Medea By Euripides And Macbeth English Literature Essay

Medea By Euripides And Macbeth side Literature EssayIntroductionMedea by Euripides and Macbeth by William Shakespe be are plays historied for their portrayal of frightening offspring-bearing(prenominal) examples Medea and maam Macbeth. Such female constituents are fragmentiseicularly controversial as they contradict the social expectations of women. Society endlessly attempts to mold women into soft, gentle and com passionatenessate organisms. Due to such a stomp whereby women are perceived as weak, Euripides Medea and Shakespeares maam Macbeth are found to be quiet overly intriguing characters. Strong, fierce, angry and savage women were non perceive of when such plays were written.Medea and maam Macbeth are both prominent female characters of simple literature. Medea is the protagonist of the Euripides play Medea whilst Macbeths brothel keeper Macbeth is unitary of Shakespeares most memorable female characters. There is a myth that lingers upon mankind suggesting that females are gentle, caring, weak beings and be sustain the personation of doll Macbeth and Medea are quite the contrary, it is debatable whether they are in event credible characters.To be credible means to be plausible, comprehensible and report homosexual characteristics such as strengths and helplessnesses. This solelyows the interview to empathize with the characters and create a handled sensation of universe with them. If it is argued that skirt Macbeth and Medea are possibly melodramatic characters, suggesting that they are exaggerated, two dimensional and hence commit hatred strictly prohibited of malevolence then such an accusation undermines the quality of the plays. dramatic works may temporally thrill an auditory sensation and they raise little insight to the human condition and encounter no lasting, intellectually satisfying impact.Consequently the question asked is, are bird Macbeth and Medea credible characters? Whether or not Lady Macbeth a nd Medea net be appreciated as believable by the reference is absolutely vital to the plays achievement if they were simply seen as mephistophelian, the plays would be regarded as melodramatic and hence fail to be literature of depth and quality. However, if the auditory modality is siren an insight into the human condition and is accordingly able understand the motives behind worthless deeds and the managements in which such actions impact the characters the play will succeed in being credible and effective. Moreover, the success of each work as literature depends on the key characters being encompassingy rounded and believable. The intention of this essay is to retire apart the two plays in rule to prove that Lady Macbeth and Medea are then credible characters.How are Lady Macbeth and Medea presented?The arising scenes of the Euripides Medea commence with the plays protagonist offstage. A strong sense of anticipation is developed as Nurse and tutor discuss the dilem ma whereby Jason has betrayed his true-blue married woman. The auditory sense is subsequently gived to Medeas despair she is hear off stage bewailing her situation, If only I were late(prenominal)1. The way in which Euripides employs sound without having Medea visually appear onstage, contrisolelyes to the plays shares of stagecraft whilst emphasizing Medeas heartbroken tone of constituent and waiveing the sense of hearing to focus on her speech. Medea gains the auditory senses empathy early in the play callable to such a passionate sign depiction. Lady Macbeth as yet, is initially violateed to the audience ulterior in Shakespeares Macbeth. She first appears onstage whilst reading her hubbys letter she is excited, aflutter and thrilled at the prospect of Macbeth becoming King.Love is the fundamental rump to Lady Macbeth and Medeas disposition. They adore their husbands profoundly, and it is this sense of devotion which adds to their characters credibility. Through out the entire play, Lady Macbeth is an utterly loyal wife. She is determined for Macbeth and hence on no note indicates a quest for personal glory. Lady Macbeth goes to swell lengths in swan to ensure Macbeths rapid succession to the throne she is clearly his dearest quisling of hugeness.2In item, it is her devotion for Macbeth which leads to her pursuit for malefic. At first Lady Macbeth encourages her husband to sin she is responsible for influencing his demeanor. Next she develops a strategy in severalise to hit King Duncan and prepares the murder scene for Macbeth, to begin with ta female monarch part in the crime herself. Such actions were evidently driven by Lady Macbeths immense affection for her husband. Medea is also absolutely faithful to her husband and alike assists him to achieve heroic status in regards to the capture of the Golden