Four Views on Women in Greek Tragedy

A detailed Summary of Four Views on Women in Greek Tragedy


In the characters of Clytemnestra, Jocasta, Antigone

>and Medea, the ancient Greek playwrights Aeschylus,

>Sophocles, and Euripides offer four distinctly different

>views of the roles which women played in Greek society.

>While women definitely played a role which was subservient

>to the one played by men, it is obvious from these

>characters that women were seen by the ancient Greeks as

>capable of being strong, intelligent, resourceful, loyal,

>and heroic. These characters also show the modern reader

>that women represented something powerful to this society

>which was to be feared and, hopefully, kept under control.

> Clytemnestra and Medea personify all of the negative

>qualities attributed to women by the ancient Greeks.

>Medea, despite her despicable crime, is actually presented

>in a more favorable light then Clytemnestra; however, both

>women are presented as victims of their pride which seems

>to be the worst sin as far as the Greeks were concerned.

> Jocasta and Antigone represent the positive virtues

>of loyalty and devotion to the gods. Jocasta is the weaker

>of the two, and, frankly, Antigone is almost too good to

>be true in her example of heroic virtue and devotion to


> More then the other characters, Medea can be viewed

>Oedipus by telling him that the prophecies are unreliable.

>returning to the land of her birth. Thus, the audience has

>war against Troy or killing his own daughter. He chose to

>years to get revenge for the murder of their child. She is

>Although this would tend to indicate that Jocasta is

> Of the four, Jocasta is perhaps the most typical of

>skeptical in regards to the gods, her later prayer to



Some common words found in the essay are:
Jocasta Antigone, Golden Fleece, Creon Jocasta, Antigone Sophocles, Trojan War, Unlike Jocasta, Clytemnestra Medea, Medea Clytemnestra, Agamemnon Aeschylus, Clytemnestra Aeschylus, > jocasta, > clytemnestra, own life, women played greek, greek society, women treated, played greek, killing own, >painful reality, clytemnestra medea, medea clytemnestra,

Approximate Word count = 1263
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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