Neil's
Session on Ancient Greece:
First of all he taught us some general
facts. In Ancient Greece, each state was independent and only united
by religion and language. If you didn't speak Greek you were 'barbarian' (a
foreigner). This shows that in our opening sequence of Medea, when the Nurse
says 'anywhere else you're a foreigner', she is referring to the fact that in
any other state, Medea would be considered 'barbarian' as she, in a lot of
people's opinions, is not Greek.
Ancient Greek Theatre had different genres just like we do now. However, plays would
take place in a huge amphitheatre in front of THOUSANDS of people. A Greek
Amphitheatre could seat/stand up to 14,000 audience members.
Medea was first performed in 431
BC and has since been performed a countless number of times in a countless
number of different versions. Euripides was the first playwright to say Medea
killed her children. Euripides also made Argeus nice, as he was from Athens.
Athenians were thought of as the superior race and Euripides wanted to
compliment them.
Women in Ancient Greece:
We are performing Medea in few weeks’
time so in order to understand the characters and storyline more,
I have decided to some Contextual Research into the lives of Women in
Ancient Greece.
The treatment of Women in Ancient
Greek times was horrendous. In fact, they weren't even counted as official
'citizens'. In terms of Theatre, they weren't allowed to go to watch shows and
were definitely not allowed to perform.
Women were also not allowed to
watch the Olympic Games because the participants in the games did not wear any
clothes. Chariot racing was the only game Women could win, and this was only
possible if they owned the horse. If that horse won, they received the prize.
This was the only way in which they would be involved with the games.
When it came to marriage, girls
would get married in their teens- their husbands would often be in their 30's.
If the girl was from a wealthy family, the chances are that her marriage
would've been arranged from a very young age; if not birth. It was essential
that the girls were virgins when they got married. Once the girls were married,
their husbands would control everything about that she did- essentially taking
over the role of her father. In fact the 'passing' of control from Father to
Husband was called 'Gamos'. No matter what, Women were always ‘owned’ by a Man.
It is important to remember that no matter who the woman was- they would not
have chosen their own husband.
It was incredibly hard for Women
to divorce their husbands- it was mostly the husband who filed for divorce. The
term 'divorce' means the same as it did back then but in Ancient Greece it
normally just meant the Husband would ridicule his Wife in public or
simply send her back to her Family home where she would once again be under
control of her Father. Women could file for divorce themselves but they had to
go before the Archon whereas a man could get divorced whenever he liked.
How a
Woman acquired Property:
1. Gift: a woman might have received a
gift from her husband or another relative such as jewellery or clothing.
2 2. Dowry: marriages were often thought
of as an alliance between two families with each family having something to
offer to the other. A Wife’s dowry was often 20% of her Husband’s wealth but it
was rarely enough to even look after her.
3 3. Inheritance:
Ancient Greek was an Agricultural land meaning that almost
every family owned land. A family together which owned land was called an Oikos.
What was complicated about Inheritance is that a woman could not inherit land
herself. For example, if her Father died, his land would go to one of her
brothers (if she had one). If she didn’t have a brother, there would be a high
chance that when she married her husband, her Father would’ve adopted him. This
would mean that her husband could inherit her Father’s land. However, this was
rare as there would be a chance that her husband could inherit 2 farms and it
was frowned upon for someone to have more than one. If the Woman was not
married and her father died, she would become an Epikleros. She would also
become an Epikleros if her husband wasn’t adopted by her father. The
term is sometimes translated as “heiress” however it literally means “with the
property”. The estate passes to the closest male member of the family
willing to marry her.
