The Utilization Of Ancient Greek Values - 1513 Words

The utilization of Ancient Greek values through the use of characters in Medea Throughout the play Medea written Euripides, an assortment of unique characters are presented to the audience. At first glance, the characters in the play seem to serve as the normal society in Ancient Greece. This is true to a certain degree but Euripides intended it to be more than their standard social roles. Euripides utilizes characters such as the all women choir, King Creon, Medea and others to convey his perception of what is his modern but now Ancient Greek traditional values are to him and even pushes the boundaries by breaking some of the social standards set during his time. With a deeper understanding of the characters, the audience will be able to†¦show more content†¦The Choir’s disgust of King Creon is evident in the scene where he appeared to banish Medea from Corinth, the First Woman said â€Å"I have seen this man’s arrogance, I watched and heard him. I am of Corinth, and I say that Corinth is not well ruled.† (Jeffers 12) Followed by the Second Woman saying â€Å"The city where even a foreigner, suffers unjustly the rods of power is not well ruled.† (Jeffers 12) The repeated phrase â€Å"is not well ruled† undoubtedly shows their displeasure under his rule along with the Choir’s constant criticism of him throughout their dialogue. The women are also sympathetic towards Medea as would any other citizen would feel because of the traumatic events that had just occurred to Medea. When judging Medea’s actions, no one protest more to her plots then the women, First Woman â€Å"I think you ought to persuade Medea to come from the dark dwelling, and speak with us, before her heart breaks.† (Jeffers 6) The women are attempting to persuade Medea from her dark thoughts but to little avail because Medea ultimately commits her revenge. Despite the women’s simplistic appearance in the play, Euripides exploits their role to represent the vast number of ordinary Greek citizens and to co unsel Medea on her actions. Another similar role the audience will recognize is the presence of a tyrannical ruler in the play, this role is placed in the hands of King Creon, the ruler of Corinth. King Creon’s