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'Medea', a Greek Tragedy of Betrayal and Revenge, 2001.
Summary and critique of the play "Medea", written by Euripides and, the version, translated by Michael Townsend.
1,155 words (approx. 4.6 pages), 0 sources, AU$ 57.95
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Abstract
This paper summarizes and critiques the play "Medea" by Euripides and translated by Michael Townsend, emphasizing Euripides? style of writing and the new ideas he introduced such as his views on denial, revenge and the tragedy taking place. The paper also offers a psychological analysis of the characters of the play.
From the Paper
?The chorus in Medea displays qualities of both a commentator and a spectator. At times, the chorus sides with Medea and hopes to give her advice and support, while at other times it quietly looks on, shaking its collective head and watching as the damage is done. When Medea first faces the chorus, her calm and reflective tone, especially after her previous eruptions of rage and despair, reveals her unsettling ability to gather herself together in the midst of a crisis and pursue her plans with an almost inhuman determination.?
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Betrayal and Revenge in 'Medea', 2006.
A discussion regarding the emotions and pain that the character Medea endures, in the Greek myth 'Medea'.
1,587 words (approx. 6.3 pages), 1 source, MLA, AU$ 74.95
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Abstract
This paper discusses how betrayal always begins with a relationship of trust. The paper explains how the person who becomes the victim initially trusts the person who does the betraying. The paper uses this explanation of betrayal to understand the position of the Greek mythical legend, Medea, a woman who is exceptionally intelligent and also very angry.
From the Paper
"At first, Medea reacts to Jason's betrayal with extreme grief and even suicidal thoughts: "That lightening from heaven would split my head open. Oh, what use have I now for life? I would find my release in death and leave hateful existence behind me" (747:142-145). What begins as a terrible and unexpected blow producing pain and grief then progresses to murderous rage and a burning desire for revenge. As the children's nurse describes it, "...now there's hatred everywhere. Love is diseased" (744:16).Because Medea lives in a patriarchal culture where women have no rights, she cannot fight back openly (as a woman might do in Court today, for instance). Instead, she has to scheme and manipulate. The nurse describes her nature as full of "wildness," with a "bitter nature," and "proud hearted" (746:103-104). "
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Greek Tragedy and "Oedipus Rex", 2002.
Examines the history of Greek tragedy and describes "Oedipus Rex" as the greatest of all Greek tragedies.
2,015 words (approx. 8.1 pages), 4 sources, AU$ 91.95
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Abstract
This paper examines the historical evolution and maturation of tragedy in ancient Greece, and the characteristics of a tragic hero. The author focuses on one of the most famous Greek tragedies, Oedipus Rex, and greatly details the story of Oedipus and his tragic flaws. The paper also discusses all elements in an ancient Greek production, such as the prologue, chorus, and exodus.
From the Paper
"Oedipus Rex is a story of one man?s pursuit for truth. Although Oedipus falls victim to obstacles he is unable to overcome, he encounters these obstacles along his journey to find the truth. In the view of Sophocles, the tragic hero must accept the responsibility for his actions, as does Oedipus in the final scene, regardless of his original motives and inability to control or understand the forces in which rule his life. The plot, Oedipus? search for truth, and the chorus are all contributing factors that make Oedipus Rex the greatest in the history of all Greek tragedies."
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The Greek Tragedy, 2002.
This paper provides a thorough analysis of Greek tragedy, with emphasis on Aeschylus, Euripides, and Sophocles.
2,715 words (approx. 10.9 pages), 8 sources, AU$ 117.95
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Abstract
This paper provides an in-depth look at the history of ancient Greek tragedy. The author discusses the works of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides, and looks at how tragic drama evolved. The paper also examines stage customs, mythological roots of performance customs, and human ties with gods.
