Medea and Penelope - Strong Women in a Mans World Essay

Euripides and Homer are said to be two of the four cornerstones of ancient literary education. The former, Euripides, known as one of the great tragedians of classical Athens produced approximately ninety-two plays, but was rejected by most of his contemporaries during his lifetime. Euripides was the ï ¬ rst of his time to portray a woman as a sympathetic character and a victim of society. Homer is known as the greatest ancient Greek epic poet. His most famous works being the Iliad and the Odyssey. Both of these ancient authors used strong women in their works. In Euripides Medea, the main character of the same name is a force to be reckoned with. The play starts out just after the divorce of Jason and Medea. Jason has left Medea for†¦show more content†¦In so far as you helped me, you did well enough. But on this question of saving me, I can prove you have certainly got more from me mor than you gave. [517-523, pg. 627] Jason does not feel as if he owes anything at all to Medea, thus bringing her eventual breakdown and irrational behavior to the hilt. Although Medea may have been wronged by Jason, this still does not excuse her ultimate act of revenge towards Jason. She is so set on getting back at him that she commits the most heinous of acts. She murders her two children. Jasons acts may have pushed her over the edge of sanity, but one can argue that even an insane person would take their own life over the lives of their own children. This brings the insanity to a whole new level. Medea is a strong and determined woman. She is determined to exact her revenge on Jason by any means possible. Euripides voiced the fear of her cunning mind through Kreon when he said I am afraid of you [...] Afraid that you may injure my daughter mortally. [...] You are a clever woman, versed in evil arts, and are angry at having lost your husbands love. (280-284, pg 622) The fact that a male character would say something of this caliber says something about the roles of women during this time. Even though they are still seen as second class citizens to the men, a smart woman is feared. Ultimately Medeas strength is tested and she becomes crazed with jealousy and acts ofShow MoreRelatedTreatment of Women in Ancient Literature Essay1647 Words   |  7 PagesWomen are constantly portrayed as tempting men by using their sexual charms. And so women who remained chaste were held in a higher esteem than those who highlighted their sexuality. Walcot writes, â€Å"The Greeks believed women to be incapable of not exercising their sexual charms and that the results were catastrophic, irrespective of whether or not women set out to cause trouble deliberately or acted in a blissful ignorance of what they were doing† (39). In Homeric tales we see the character Odysseus