1. Euripides Medea Part 2 Recap and Update What Kind of Tragedy? Discussion… Medea: Mother? Monster? Other? A Different Kind of Tragedy

2. Lost in Translation? Medea’s thumos MEDEA “I know indeed what evil I intend to do, But stronger than all my afterthoughts is my fury (thumos), Fury that brings upon mortals the greatest evils.” (Euripides Medea p. 35, trans. Warner) Literal rendering: “I know indeed what sorts of evils I am about to do, but thumos (“anger”? “spirit”? “passion”?) is master of/stronger than/controlling my deliberations – thumos, the very thing that causes the greatest of evils for mortals.”

3. Recap and Update What Kind of Tragedy?

4. 4 A Different Kind of Tragedy? Aristotle Poetics Plot, muthos –simple –complex –episodic –anagnorisis –peripeteia –hamartia –complication / reversal Ethical component –ēthos-“temperament” –thought –hamartia Other schemata Blood-guilt Cycle of suffering “Tragic Formula” –koros –hubris –atē –dikē pathei mathos, “from suffering, knowledge”

5. MEDEA “… I shall have done a dreadful deed. / For it is not bearable to be mocked by enemies” (p. 26) MEDEA “I know indeed what evil I intend to do, / But stronger than all my afterthoughts is my fury, / Fury that brings upon mortals the greatest evils.” (p. 35) MESSENGER “If wealth flows in upon one, one may be perhaps / Luckier than one’s neighbor, but still not happy” (pp. 40-41) CHORUS “For God from mortals asks a stern / Price for the stain of kindred blood / In like disaster falling on their homes” (p. 41) JASON “Does she imagine that, having killed our rulers, / She will herself escape uninjured from this house?” (p. 42)

6. 6 Mythic Versatility Tradition (child-killings) Innovation –Medea murderer –Aegeus’ visit –Creon, Daughter killed –Medea ex machina

7. Gender-Ethnic Dialectic Medea Female metis (cunning), softness submission, acquiescence Barbarian “ba-ba-ba” (not in play) violent, uncouth Other-worldly? beyond justice? Jason, Creon Male bia (force, violence) dominance, honor Greek intelligible speech civilized, orderly Human within justice

8. Dialectic Internalized? Medea Female metis (cunning), softness submission, acquiescence Barbarian “ba-ba-ba” (not in play) violent, uncouth Other-worldly? beyond justice? Medea Male bia (force, violence) dominance, honor Greek intelligible speech civilized, orderly Human within justice

9. 9 Agōn : Tragic Sophistic, Jason vs. Medea (pp. 15 ff.)

10. 10 Character Dynamics … chorus helps us side with her helps see m’s side j is determined –blaming the victim j maybe thinks he’s justified j feels no guilt at all –covering bases j ignorant he was feeling guilty! –damage control

11. 11 Sophistic sophos –wise/clever/skilled sophia –wisdom/cleverness/skill sophistēs –teacher/practitioner of sophia sophistic –teaching/practice of sophia “To make the weaker argument appear the stronger” – Protagoras

12. Agon Content Analysis (pp. 15 ff.) Medea: arguments 1.M. helped-saved J. ›at cost 2.J. broke vows. 3.Where to go? ›shameful betrayal Jason: arguments 1.Aphrodite saved J. ›though Medea helped 2.M. gained more than gave. ›by moving to Greece 3.Prudent match (argument from expediency). ›for J., for M., for children 4.Women as trouble. (Tips his hand?) Medea –“a hypocrite who is too glib only multiplies the danger that it puts him in” –“you felt your glory tarnished by an aging, oriental wife” –J. should have persuaded M. Jason –“has nothing to do with women” –generous motives

13. affectionate maternity - versus - bruised honor (pp. 33 ff.) The agōn Inside: Medea’s Monologue

14. 14 Medea ex machina cult foundation (aetiology …) prophecy Exodos stage building (skene) Jason Medea with children

16. Discussion… Medea: Mother? Monster? Other?

17. 17 Mother? Monster? Other? agrees with m (horrible) before/atfer –after unsympathetic –non-aristotelian sympathized before –not after doesn’t sympathize gave up her life to jason –more sym. does it matter that the kids are boys? –j needs male heirs –more interesting if girls by killing kids setting herself free –shows self better than j Medea preventing suffering can we sympathize with a villain?? admire medea –the scorned women often lose, but not m triumphs over disrespect she’s shown