Thursday, October 10, 2019

Medea?

It is clear in the story that Medea has some very controversial thoughts (for the time period it is set in). Would you argue that Medea was a feminist during her time? Why?

4 comments:

Unknown said...

I would definitely consider Medea to be a feminist of her time. She recognizes the plights of women and points out specific struggles that they face on a daily basis. She states that she would rather die than be “masterless”, since not having a husband during her time would be worse than death. She doesn’t agree with the limited rights and privileges offered to women, and she definitely challenges Jason’s belief that men are far superior to women. Unfortunately, Medea seems to be far ahead of her time and much more intelligent than the average women. Although she will enact revenge upon her own husband and his new mistress, it is very unlikely that she will be able to change any laws or cultural status’ concerning her gender. For the time being, I think sticking it to Jason by poisoning his new bride is sufficient enough.

Unknown said...

If you look up the definition of the word "feminist" the dictionary says, "a person that believes in feminism, which is the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes." I believe that Medea is definitely a feminist of her time. She points out multiple times all of the things women don't have or can't do compared to men. She sees men in society as being superior to women now, but she doesn't believe this is how it SHOULD be. She thinks women should have the same or even more rights as men do. She and Jason even have a whole conversation about the roles of men and women. Jason obviously downplays the role of a woman and pretty much just calls women useless and stupid. Medea "blows up" on him and tells him what she thinks about all of it. She tells him women should be valued more but he just doesn't understand and ignores her points. The fact that Medea fights her points and reiterates them multiple times throughout the play shows her passion for women's rights, making her a feminist of her time.

Unknown said...

Medea certainly is an advocate for women’s rights and the lack of equality when it comes to both sexes. Medea is a passionate woman who seems to wear her heart on her sleeve, and with that passion, she chooses to highlight the dominate nature of men in marriage and how this demeanor damages women in their social, political and economic lives. But I personally wouldn't call her a feminist. I just think she’s calling it how it is --plain and simple: which is the reality of gender inequality during this time period and its effects on those involved.

Unknown said...

In my opinion, I think that Medea is a feminist, as she’s very progressive for her time. Medea, in one of her dialogues, states that women are prisoners to society and that they have little to no rights and are pretty much forced to marry a husband who will treat them poorly. These comments by her on society were most likely shared by a majority of women at the time, but she seems to be one of the few who actually state their opinions aloud. This shows her progressiveness and willingness to go against social norms. However, she does display certain immoralities by deciding to kill Glauce and her own children. This I believe though is just another way of her showing her progressiveness, as even though these actions are totally wrong in any society, they show her willingness to go against the norms set for women, which are to be mothers, even if they do not wish to be.