Assignment: Read “Medea” in the Bedford Introduction to Drama, pp. 134-158 along with these instructional materials.
Table of Contents:
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As you remember from your work with “Trifles,” plotting is the way the story is put together, or the ordering of actions in the story to make a point. The five elements of a traditional plot structure are:
1. Exposition – introduction of the conflict of the protagonist, or main character. Your textbook’s glossary points out that the exposition is also the “presentation of essential information, especially about events that have occurred prior to the first scene of a play.” This definition is especially helpful in considering the plotting of “Medea.”
2. Rising Action – increasing complication of the situation. Things get more and more difficult for the protagonist, and thus, everyone who is involved with that character.
3.
Climax – the turning point,
or
4. Falling Action – the fallout from the event(s) at the climax. During the falling action we see the results of the protagonist’s turning point, for everyone involved with the conflict.
5. Resolution – the final outcome of the conflict.
This is Drama 101 here. Not too rough. You should know what these are, so that you can move to the beginning level of analysis: locating the parts of the play that you see fulfilling each of these functions. I often advise students to first identify what they think is the climax of the play, and then locate the other elements of the plot around that climax. This is usually the easiest way to build your interpretation of the plot structure, because most people instinctively sense the turning point in a drama.
Readers will differ on what elements of the play fit into each of the 5 categories. It is important to understand what the elements of the plot are, but also that different interpretations are possible.
Remember “Trifles?” Beth sees the climax of the play as the silent moment at the very end of the play, in which Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale make eye contact and telepathically agree to hide the box containing the dead bird. At this highly emotional point, the women have taken decisive and irreversible action together. Readers can only guess at the falling action and resolution for these two ladies, who have made the commitment to keep this secret forever. Beth sees the play essentially as ending with the climax.
Helen sees the climax as the moment the women find the bird and discover how it died. After this, the women tell their first outright lie to the authorities, and everything that happens afterward is fallout from their discovery. Their commitment to Mrs. Wright is deepened by what they find, and the falling action consists of their efforts to cover up for her. The resolution, then, is their final act of hiding the box containing the dead bird.
What’s this? The teachers disagree? Absolutely! Both interpretations are valid. What is important when you identify the elements of the plot in a particular play is that you are able to argue successfully for your interpretation. Think about the big picture, and how all of the elements of the plot work together. Your interpretation of the elements of the plot will influence your overall reading of the play.
When you understand the elements of the plot, and can support your interpretation of them, you can begin to ask yourself some interesting questions about what you see as the author’s choices in plotting.
·Why does the author place certain information and action where he or she does? How does this placement affect your view of a character, of the situation, or of the play as a whole?
·Why does the author assign various characters to carry out certain sections of the plot? How do these authorial choices affect you as a reader? (For example, the men handle the exposition in “Trifles.” Interesting… Why is that, do you think?)
Interesting questions produce interesting answers, especially when our interpretations are unique! Let’s look again at “Trifles,” and Helen and Beth’s different identifications of the turning point. The next question to ask is: WHY does the turning point occur where it does?
In Helen’s reading of the play, the turning point coming where it does allows the audience to view the consequences of the women’s discovery. We witness a progression on the part of Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale, ending with the resolution in which they take decisive action on behalf of their neglected peer, Mrs. Wright. The focus is on how the women finally act upon what they find, because of their increasing identification with Minnie. Because the play’s focus is on the journey these two ladies take, we therefore get to see not only their turning point, but also the falling action and resolution. Their whole story is there. In Helen’s reading, the turning point occurs where it does because the play is about Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters.
In Beth’s reading of the play, where the turning point comes at the end, the entire play becomes rising action, and suspense is heightened. The focus is on the women’s gradual, step-by-step movement towards the moment when they act together to rectify the situation for Mrs. Wright. Also, the turning point at the end directs the reader’s attention to what will likely happen in the courtroom for Minnie. We have to imagine the resolution not only for these two ladies who can never undo what they have done, but also for Mrs. Wright. Mrs. Wright plays a bigger role in this interpretation of the plot structure. In Beth’s reading, the turning point occurs where it does because the play is about Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters coming to the aid of Mrs. Wright.
Again, both readings, though different, are valid. The point of this model is first to let you know that it’s okay, even GREAT if you disagree with each other, but also to stress the importance of asking yourself those “Why” questions, and coming up with thoughtful answers to them.
As you read “Medea,” try to first identify what you see as the particular elements of the plot, ask yourself why you made those identifications, and then think about why Euripides ordered and structured things the way he did, and how his authorial decisions affect your reading of the play.
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There is a good section on Greek Drama in your book, beginning on page 29. For further information on the Greek stage, including drawings, check out http://didaskalia.berkeley.edu/stagecraft/greek.html. The Perseus Digital Library is a wealth of information on the ancient world, at http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/.
Attending a tragedy or comedy in 5th century BC
No matter how many speaking characters there were in the play, only three actors were used; the actors would go back stage after playing one character, switch masks and costumes, and reappear as another character.
Greek plays were performed as part of religious festivals in honor of the god Dionysus, and unless later revived, were performed only once. Plays were funded by the polis, and always presented in competition with other plays, and were voted either the first, second, or third (last) place. (“Medea” won last prize when it was presented in 431 B.C.) Tragedies almost exclusively dealt with stories from the mythic past (there was no "contemporary" tragedy), comedies almost exclusively with contemporary figures and problems.