The system was designed to accomplish 3
things:
The actresses who are playing Medea in our production can use this research to help strengthen their understanding and portrayal of the character. All of this information really does
help us understand why Medea behaved the way she did in the play. For starters,
as a woman, she is treated like a possession- as if she isn’t a true human. The
research helps us understand that Medea doesn’t have a father to go back to
after Jason leaves her because after she killed her brother (for Jason!) it
meant that she had to flee her family. Medea has given up everything for this
man all for him to decide he no longer wants her. She literally has nowhere to
go- especially her home land as she will be killed. The only reason he is
leaving her after all is because the Princess he has left her for is Royal. The
research also shows us that by killing the Princess and her sons, she takes
away the most important thing for a Male in Ancient Greece- Heirs. By killing
the Princess, Jason has no one to have more children with and by killing their sons;
he has lost his current Heirs. The research makes it obvious as to why Medea
corrects Jason when he discovers their bodies when she says “My Children”. It’s
fair to say that Medea believes that Jason doesn’t love his children as he didn’t
care when they were banished from Corinthe. However, as soon as his Bride-to-be
(the Princess) dies, he decides he wants them back. This just goes to show that
as far as Jason is concerned, they are heirs and that is all they are. There
doesn’t appear to be any true love there- it almost justifies her doings as
Jason doesn’t deserve them. Therefore, taking this information into account, I believe that the Medea's should use an angry voice. However, because Medea is a very clever woman, I feel as though they should still vary both tempo and volume to show that although she's angry and hysterical at times, she knows what she's doing and has moments of calm. I believe that she should use a strong, upright posture as this shows she is confident. Not many women in Ancient Greece would stand up to men the way she does and the actresses playing Medea need to show that as far as she is concerned, she is just as important as any Men- this will be evident in her duologue with King Creon when he banishes her. Movement-wise, I believe that she should move very confidently with her correct posture as once again she believes she is just as important as men. However, at times of hysteria, they should play around with movement- for example, sometimes move with bad 'lazy' posture to show just how upset she is.
This research also helps the male parts in our production of Medea understand their place in society. Of course men were thought of as a lot more important than women in Ancient Greece and the fact that my character is a King makes him even more important. In my duologue scene with the character Medea, I have decided to use physical levels- I'm going to walk onto the stage blocks whilst Medea is talking to show that I am more important. I'm going to use a stern, manly voice to try to show that I am attempting to overpower Medea. My posture will be upright, once again to show that I am confident and powerful even though medea scares him. The research shows us that Women would never be expected to stick up for themselves so when Medea does, I'm going to play Creon as though he was shocked and on the line 'my country my country and my family!' I will shout to show that he is angry at her for disrespecting him. When he walks off after banishing her I'm going to walk off powerfully but also a bit 'stirred' as though he is in a state of shock that Medea spoke to him the way she did- as if to say "how dare she"!
Research into Infanticide:
#1
“A German court has convicted a
woman of manslaughter and sentenced her to nine years in prison for killing
five of her newborn babies.
Prosecutors had sought a 10-year sentence and the defense a seven-year
term. The babies were born between 2006 and 2012. The woman has two living
children.
Discoveries: The woman handed herself in to police in the town of
Flensburg, Germany (pictured)
The way in which this case of infanticide is reported in a negative way. What I find interesting about this account of infanticide is the similarities to Medea's. Firstly, they are both women and secondly, both women are committing the crime for a Man. Although they both have different motives for the crime (This German woman killed her children because she was scared her husband would leave her if she had any more children and Medea killed her children to get back at her Husband, Jason), it is clear that they are both committing infanticide for a Man. I believe this shows how far a woman will go when it comes to Men and it emphasises that this is still the case today- milleniums after Medea's crime, Women are still committing the horrifying act. Very little sympathy is shown and very little background context is given. The article doesn't give the woman's side of the story- for all we know, her husband could've been violent and she was so scared of him that she had no other option but to kill the babies.
#2
“A dispute over custody may have prompted a father to murder his four
young children then take his own life, police believe.
The first thing that comes to mind whilst reading this article is the amount of background context that is included. The article is clearly trying to evoke sympathy for the Father and the way in which this article contrasts the Article on the German Woman who committed infanticide suggests that perhaps it is more acceptable for a Man to committ infanticide than a woman. The constant references to his Wife's sister suggest that she was her motivation. This, doubled with the custody issues which provoked this attacked almost justify his actions.
