The Greek theatre, represented in Medea, emphasizes the characters and the plot through the structure of the Greek theater as well as determining a new moral and social representation of Greece. Born in Athens around the 5th century BC, Greek theater was performed outdoors to honor the God Dionysus, God of ecstasy and wine. At a festival called “City Dionysia” tragedies and comedies were performed in the form of a competition. Tragedies were those through which themes of love, pride, loss, abuse of power, and relationships between men and gods were established. Greek comedies, however, were primarily satires that mocked men in power for their pride and imprudence. Euripides, a writer of Greek tragedies, was in competition with two other Greek tragedians, Sophocles and Aeschylus; Where Sophocles and Aeschylus followed the traditional form of Greek theater, making the chorus the center and showing great importance of the gods and heroes, Euripides focused on characters and satirized Greek heroes. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay "Medea", a play in which the protagonist is Medea, is a Greek tragedy written by Euripides. Love themes showcased by Medea's love for Jason, pride in Medea's reputation and desire for revenge, abuse of power is shown by the murders committed by Medea. However, “Medea” can also be considered a Greek comedy due to the portrayal of Jason, where he loses, due to his desire for power, not only his newlywed wife, but also his descendants. Euripides, unlike Sophocles and Aeschylus, had blasphemous works and was therefore not seen with much importance in his time. Furthermore, he mocked the Athenian society of 431 BC by describing a different role for women, not caged by marriage. For example, when Medea speaks «we women are the most miserable […] possessors of our bodies». reflecting on the dowry system of ancient Greece, and in contrast to the usual perspective that obedient women and men are possessors, the verb “bought” represents that the one who buys will be the owner, that is, women who pay exorbitant sums should be in power and not vice versa. The dialogue uses the possessive pronoun “our” to show the collective society and that women suffer the same miseries. The Greek theater famous for its precise structure is composed of a prologue which serves as an introduction to the show, performed by the 'nurse' and the 'guardian'. ' in “Medea” when they create for viewers an image of Medea, a scorned lover. This is followed by the parados, which consist of the chorus expressing the main idea of the work. In Medea the chorus opposes the idea of women's inferiority, "For Phoebus[...]infamous of women". highlighting the fact that women in ancient Greece, whose emotions were ignored, now had a voice and men were “no less famous or infamous than women.” Furthermore, Euripides uses the phrase “time is old” in reference to his main idea of a modern Greek society. Then the first episode occurs in which the hero is shown for the first time, it is in “Medea” that the transformation of his character occurs. Medea presents herself as cold and self-possessed, while addressing the refrain "We women are the most miserable" she does not portray herself as a victim of her husband's infidelity but demonstrating that all women are victims. She also shows herself as a strong woman who seeks "revenge on Jason", unlike the previous defenseless "poor Medea". Subsequently, the stamision takes place, here the crime committed by the protagonist is told. This once again demonstrates the characterization of Medea that she draws. 2015.
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