The basic structure of a Greek tragedy is fairly simple. After a prologue spoken by one or more characters, the chorus enters, singing and dancing. Scenes then alternate between spoken sections (dialogue between characters, and between characters and chorus) and sung sections (during which the chorus danced). Here are the basic five parts of a Greek Tragedy:
1. Prologue: Spoken by one or two characters before the chorus appears. The prologue usually gives the mythological background necessary for understanding the events of the play.
2. Parodos: This is the song sung by the chorus as it first enters the orchestra and dances.
3. First Episode: This is the first of many "episodes", when the characters and chorus talk.
4. First Stasimon: At the end of each episode, the other characters usually leave the stage and the chorus dances and sings a stasimon, or choral ode. The ode usually reflects on the things said and done in the episodes, and puts it into some kind of larger mythological framework.
For the rest of the play, there is alternation between episodes and stasima, until the final scene, called the...
5. Exodos: At the end of play, the chorus exits singing a processional song which usually offers words of wisdom related to the actions and outcome of the play.
Medea
Don’t let the fact that this is an ancient Greek play throw you. The structure, as shown above, is easy to understand once you get over the fact that people dance and sing every once in a while. The language shouldn’t throw you either. The translation in our book is very readable.
There are some concepts with which you should be familiar, in order to fully apprehend certain elements of this play.
· Chorus – This is perhaps the most foreign concept to modern audiences. In ancient Greek drama, though, the chorus is a staple. The chorus is composed of a group of people who sing and dance during certain parts of the play. They observe and sometimes participate marginally in the action, and comment on it. They are generally taken to represent the citizens of the city in which the story takes place, who are going to be affected by the goings on of the powerful main characters in the play. Their response not only indicates how those power players affect those around them, but also serves as a guide through which the playwright instructs the audience on how to feel about the action. The chorus represents the general population of the world of the play, but also provides a point of identification for the Greek (and modern) audience.
·The chorus in “Medea” is composed entirely of women, which is a bit of a departure. Think about why Euripides made that choice. Watch their reactions to Medea carefully, including their initial view of her, how they are swayed to her point of view, where their sympathies are tested, and what they finally learn from her tragedy.
· Ritual of Supplication – When one character (human or god) makes an urgent request of another, he or she must do so in the proper, formal manner. This is basically ritualized begging, and implies the grave seriousness of the request being made. The person making the request generally kneels before the person of whom the request is being made, and looks into the eyes of that person. Some meaningful physical contact will be made. If the person being asked a favor is a male, the usual gesture is for the kneeler to gently grasp the beard of the favor-granter. Often the kneeler will place his or her other hand on the knee of the person who they are asking for help. If the person being asked grants the favor, the seriousness of this ritual insures that the favor-granter must keep his or her word. This is a very important ritual in the ancient Greek world.
· Who does Medea beg for mercy, and how does he respond? Think about how this must have affected the sympathies of Greek audiences. Also, note Medea’s explanation of her begging to the chorus. How was she using the tradition of this ritual to meet her goals? In what way does this affect your view of her?
· Importance of Oaths – Following from the ritual of supplication, but extending more broadly, when a character in ancient Greek literature makes an oath, a promise, he or she had better keep it. Very bad things happen when people break oaths. Giving their word is serious business.
· What is Euripides trying to say about the sanctity of oaths in this play? Who takes oaths? Who breaks oaths? Who complains most about broken oaths in the play? Does the person who complains most about oaths also abide by the oaths that they take?
· Polis - The
Greeks city-state. In the ancient Greek world, political activity was regarded
as an essential part of human behavior and it was believed that a man's full
potential and personality could not be achieved without participation in the
polis. Citizenship offered tangible benefits such as freedom, the security to
pursue pleasurable leisure activities, and the opportunity to win honor by
guiding and even defending the community. The opportunity to participate in the
polis did not extend to all persons. Women, children, together with resident
foreigners, laborers and slaves were not citizens and were excluded from the
privileges of citizenship.
· This might shed light on Jason’s desire, as a resident foreigner and a
man used to a high level of respect and authority, to marry into the royal
family. Does knowing about the
importance of participation in the polis have an effect on the way you view
Jason’s decision?
· Fear of Exile – The fear of exile is very real in the ancient Greek world. It is very difficult for modern readers to understand the terror of those who were exiled. It meant almost certain death.
· Medea has good reason to be concerned about her life and the lives of her sons. Creon’s sentence of exile would be understood by ancient Greek audiences as a virtual death sentence, and, depending upon where their sympathies lie at this point in the play, might seem unduly harsh. Think about how you would feel, being turned out into a no-man’s land with two young children. How does Euripides’ choice here influence your sympathies for Medea?
The storyline of
Euripides’ “Medea” is derived from a collection of
tales that circulated informally in the culture. Euripides’ audience would have been familiar
with the general background myths of Medea and Jason.
Euripides adds to their story, or rather, finishes it, in this play.
This is still one of the most controversial plays ever written, with its powerful evocations of women's rights and Medea's choice of infanticide. Debate about this play is fierce. Many see it as arguing forcefully for the rights of women, and see Medea as victorious in her tragic revenge. Others see it as totally anti-woman, with Medea as a victim of her own uncontrollable, womanly passion. Where will you stand? Consider carefully what you think of its awesome heroine. Examine how her manipulation and logic work upon those around her. She is absolutely unparalleled! Pay close attention to how and when she comes to decide to kill her children. Consider her reasoning and note when she wavers. Is Medea a tragic heroine? How so? What do you think is the turning point of this incredible play? Why? Why do you think Euripides structured the play in this way? How does it affect you? You’ll be addressing these questions in the Solo/Group assignment for this play.