problematic females in greek tragedy

The role of women in ancient Greek life, was considered to be insignificant compared to that of Greek men. And yet, in tragedies, women were often written as major characters, revealing insights on how women were treated and thought of in society. Many well-known Greek plays contain several well-written, complex, female characters. Each female character takes upon herself, the role of villain, the role of victim, and the role of heroine.

Clytemnestra

One of the most recognizable female characters in history, Clytmenestra may also one of its most noted villainesses, due to her partaking in the murder of her husband Agamemnon and his female consort. It is in the play Agamemnon that Clytemnestra is first seen and her crime committed. She is depicted as a brutal, treacherous woman, "a woman with a man's heart" (Ferguson 76). Through out the play, Clytemnestra is spoken of with a bitter tongue and a fearful heart. The citizens and the audience are made well-aware of how she welcomed her husband home, led him across a crimson carpet, "like a sea of blood," and ripped away his life in a gory bath (Hadas 82).

Clytmnestra was certainly a villainess, but several underlying themes of the play also suggest that she both victim and heroine, as well. She suffers a variety of grievances and hardships throughout her life, there by justifying her actions. For instance:

• Agamemnon sacrifies their daughter Iphigenia, to appease the goddess Diana, in order to win a war. She murdered her husband, partly, to avenge her daughter's wrongful death at his hands.
• After the conclusion of the war, Agamemnon brings a female prize to her home. Cassandra is another piece of her husbands betrayal and innocent or not must be destroyed.
• In the second play of the Orestia trilogy, Clytemnestra, herself, is murdered by her children.

Medea

Perhaps the most fascinating and complex character in Greek drama, is the of Medea. She is the ultimate combination of heroine, villain and victim, all displayed in a single play. Medea was married to a Greek named Jason, whom she followed from her foreign land, to Greece. Her love for Jason was deep, and when he elected to leave her to marry the daughter of Creon, Medea was furious (Euripides lines 1-24). In retaliation for his strayed affections, Medea sent Jason's bride a poison dress. She then murdered her children as a second form of revenge. While she loved her children, her hatred for Jason was greater than a mother's love could ever have been. These acts of murder were the ultimate revenge toward her ex-husband, leaving him brideless and childless. Despite these crimes, Medea is a character who can be sympathized with. She gave up all she loved for Jason:

• Murdering her brother and betraying her family
• Leaving her home for a foreign land [Greece] that would not accept her
• Becoming a mother, when she had no desire to bear children. "I would rather fight three battles than bear one child" (line 248)

Knowing of all the sacrifices Medea had made for him, Jason still felt no obligation to remain with her and left her for the promise of a "real" Greek princess. Medea's love for Jason was so great and his betrayal damaged her mind so drastically, that revenge was the only comfort she held in her power. She killed his bride, using the cleverest chess piece available, Jason's own children. When she realized the consequences of her actions, she was forced to make a harrowing decision. Ferguson elaborates,"[After sending the poison dress] Medea kills her children, partly to make Jason childless, partly because since they must surely die, it is better they should perish by her hand." (263). Mitchell-Boyask justifies Medea's actions in this way, "Medea may seem at time a frightening character, but compare her real, ethical concerns with the rather shallow and scheming hollows of Jason." Medea accompanies Antigone as one of the defining heroines of ancient Greek drama. She defied her role as the "happy", helpless housewife and refused to accept her betrayal without striking back.

works cited
http://www.richeast.org/htwm/Greeks/gwomen/gwomen.html