Fleece. scorn such loyalty on Medeas behalf, Jason betrays her for a royal underside this initial predicament causes a diffe rent side to Medeas character to be unleashed and goal to commence. It was Jasons sense of betrayal following Medeas unquestioning eff which leads to her being multi process with diabolical she creates a scheme to murder her husbands mistress before cleanup her own children.Once both women are on the thoroughfare of evil they begin to manipulate their husbands with remarkable effectiveness. When Lady Macbeths husband hesitates to murder Duncan the king of Scotland, she gives a chillingly disturbing utterment emphasizing her sense of determination and pride, she would lay atomic reactor dashed the brains out1of her own baby rather than go posterior on her word. She then attempts to undermine his manhood by referring to him as a coward2in order to forge his decision. Medea manipulates her husband Jason correspondingly. She engages in ruse, pretending to see with her husband in order to bring him into her confidence, First Ill trip out a slave to Jason, asking him to come to me and then Ill give him a soft talk.3Medea utilizes gifts in an attempt to break the ice mingled with Jason, Glauce and herself. Ostensibly, the gifts are intended to convince him that the children stay in Corinth little do Jason and Glauce know that the coronet and dress are in concomitant poisoned and will cause termination to whoever touches them. Evidently, both women use their manipulative ability in order to s pull atomic reactorfully persuade their husbands.Lady Macbeth and Medea at epochs appears totally given(p) over to evil. The aggression of these female characters is crabbyly striking as it defies accustomed social expectations of how women. Women are generally tender human beings however Lady Macbeth and Medea exemplify vindictiveness and determination general characteristics of man. Our first impression of Medea allows us to gravel with her she is terribly devastated at Jasons betrayal and the way in which she bemoans in her home is truly credible. As ag e elapses our impression of Medea alters as we bit by bit observe layers of her malevolence shed to reveal a tormented human soul.It is universally accepted that women are compassionate and soft hearted due to their motherly nature however Medea is stunningly tell to be stone and push determined to kill her sons despite their desperate cry for salvage. It is genuinely ticklish to comprehend how a mother could murder her children subsequently Medea is portrayed as evil. Although she never felt a sense of ill-doing for her wicked actions, Medea hesitated much or less before committing infanticide, I cant do it1she cried. Medea checks to her sense of pride for strength, argon my enemies to laugh at me? I must steel myself2, subsequently she fleetly gets over such dither and feeds with the killings of her two sons. Witnessing Jason suffer brought Medea great satisfaction that prevailed over her own remorse at killing them, vertical now my pains a fair price, to take away y our grimace3. Although the audience is thoroughly assured of Medeas brutal past, it was still very shocking and upset(prenominal) when she kills her children. At this particular moment in the play, the bond between Medea and the audience begins to diminish. Despite experiencing hardships and being emotionally torn, the audience cannot look past the brutality of such a scene.In the early scenes of Shakespeares Macbeth, Lady Macbeth appears to be stronger and more unpitying than her husband. The fact that she is in control of all evilness suggests that her sense of evil is inevitable. Despite the some(prenominal) attempts to reach evil, Lady Macbeth recognizes the need to veil her adult femaleliness in order to find assistance for her plans. Evidence of such is how she yearns for her female essence to be to be replaced with poison, Unsex mecome to my womans breasts and take my draw for gall1she cries. This statement is an extracted portion from Lady Macbeths soliloquy whereby she calls on the duskiness spirits. She clearly acknowledges her femininity and the fact that she lacks the completed capacity for evil she is inefficient to kill Duncan herself in spite of being exceedingly driven towards brutality. If one is truly evil there is no need to be unsexed. This particular speech also serves to highlight Lady Macbeths great level of passion and the extraordinary lengths she would go to ensure Macbeths speedy succession to King.It is understood that Lady Macbeth is familiar with religion and holds some religious conception. She realizes that she is contemplating a sin against paragon by wanting her femininity to be removed and consequently wants to be hidden from paradise2. This opens room to note that a cosmology which posits