason, whether it is in assisting him in gainin g hold of the fortunate rams fleece, getting away from her father, seeking a second marriage or in getting her son Medus a say in the farming of Athens, it is the active role played by Medea, rather than normal passivity which is associated with women in Greece which is significant. Medea is so dominantly active, that she even gives an impression to Jason that in case he had sought her hope to marry a second time she would have perhaps accorded him the same.This active model is undertaken through the path of evil, as a sorceress. This was perhaps natural given the times in which Medea lived, representing exception rather than the aspirations of a large proportion of her gender who were perhaps satisfied to remain within the moderate of the traditional role granted to them by society of looking after the denture and hearth. This route of evil to gain power as a woman may be faulted but perhaps it has to be placed in the context of Medea as a woman having no other option in anci ent Greece. file name extension1. Johnston, Ian. (Translation). No Date (Nd). Euripides Medea. http//www.mala.bc.ca/johnstoi/euripides/medea.htm2.Clauss, James J. Johnston, Sarah Iles. Eds. 1997. Medea Essays on Medea in Myth, Literature, Philosophy and Art. Princeton. Princeton University Press.3. Foley, Helene P. 2002. Female Acts in Greek Tragedy. Princeton. Princeton University Press.