Euripides' Medea

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Euripides' Medea
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Classical Greece

• 480 BCE -- 323 BCE
• Made up of separate city-states. Athens was the
  most powerful.
• Literature, drama, arts, and song flourished.
• Democratic government developed.

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Classical Greek Theatre

• Began 6th century BCE Athens
• Religious festival-- City Dionysia
• Up to 15,000 viewers
• Competition between 3 playwrights
• All playwrights, actors, and judges were men

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Layout

• Outdoors
• Audience in a semicircle around the actors
• Orchestra circular dancing space for chorus 60
  ft. diameter
• Stage 2 or 3 steps above orchestra 25 ft. wide
  and 10 ft. deep
• Skene building directly behind the stage
• Parodos (pl. parodoi) Paths to doors of skene
  where actors and chorus entered and exited

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Actors

• 3 actors in each play
• 15 chorus members (dancing and singing)?
• All wore masks

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Medea The Myth

• Powerful witch
• Daughter of Aeetes, king of Colchis
  granddaughter of Helios, the sun god
• Helped Jason steal the Golden Fleece from Aeetes,
  ran away with him, killed and dismembered her
  brother, and caused the death of Jason's uncle
  Pelias, who had usurped Jason's throne
• Sought refuge with Jason in Corinth, Greece

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Euripides' play

• 431 BCE period when Athens was at height of its
  power but war with Sparta was imminent
• Athenians enthusiastically patriotic and proud of
  their military prowess
• Hostility between Athens and Corinth