heaven above all also allows for hell, for guilt, for punishment. Although Lady Macbeth is aware that she will be punished for calling upon the dark spirits, she disregards such knowledge and sins. This form of failure and igno rance indicates Lady Macbeths desperate go for. At this moment in the play, the audience scowl at her sense of hypocrisy.Why do they follow an evil pathway?Medea is human, however she is also related to the immortals and worships Queen Hecate. Obviously elements of fantasy push her story however she appears before the audience as a woman and must be understood as one. Clearly Medeas hunch forward for Jason was all consuming she was willing to do anything and everything for her beloved. Such passion is evident from Medeas complete obedience she abides by her husbands every word. As antecedently mentioned, all of the plays events proceed from the initial dilemma whereby a heartless husband betrays his obedient wife this is why Medea results to her evil ways. She feels shamed, trampled on and unappreciated as she had supported and did great deal for him, for example she fled her home country and family to bide with her lover. Medea even slay her own chum salmon for Jason. In add ition to such, she persuades the daughters of a King to murder their father.Medeas deeds were unselfish and self sacrificing which is why Jasons betrayal drove her wild. To umteen it is incomprehensible for women to be driven by such an intent of ambition, love and betrayal as to call upon evil. However, Medea was harshly betrayed by the man who was her livelong life1 the audience can understand this motive for calling upon evil and desiring revenge. Jason lacked the decency to simply stop for a moment before wedding his young bride to recall all the extraordinary deeds Medea had done for him, actions she took for his benefit totally and which he could never express enough gratitude for.Such a compass point of unfaithfulness evidently shreds Medea to pieces. The audience observes Medeas character evolve before their very eyes. Such is understood through the employment of soliloquies which are an essential element of stagecraft. Soliloquies are speeches deliriouse to oneself wh ich allow the audience to hear the inner thoughts of a character. This permits the audience to be drawn into the characters mind and build a bond with the character. Soliloquies are of particular importance in Medea as they give the audience an insight into the way in which Medeas temperament evolves. It is Medeas self directed speeches which allow the audience to understand her state of mind and comprehend her thoughts as time elapses.Our first impression of Medea is that she is absolutely distraught and suicidal, If only I was dead1. This is an understandable and human response to such devastating rejection. The audience can relate to being betrayed and can hence understand why Medea later turns to evil this adds to the credibility of her character. As time progresses her strength and passion drives her to mad the first time Medea appears on stage she is not shaken with weeping, but cool and self-possessed.2If it were not for her soliloquies prior to her appearance such as, Oh, ho w I hate living I want to end my life, leave it behind, and die3, the audience could not possibly understand or acknowledge her suicidal state of mind. Later Medea goes on to use her manipulative cleverness to avenge Jasons disloyalty with a series of murders, I have in mind so many paths of death for them4. Prior to such a statement Medea was begging Creon in order to allow her and her sons to stay the country for one more night. If it were not for the preceding soliloquy it would not be understood that Medea had manipulated Creon. The soliloquy reveals her line up feelings she will strike dead1her enemies.Medea is a descendant of the Sun god and is opened of passions of far greater intensity than mere mortals. Her only desire was to watch Jason suffer and she was willing to do absolutely anything to achieve just that. Medea is a proud woman, consequently when Jason trampled over such pride, compressing her ego and self concept, she was to avenge him, you were mistaken if you th ought you could dishonor my bed and live a pleasant life and laugh at me2. Medeas fury bubbled and turn to the severe extent whereby it began to take over her heart, mind and body. She is completely overwhelmed with temper and willing to even harm herself in order to wipe the grinning off his face, my pains a fair price, to take away your smile3she says. Medea successfully devastates Jason by killing her own flesh and blood, her two sons despite the heartache it would cause her, simply to torment him. The way in which Medea piecemeal follows an evil pathway rather than undergoing a sudden transition of character makes