From the Paper
"The Greek tragedy represents the details of a very short period of history that ranges from about 480 BC, at the time when Aeschylus's early plays were performed, till the period when the last plays of Sophocles and Euripides were being performed at the end of the fifth century. The tragedies written by Sophocles and Euripides are the plays written in the fifty years from 480 BC, the time when the war with Persia came to an end, to 430 BC, the start of the Peloponnesian War with Sparta which later destroyed Athens as an independent city-state. It is quite interesting to note that the majority of mature plays of Sophocles and Euripides were written against a background of continuous war. There is no real evidence as to from where the tragedy writing originated, however it is widely believed that the development of tragic dialogue may have been influenced by dramatic presentations of classic and other forms of poetry but its harmonic origins are less well known."
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Greek Tragedy and Japanese Noh Drama, 2002.
A compare and contrast analysis of ancient Greek tragedy and Japanese Noh Drama.
2,835 words (approx. 11.3 pages), 7 sources, MLA, AU$ 122.95
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Abstract
This paper discusses the similarities and differences between Greek tragedy and Japanese Noh Drama. It examines how although they are separated by nearly two millennia, by thousands of miles and by cultural differences, both were theatrical traditions involving masked performers, frequent use of music and dancing, on-stage choruses and historic-mythological themes and stories drawn from traditions. It looks at how later centuries' understanding of them, depends heavily on Aristotle's "Poetics" and Zeami's essays on Noh drama and how the two writers' approaches indicate the principal difference in the two traditions.
From the Paper
"Greek drama originated in the choral hymns sung to the god Dionysus. Mimed episodes were enacted to accompany the dithyrambs of the seventh century and, as Aristotle has it, a "long series of changes" ended only on Tragedy's "attaining to its natural form" (Aristotle 670). The alternation of choral song and dance with enacted scenes predominated until Aeschylus introduced the second actor and "made the dialogue, or spoken portion, take the leading part in the play" (Aristotle 670). Sophocles introduced the third actor and scenery. And tragedy acquired its magnitude by expanding its scope and increasing the dignity of its presentation. The playwrights proceeded by discarding the trochaic meter, more appropriate to dancing, for the iambic which was more like natural speech."
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Female Bonding with Marriage in Greek Tragedy, 2002.
This paper takes a look at female-female bonds in the Greek tragedy and how those bonds contribute to the demise of marriage.
1,825 words (approx. 7.3 pages), 5 sources, AU$ 84.95
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Abstract
This paper examines wives? relationships with other women, be they mothers, daughters, or confidantes, as a destructive force in the minds of ancient Greek men.
From the Paper
"There are two main types of women that can change the course of an ancient Greek play by their effects on the tragic heroine: mother and confidante. In the Homeric Hymn to Demeter, we see the first of these types. Demeter, a mother distraught over her daughter?s abduction and rape, is only pacified by the breakup of Persephone?s marriage for four months out of the year. In this case, the cost of preserving the mother-daughter bond is the sacrifice of the daughter?s marriage for a third of every year. The maternal bond and the marriage bond seem to be incompatible; here, the two are unable to coexist spatially or temporally. It is Demeter who, by her passive-aggressive registration of disapproval, manages to become every son-in-law?s nightmare by turning his newlywed wife against him. "
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Phaedra: Greek Tragedy of Jean Rancine, 2002.
An examination of the character of Phaedra in the famous Greek play.
925 words (approx. 3.7 pages), 1 source, MLA, AU$ 47.95
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Abstract
This paper looks at the Greek poem Phaedra and the challenging role of the anti heroine Phaedra as she battles with her inner emotions of an illicit affair. The paper looks at Phaedra herself and asks whether she is wholly evil or rather just a pawn of the Gods.
From the Paper
"The Greek hero is a much loved and favoured topic of many an author be they classicist, romantic or modern. Many a Greek hero has been idolized by these writers, for example Homer had his Achilles and Odysseus, and Virgil had his Aeneas. However, there is another aspect of the Greek hero or rather in the following case the heroine."
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Greek Tragedy and Noh Drama, 2001.
Compares the two theatrical traditions. Background of each, including Aristotle's theories on drama and influence of Zeami on the Noh repetoire.