This case of infanticide can also be compared to Medea's as it is also a case of 'divorced', quarelling parents who are having problems with custody. Although in Medea's case, it is her that has 'custody', she is angry at Jason for both leaving her and the children. He shows no remorse for them and in the end, when he decides he wants his boys back- it's too late. This is similar to this case as I'm sure the Mother now wishes she had not fought for custody and tried to take her children away from the father. By using the quote 'They were really in love with their father. He would take them everywhere. His life was his kids.', it not only evokes sympathy but because he loved them, it also shows that he felt that killing them was the kindest thing to do. This can be compared to Medea's plight, as although her main motive was to get revenge on Jason, it's fair to say that had they left Corinthe, her and her sons would've been living a horrible life that some would say would not be worth living. It shows that the killings both Medea and this father committed were out of love.
Ancient Greek Theatre had different genres just like we do now. However, plays would take place in a huge amphitheatre in front of THOUSANDS of people. A Greek Amphitheatre could seat/stand up to 14,000 audience members.
Women in Ancient Greece:
We are performing Medea in few weeks’ time so in order to understand the characters and storyline more, I have decided to some Contextual Research into the lives of Women in Ancient Greece.
The treatment of Women in Ancient Greek times was horrendous. In fact, they weren't even counted as official 'citizens'. In terms of Theatre, they weren't allowed to go to watch shows and were definitely not allowed to perform.
When it came to marriage, girls would get married in their teens- their husbands would often be in their 30's. If the girl was from a wealthy family, the chances are that her marriage would've been arranged from a very young age; if not birth. It was essential that the girls were virgins when they got married. Once the girls were married, their husbands would control everything about that she did- essentially taking over the role of her father. In fact the 'passing' of control from Father to Husband was called 'Gamos'. No matter what, Women were always ‘owned’ by a Man. It is important to remember that no matter who the woman was- they would not have chosen their own husband.
It was incredibly hard for Women to divorce their husbands- it was mostly the husband who filed for divorce. The term 'divorce' means the same as it did back then but in Ancient Greece it normally just meant the Husband would ridicule his Wife in public or simply send her back to her Family home where she would once again be under control of her Father. Women could file for divorce themselves but they had to go before the Archon whereas a man could get divorced whenever he liked.
Ancient Greek was an Agricultural land meaning that almost every family owned land. A family together which owned land was called an Oikos. What was complicated about Inheritance is that a woman could not inherit land herself. For example, if her Father died, his land would go to one of her brothers (if she had one). If she didn’t have a brother, there would be a high chance that when she married her husband, her Father would’ve adopted him. This would mean that her husband could inherit her Father’s land. However, this was rare as there would be a chance that her husband could inherit 2 farms and it was frowned upon for someone to have more than one. If the Woman was not married and her father died, she would become an Epikleros. She would also become an Epikleros if her husband wasn’t adopted by her father. The term is sometimes translated as “heiress” however it literally means “with the property”. The estate passes to the closest male member of the family willing to marry her.
