Voices Of History And Tradition Present English Literature Essay
The drama Medea was written by Euripides and foremost played in 431 BC. Euripides was born in Salamis. His male parent was said to be a shopkeeper and his female parent worked with herbs. When he was small purportedly an prophet predicted that he was traveling to be a “ kid of triumphs ” therefore he was trained in athleticss but the triumphs he was supposed to accomplish were non in athleticss but within the field of literature. In his literary plants he slightly shows some understanding to all members of society ( even to adult females who in those yearss were non an “ active ” portion of society ) . The writer of this drama I consider had a pretty rough life since he was non accepted in his society and neither were his plants and both of the married womans he had were unfaithful. As Euripides himself said society was merely non ready for the type of literature he created.
It is said that in many of the literary plant he created he points out the defects of the heroines or adult females and depicts male monarchs as autocrats or as people without any stateliness. The fact that Euripides did this with his plants particularly with Medea has a batch to make with the voices of tradition and history. The ground for this idea is that during that clip there were tonss of wars, Peloponnesian war being possibly the most of import and influential to this work. I think the most relevant events that led to the development of this were the decision of the confederation between Athens and Corcyra which threatened Corinth and the turning power of Athens.
I think that history and the fact that Greece was undergoing such wars was an of import determiner for the way that this drama took. Since the writer most likely was influenced by these. I think that there was no possible manner for the writer to disregard what was traveling on in his milieus. The first thing that makes me believe about this is the scene of the drama and the background it has.
As a background we have mythology, the myth of Jason and the Golden Fleece. It was a tradition in Ancient times to go through down narratives about mythology, which is how Euripides got to cognize both the characters of Medea and Jason. In other words since before the narrative started we can see how tradition is of import in the drama but I think this goes farther, non merely in acquiring enrolled with the topic but in the amplification of the drama.
Throughout the drama we see how societal conventions are strongly portrayed. As stated before in this essay people say that Euripides showed some understanding to adult females in his literary plants. I think this is due to a struggle he had with the traditions of that clip. Harmonizing to the Merriam Webster dictionary a tradition is a customary form of though, action or behaviour. The drama reflects the function of adult females at the clip, how they were treated but besides I think it reflected the portion of adult females which was often ignored.
At that clip womenA?s function was to cook, hold childs, take attention of the house and of their hubby and they were merely allowed to be an active portion of society when it was approximately spiritual celebrations. We could state that this common form was a “ tradition ” at the clip, since as I stated before a tradition is a normally recognized form. Therefore voices of tradition did non merely acquire the writer acquainted with the characters of Medea and Jason but besides helped the writer concept the society within it. It helped him construct the perfect balance in his drama because in the drama he did non merely represented adult females as they were seen earlier ( he did this through the chorus. Since as it can be seen in the drama it did non count how much the chorus spoke or how much they tried to be heard they were merely wholly ignored ) . It is the perfect balance for the drama because of the fact that Euripides was portraying a side of adult females which before had been overlook. The character of Medea represents a strong adult female who can non stand to be changed and defeated ; a adult female who is proud and will non allow a adult male usage her as he pleases without holding any effects.
When speaking about history we can non bury the scene and the environment of the drama. The drama took topographic point in Corinth right after Jason flees from Colchis along with Medea who had betrayed her household and her state for him. In Corinth the society was merely the same as it was in Greece at that clip, hence the drama was based in the history of that clip. The society has a male monarch, people who were warriors or Lords and provincials adult females were unheard and non taken into consideration by work forces.
I think Euripides in a manner portrayed the relation between states at the clip because as seen in the drama Medea non merely left her fatherland but betrayed her state but stole something of import from them. Afterwards she lived in expatriate in Corinth, bear two kids and married to Jason. Except that this clip Jason betrayed her with the girl of King Creon. King Creon did non care about the state of affairs Medea was undergoing, the lone thing he cared for was that he and his household were good ; he ne’er thought or even considered the possibility that this could convey effects. Medea convinces Creon to give her one more twenty-four hours to remain in Corinth and convinces the King of Athens to give her Assylum after she leaves Corinth. The King of Athens accept with the one status that he could merely allow her protection once she was in Athens and that he would non acquire involved in any affairs sing Corinth.
I think that the secret plan of the drama could be based on the function and place of Corinth and Athens. From 435 to 431 BC Corinth was in war with Corcyra. This war shortly made the Athens get involved. With this war the Peloponnesian war started. It is said that some of the causes for the Peloponnesian war were: “ the intimidation of Athens to Alliess or impersonal metropoliss and the turning power of the metropolis ” . From this I think that the fact that Euripides chose the King of Athens to be MedeaA?s savior in the drama is to demo the place of Athinais compared with Corinth and he did this for the drama to stop tragically because I think that if he had chosen a metropolis other than Athens the powerlessness for CorinthA?s revenge would non hold been clear. Since Athens power was overpowering at that clip no 1 could reason that Medea could in fact be safe in at that place.
In other words, the voices of history and tradition in the drama have a immense function. Tradition was of import for the writer to hold familiarity with the topic and for him to develop a suited environment so that his work had a immense impact on the readers of that and of this clip every bit good. So as said in the brooding statement I think that the intent of Euripides for composing this drama was to portray the function adult females had at that clip but now that I take into consideration history and tradition I besides think that his mark was non merely demoing the topographic point society gave to adult females but besides adult females nature. Both of these thoughts I think would non hold been absolutely demonstrated had he non taken into consideration what these two metropoliss were sing at the clip and the normally recognized conventions during that clip.