2,250 words (approx. 9.0 pages), 7 sources, AU$ 114.95
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From the Paper
"Greek tragedy and Japanese Noh drama offer interesting points of comparison. Although they are separated by nearly two millennia, by thousands of miles, and by cultural differences too numerous to mention both were theatrical traditions involving masked performers, the frequent use of music and dancing, on-stage choruses, and historic-mythological themes and stories drawn from traditions with which the audiences possessed some familiarity. Both theatrical traditions had important spokesmen and the perpetuation of the traditions, as well as later centuries' understanding of them, depended in large part on Aristotle's Poetics and Zeami's essays on Noh drama. But the two writer's approaches indicate the principal difference in the two traditions as well. Aristotle, as a thinker rather than a playwright or actor, contributed to the transformation of Greek..."
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Greek Tragedies and Their Influence on Modern Day Literature, 2002.
A discussion on the ways in which Greek tragedies and the theory of the Greek tragic hero has survived the diverse style changes of literature since its conception.
960 words (approx. 3.8 pages), 2 sources, MLA, AU$ 50.95
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Abstract
The following paper examines the ways in which the idea of Greek tragedies has been embellished upon by great literary geniuses. This paper examines how Shakespeare, for example, used his tragic plays to purge his audience of their own flaws, which is precisely how Aristotle had defined the ideal tragic play. The writer examines how modern playwrights such as Sophocles, Ibsen and Tennessee Williams began to interject less idealism and more realism into their tragedies, providing a more ?real life? hero than the ideal hero as defined by the dramas in ancient Greece.
From the Paper
"As literature has evolved over time, plays have become less of a staple of only aristocracy. American literature came into existence, and with that came Tennessee Williams (one of many notable playwrights) and his superb work, ?The Glass Menagerie?. Unlike the original idea of a tragic hero that was someone of great influence and stature (though not god-like), Tennessee Williams wrote about real characters, that virtually anyone could identify with. In the play, the role of the hero is shifted between Amanda, Tom and Laura ? depending on the angle of the play at the time. Williams doesn?t focus on the characters, which doesn?t allow for much development beyond their initial two-dimensional appearance. Tom is arguably our hero, but he isn?t really all that likeable. He is mean to his mother, alienates his sister, and abandons them both. Nothing remarkably heroic there. Williams is more concerned with the outcome of the play, and Tom?s resounding guilt for his actions; as a result, Williams revolves completely around the plot. Tom, who serves as the narrator for the play, is essentially the protagonist of the play ? he is not necessarily the most important figure in the play, but he is the first one to interact with the audience, which is the definition used in the time of the Greek tragedy."
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The Greek Tragedies of Euripides, 2002.
The paper discusses the contribution made to the archives of Classical Greek literature by the author Euripides, focusing on one of his best known works, "Medea".
1,429 words (approx. 5.7 pages), 5 sources, MLA, AU$ 68.95
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Abstract
The paper traces Euripides' rise to fame from a little known playwright, to a master of Greek tragedy and the influence his work has had in western literature. The paper examines the literary motifs and dramatic rhetoric of his works. The paper then analyzes the contradictions found in his play "Medea" and focuses on five specific traits that can be traced throughout the text of the play.
From the Paper
"The two main characters, Medea, a sorceress, and Jason, her lover, are often viewed by classical scholars as the most purely human of all Greek tragic figures without the trappings of influence via the gods. As is the case with most Greek tragedies, Medea offers to the reader an eternal caution against the excesses of emotion and a very stern warning against bitter vengeance, for as human beings, the characters in Medea, and for that matter Euripides himself, "are susceptible to a lethal mixture of error, ignorance and violent arrogance" (Martin, 1996, p. 134)."
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Revenge in "Hamlet" and "The Revenger?s Tragedy", 2005.
Compares the motivations for revenge and actions of revenge in Shakespeare's "Hamlet" and Vindici's "The Revenger's Tragedy".
