Monday, June 01, 2009
MEDEA
Author: Euripides
Date: 431 BC
No one can accuse Euripides of being subtle. After reading only two of his plays, it becomes obvious that he relies, for his plots, on the most basic, or perhaps I should say base, impulses of mankind; he likes violence, lots of violence. Medea is like a dish that leaves a bitter taste on the mouth; there is no catharsis here, and the same could be said of Orestes. It is too early for me to reach an understanding of this author's world, but I could venture some tentative readings. I do not see him as a cynic, but rather as someone who incorporates philosophy and politics into his plays in an unusual way; these themes are imbedded in the dialogue at times, but Euripides refuses to offer a dramatic solution to the problems he exposes; that would be too easy: reality is more complex than that, he seems to be saying; he'd rather shock us, perplex us, because the real world is perplexing, and there is no easy solution to the world's problems, which ultimately stem from human nature, in all its dimensions, including the darker ones.
Date: 431 BC
No one can accuse Euripides of being subtle. After reading only two of his plays, it becomes obvious that he relies, for his plots, on the most basic, or perhaps I should say base, impulses of mankind; he likes violence, lots of violence. Medea is like a dish that leaves a bitter taste on the mouth; there is no catharsis here, and the same could be said of Orestes. It is too early for me to reach an understanding of this author's world, but I could venture some tentative readings. I do not see him as a cynic, but rather as someone who incorporates philosophy and politics into his plays in an unusual way; these themes are imbedded in the dialogue at times, but Euripides refuses to offer a dramatic solution to the problems he exposes; that would be too easy: reality is more complex than that, he seems to be saying; he'd rather shock us, perplex us, because the real world is perplexing, and there is no easy solution to the world's problems, which ultimately stem from human nature, in all its dimensions, including the darker ones.