her believable.Lady Macbeths love for Macbeth is also all consuming however not of the intensity of Medeas. She was also keen on doing everything and anything for the sake of her beloved. After Macbeth is informed of the prophecy he becomes rapt withal4and consequently his dearest abetter _or_ abettor of greatness1becomes determined to secure his position as King. Lady Macbeth begins to take control she analyses Macbeths personality and considers him too straight forward and honest to be involved with evil, Yet do I fear thy nature, It is too full othmilk of human kindness, Tcatch the nearest way2. Lady Macbeth was immensely spellbound by the prophecy, she desired it sooner rather than later she saw that her husband was ambitious to be king. Lady Macbeth notices that Macbeth requires her strong words to prompt him subsequently she uses her influence to encourage him.Lady Macbeths evil desires escalate from this moment onwards. As time progresses she begins to take further control and eventually plans King Duncans murder. She employs a fiction of hypocrisy, look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent undert3which is utilize in order to disguise her intentions of harming King Duncan. This particular metaphor is exceedingly prominent as it reveals a great deal of Lady Macbeths character. The audience begins to observe her strength of s pirit and identify her opposite outlook to Macbeth. In addition Lady Macbeths willingness to be associated with evil is emphasized in this statement.The fact that Lady Macbeth becomes furious and challenges her husbands courage and honor when he has serious game thoughts about killing Duncan, indicates that she is hence more brutal than he at this stage of the play. Lady Macbeth prepares the murder scene but was unavailing to kill Duncan herself claiming that the King resembled my father4as he slept. This exemplifies that she is not as ruthless as she appears and that she is rather vulnerable and compassionate. This particular statement adds to the credibility of Lady Macbeths character. It helps define that although one might carry out evil actions, definite things dear to them will expose their pic.Lady Macbeth returns with flaming(a) hands after(prenominal) smearing the chamberlains with blood in order to disguise herself and Macbeth of the deed. At the time the propose of her bloody hands has no affect on her and she bluntly says, a little water clears us of the deed.1However in time, the memory of her bloody hands, which is a significant part of stagecraft symbolizing guilt, haunts and torments Lady Macbeths mind. As previously mentioned Lady Macbeth is aware of God and believes in heaven and hell. She acknowledges that she has sinned consequently her nefarious conscience begins to disturb her sleep. In time Lady Macbeth begins to experience the symmetric occurrence of sleepwalking. Whilst sleepwalking, she rubs her hands in a washing motion which raw psychology would regard as an obsessive compulsive disorder she is unable to wash the guilt off her hands. Whilst performing the hand washing act Lady Macbeth soliloquizes Wash your hands put on your nightgown look not so pale whats done cannot be undone.2This further emphasizes her extent of her anguish.Soliloquies are a prominent element in regards to understanding and appreciating Lady Macbeths change of thought and attitude throughout the duration of the play. They help reveal the severe extent of her distress and disturbance. Along with soliloquies, symbolism is another form of stagecraft which is evident in the play evidently Lady Macbeths sleepwalking is a sign of her great level of guilt. It is particularly ironic how earlier in the play Lady Macbeth calls upon darkness in order to hide her deed, Come, recondite night1and how she now fears the dark she has light by her continually2. Lady Macbeths sense of guilt and vulnerability towards the end of the play allows the audience to empathize and connect with her. In demonstrating such human qualities, her credibility was enhanced as unlike Medea, her actions did affect her conscience. The audience is able to relate to Lady Macbeths sense of guilt and therefore appreciate her credibility. Her guilty conscience affects her terribly, drives her to contemplate death and eventually commit suicide. The way in which Lady Macbe th gradually breaks down physically and mentally, demonstrates her human essence and hence makes her character credible and graphic to the audience.What is their involvement with evil?The audience is introduced to action from the moment the plays commence. The opening scenes of Macbeth introduce the audience to the prospect of Macbeth being king. Our first impression of Lady Macbeth is that she is a loving wife and excited and happy for him the atmosphere is blissful. On the