Barbarian

A detailed Summary of Barbarian

The term "Barbarian" is Greek in origin. The Greeks originally levied it at any races who

were not of a Greek origin; especially those who threatened Greek civilization and culture.

Because most of these "strangers" regularly assaulted Greek cities, the term "barbarian"

gradually evolved into a rude term: a person who was a sub-human, uncivilized, and

regularly practiced the most vile and inhuman acts imaginable. It is obvious that a

barbarian has not been considered as a member of society as well as a woman in Ancient

Greece. In many Greek tragedies that we have read women either play a secondary role or

absent at all. That is why it is so unusual to read a tragedy where woman is a main

character and not only that - a woman is a foreigner, a barbarian.

Euripides, however, was the first one who created the play where he opposed a

barbarian to someone "civilized"; he has his Medea confront Jason. The civilized Jason is

more barbaric in his emotional callousness than the barbarian Medea, but by the end of the

The Nurse calls Medea a "strange woman." She is anything but typical.

Euripides admits from the outset that this is a bizarre tale of an exceptional human being.

and everyone knows that she posses the unique and in somewhat supernatural power that

creatures. They are needed only for producing children.

family. The two are interwoven and double her sorrow. Guilt, loneliness, rejection, love,

Or even kill the king and the new-wedded groom,

emotionless and a blind desire for a power. As I mentioned earlier, these Medea's ideas

one's political position are two things that matter, will not have any future. There are

Approximate Word count = 1249
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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