1,359 words (approx. 5.4 pages), 1 source, MLA, AU$ 65.95
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Abstract
This paper explains that while the main protagonists in both Shakespeare's "Hamlet" and Vindici's "The Revenger's Tragedy" may share the seem motivation for revenge (i.e., death of a loved one), their different characters and circumstances make the way they carry out their revenge quite different.
From the Paper
"Indeed, in my opinion, it is an important note to be made, as the originality of each main character is not determined as much by their underlying motivation, common in both cases, but by the road that takes them to their revenge action. In this sense, it seems useful to emphasize that, despite the obvious similarities between the two plays and the two main characters, driven by the fact that they both belong to the revenge genre, there are differences worth noting in each approach towards revenge for each play in part."
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"Medea" ( Seneca ) and "Medea" ( Euripides ), 1999.
Compares the characters, incidents, themes, styles and language of these plays by Roman and Greek writers based on the same myth.
1,350 words (approx. 5.4 pages), 2 sources, AU$ 68.95
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Abstract
This study will compare two plays entitled Medea, by the Roman Seneca and the Greek Euripides. The focus of the study will be on the general superiority of Euripides' presentation of the tragedy. Despite the fact that the plays tell the same story, except for a few minor differences, the dramatic skills and story-telling flair of Euripides outshine the more leaden and much longer-winded Seneca.
From the Paper
"This study will compare two plays entitled Medea, by the Roman Seneca and the Greek Euripides. The focus of the study will be on the general superiority of Euripides' presentation of the tragedy. Despite the fact that the plays tell the same story, except for a few minor differences, the dramatic skills and story-telling flair of Euripides outshine the more leaden and much longer-winded Seneca. Seneca tends to create interminable-seeming speeches with little dramatic or expository reward, especially from his Chorus. In fact, the editors themselves excise one long and obviously irrelevant speech "of great detail" from the Chorus of Seneca (Seneca 318). In addition, Seneca's tendency to flowery language often stops the play in its tracks rather than deepening its emotional impact as the author must have intended. Euripides, on the other hand, uses down-to-earth ..."
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Conventions of Tragedy in "Oedipus Rex", 2002.
Examines the components of Greek tragedy upon which Sophocles' "Oedipus Rex" are based.
2,283 words (approx. 9.1 pages), 5 sources, MLA, AU$ 101.95
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Abstract
By 500 B.C., Greek tragedy had reached a high point of popularity and was celebrated in religious festivals honoring Dionysus, god of wine and fertility. The paper shows that, taking it for granted that their audiences were familiar with the characters and themes, writers during this time based their dramatizations on myth and ritual. It discusses how, in addition to being familiar with the stories acted out on stage, the audience was aware of the workings of a Greek tragedy: how it progresses, what constitutes a tragic hero, what kinds of conflicts characters face, what moral statement or observation is being made. The paper shows that these four components provide the foundation for "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles and its enduring success as one of the greatest tragedies of all time.
From the Paper
"As does the plot, the characterization of the main character Oedipus revolves around situation more than interaction with other characters. Oedipus is the epitome of tragic heroes, doomed by the excess of some good quality within himself and willing to take responsibility for his ensuing actions (Richards 742). This quality in Oedipus, his hamartia, or tragic flaw, is an unquenchable desire for truth no matter what the cost, a desire that stems from his pride of intellect. Initially, Oedipus, still basking in the glory of having solved the riddle of the Sphinx, exhibits great selfconfidence in his wisdom, oblivious to the fact that his own identity remains concealed from himself. It is this ignorance of the adage "Know thyself," combined with Oedipus' quest for truth, that constitutes tragic character. In terms of Greek tragedy, Oedipus' suffering from hybris, an arrogance resulting from excess (pride, in Oedipus' case), leads to hamartia, the aforementioned tragic flaw that brings about his downfall (Brown 96). The chorus recognizes that "the tyrant is a child of Pride/Who drinks from his great sickening cup/Recklessness and vanity/Until from his high crest headlong/He plummets to the dust of hope" (Sophocles 57)."
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Comedy, Drama and Tragedy, 2008.