The actresses who are playing Medea in our production can use this research to help strengthen their understanding and portrayal of the character. All of this information really does help us understand why Medea behaved the way she did in the play. For starters, as a woman, she is treated like a possession- as if she isn’t a true human. The research helps us understand that Medea doesn’t have a father to go back to after Jason leaves her because after she killed her brother (for Jason!) it meant that she had to flee her family. Medea has given up everything for this man all for him to decide he no longer wants her. She literally has nowhere to go- especially her home land as she will be killed. The only reason he is leaving her after all is because the Princess he has left her for is Royal. The research also shows us that by killing the Princess and her sons, she takes away the most important thing for a Male in Ancient Greece- Heirs. By killing the Princess, Jason has no one to have more children with and by killing their sons; he has lost his current Heirs. The research makes it obvious as to why Medea corrects Jason when he discovers their bodies when she says “My Children”. It’s fair to say that Medea believes that Jason doesn’t love his children as he didn’t care when they were banished from Corinthe. However, as soon as his Bride-to-be (the Princess) dies, he decides he wants them back. This just goes to show that as far as Jason is concerned, they are heirs and that is all they are. There doesn’t appear to be any true love there- it almost justifies her doings as Jason doesn’t deserve them. Therefore, taking this information into account, I believe that the Medea's should use an angry voice. However, because Medea is a very clever woman, I feel as though they should still vary both tempo and volume to show that although she's angry and hysterical at times, she knows what she's doing and has moments of calm. I believe that she should use a strong, upright posture as this shows she is confident. Not many women in Ancient Greece would stand up to men the way she does and the actresses playing Medea need to show that as far as she is concerned, she is just as important as any Men- this will be evident in her duologue with King Creon when he banishes her. Movement-wise, I believe that she should move very confidently with her correct posture as once again she believes she is just as important as men. However, at times of hysteria, they should play around with movement- for example, sometimes move with bad 'lazy' posture to show just how upset she is.
This research also helps the male parts in our production of Medea understand their place in society. Of course men were thought of as a lot more important than women in Ancient Greece and the fact that my character is a King makes him even more important. In my duologue scene with the character Medea, I have decided to use physical levels- I'm going to walk onto the stage blocks whilst Medea is talking to show that I am more important. I'm going to use a stern, manly voice to try to show that I am attempting to overpower Medea. My posture will be upright, once again to show that I am confident and powerful even though medea scares him. The research shows us that Women would never be expected to stick up for themselves so when Medea does, I'm going to play Creon as though he was shocked and on the line 'my country my country and my family!' I will shout to show that he is angry at her for disrespecting him. When he walks off after banishing her I'm going to walk off powerfully but also a bit 'stirred' as though he is in a state of shock that Medea spoke to him the way she did- as if to say "how dare she"!
#1
The way in which this case of infanticide is reported in a negative way. What I find interesting about this account of infanticide is the similarities to Medea's. Firstly, they are both women and secondly, both women are committing the crime for a Man. Although they both have different motives for the crime (This German woman killed her children because she was scared her husband would leave her if she had any more children and Medea killed her children to get back at her Husband, Jason), it is clear that they are both committing infanticide for a Man. I believe this shows how far a woman will go when it comes to Men and it emphasises that this is still the case today- milleniums after Medea's crime, Women are still committing the horrifying act. Very little sympathy is shown and very little background context is given. The article doesn't give the woman's side of the story- for all we know, her husband could've been violent and she was so scared of him that she had no other option but to kill the babies.
The first thing that comes to mind whilst reading this article is the amount of background context that is included. The article is clearly trying to evoke sympathy for the Father and the way in which this article contrasts the Article on the German Woman who committed infanticide suggests that perhaps it is more acceptable for a Man to committ infanticide than a woman. The constant references to his Wife's sister suggest that she was her motivation. This, doubled with the custody issues which provoked this attacked almost justify his actions.
This case of infanticide can also be compared to Medea's as it is also a case of 'divorced', quarelling parents who are having problems with custody. Although in Medea's case, it is her that has 'custody', she is angry at Jason for both leaving her and the children. He shows no remorse for them and in the end, when he decides he wants his boys back- it's too late. This is similar to this case as I'm sure the Mother now wishes she had not fought for custody and tried to take her children away from the father. By using the quote 'They were really in love with their father. He would take them everywhere. His life was his kids.', it not only evokes sympathy but because he loved them, it also shows that he felt that killing them was the kindest thing to do. This can be compared to Medea's plight, as although her main motive was to get revenge on Jason, it's fair to say that had they left Corinthe, her and her sons would've been living a horrible life that some would say would not be worth living. It shows that the killings both Medea and this father committed were out of love.
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