hand, the opening scenes of Medea introduce the audience to an atmosphere of misery. Jason has betrayed his wife for a royal bed and we first see Medea as distressed and a heartbroken woman. The audience is later informed of Medeas past we understand that she has previously committed acts of evil including murder however such actions were driven by her love for Jason. On the other hand, the audience is not informed of Lady Macbeths past it is presumed that she has had no prior involvement of evil.Medea has comm itted several murders before the play commences. She has killed her brother and whilst in her home town, Colchis, Medea used her devilish ways to manipulate the daughters of the local anesthetic king and rival Pelias, into slaughtering their own father. From such details it understood that Medea is capable of committing horrifying deeds and that it was her love for Jason which ultimately suppressed her sense of evil throughout the course of their marriage. Consequently it was expected that once Jason hurt her Medea, she would recall to her violent demeanor and resort to greater brutality than that of which she had encountered out of love for him. After being rejected, Medea lays out a cunning plan act a violent rampage in order to torment Jason. She manipulates Jason into bank her and sends her sons off with a supposed gift for Jasons new bride. The gifts have been poisoned and princess Glauce endures a horrible death, The stuff was eating her flesh. Her eyes, her face, were one grotesque disfigurement down from her head dripped blood mingled with flame her flesh, attacked by the invisible fangs of poison, melted from the perfect(a) bone, like gum-drops from pine-trees bark- a ghastly sight.1When Medea gloats, Youll give me double pleasure if their death was horrible,2she is close to being considered melodramatic however we see enough of her humanity to prevent her from becoming theatrical. This statement highlights how deeply Jasons betrayal scarred his loyal wife. Although Medea fails to be struck by guilt after committing infanticide, she evidently wavers before killing her own children which illustrates her sense of humanity she is not a icy hearted murder.Lady Macbeth only calls upon evil after she was informed of her husbands prophecy. Similarly to the way in which Medea reached out to evil out of love for Jason during their marriage, Lady Macbeth called upon evil with her husbands best interests at heart. She was ambitious for him to be King and de sired to share such a royal status with him. Lady Macbeth begins her pursuit for evil by using her influence to manipulate Macbeth into killing Duncan she ultimately becomes her husbands moxie encouraging the involvement of evil. Unlike Medea, Lady Macbeth didnt waver when sinning however her bad actions impacted on her and eventually her conscience and sense of guilt drove her to her own grave. The way in which Lady Macbeth is unable to endure guilt emphasises her weaknesses as a human being, thereby reinforcing her credibility.ConclusionIn conclusion, at particular moments in the play Euripides Medea and Shakespeares Macbeth appear close to being melodramatic whereby the audience questions, Are Lady Macbeth and Medea credible characters? Eventually the audience sees the womens sense of humanity whereby it is clear that both Medea and Lady Macbeth are indeed credible. Lady Macbeth is one of Shakespeares most renowned and fearsome female characters however after deeply analysing he r character, one cannot restrain himself from feeling empathy for her. It is understood that although she reaches out to evil and commits terrible acts, Lady Macbeths sense of faith, guilty conscience and maidenlike essence restrains her from being a killer with no conscience she is a criminal whose actions and guilt deeply affect her. It is her sense of humanity and weakness which ultimately leads to her destruction. This disregards her as a frightening character and emphasizes her credibility.Medea is also said to be a frightening female character. Although her actions were horrifying and savage, Medeas conscience and vulnerability allows her to waver before killing her children a truly evil character would not waver before committing evil. Medea was heartbroken, scared, bruised and battered which was her ultimate drive for destruction. Consequently, the audience also empathizes with Medea after understanding and acknowledging her sense of humanity and connects with her emotions. Thus, despite the fact that Lady Macbeth and Medeas female roles go against the ordinary depiction of women, they are by no means melodramatic evil characters. If Lady Macbeth and Medea were melodramatically evil, the audience will feel that the plays are unconvincing thereby unjustly change magnitude the playwrights achievements.