This paper examines Greek and Elizabethan tragedies, dramas and comedies.
1,715 words (approx. 6.9 pages), 7 sources, MLA, AU$ 80.95
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Abstract
The paper describes the basic form of the Elizabethan play that is modeled after the Greek structure. The paper looks at Greek tragedies and comedies and considers Gustav Freytag's classic analysis of Greek and Elizabethan plays. The paper includes a diagram of Freytag's triangle as an appendix.
From the Paper
""Fiction," says Jean Anouilh, gives life its form." Shakespeare derived his Comedy of Errors from Plautus' Menaechmi and many of Shakespeare's dramas are retellings of the ancient fictions of Greek myths, both tragedies and comedies. The basic form of the Elizabethan play (indeed, most plays written in successive periods, up until contemporary theater and film) is modeled after the Greek structure. One may recognize the structure still being used in theater and much narrative literature today. Utilization of this basic structure allows the story to flow naturally, allows the audience to recognize the reality and truth of life in the story, and to anticipate and yearn to find the moral or the message that resides in its heart."
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?Medea?, 2002.
An analysis of this Greek story of betrayal and revenge,written by the ancient Greek author, Euripides.
1,132 words (approx. 4.5 pages), 0 sources, AU$ 57.95
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Abstract
"Medea" is the ancient Greek tale of jealousy and revenge involving a woman betrayed by her husband. This paper explains how, in the book by Euripides, the story begins just after Medea has been betrayed and then flashes back to the events that brought Medea and Jason to that point. Euripides does this to emphasize the important part of the novel and show that the journey to this point was not as important as Jason?s adulterous actions. The paper also touches on Pasolini?s "Medea" (1970), which, in contrast, begins when Jason is a boy and proceeds chronologically. The paper shows that, despite this contrast, the two versions are wholly similar, since one is based on the other; they show that some forms of revenge are impossible to understand.
From the Paper
"Medea?s inner struggle with Jason led her to believe that the world was a corrupt place. After leaving Colchis, she never found acceptance by any other people and because of her past her children were not welcome either. Although Medea can still be sharp with her words, her abilities are not as strong as they were when she lived in Colchis. Like the fleece, which lost its value and aura when it was stolen from its homeland, Medea as well has lost her luster. Medea fought to get her children accepted by Creon and the people of Corinth, even if it meant she would not be able to be with them."
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Revenge in Plays, 2005.
An examination of the concept of revenge in the William Shakespeare's "Hamlet" and Thomas Middleton's "The Revenger's Tragedy."
1,101 words (approx. 4.4 pages), 2 sources, MLA, AU$ 55.95
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Abstract
Shakespeare and Middleton explore the depth and range of the human psyche in their plays, "Hamlet" and "The Revenger's Tragedy." This paper discusses how, through the characters of Hamlet and Vindici, we discover different motivations to their feelings of vengeance, illustrating the complexity of human nature as it relates to revenge. It explains however, that while both plays operate under the same theme of vengeance, they are quite different in terms of how each protagonist is portrayed and how each play is received. Hamlet, because he relates his father's death to the state of the world, represents a larger social commentary on mankind while Vindici and his antics represent a play that shocks rather than provokes thought.
From the Paper
"Hamlet is also motivated by an outside force, which is the ghost. The presence of the ghost guarantees that hamlet will find no rest from his sorrow or his shock until he avenges his father's death. The presence of the ghost adds a supernatural element to Hamlet that The Revenger's Play does not have. This element allows us to believe Hamlet when he compares the rankness in Denmark to the fallen state of the world. The ghost heightens Hamlet's inner conflict not only because it exists but because of its request. Hamlet's religious upbringing has taught him that murder is wrong and Hamlet tries to get out off killing Claudius by wasting time trying to determine of the ghost is legitimate or simply a "goblin damned" (Shakespeare i.iv.44). Even when hamlet decides that the ghost is good, he experiences difficulty following his orders. The ghost in Hamlet opens the play up to spirituality and thus spiritual conflicts."
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