Subjects
Euripides. Medea -- Criticism and interpretation, Euripides -- Aesthetics, Greek drama (Tragedy)
Abstract
In Euripides’s The Medea, the dichotomy of traditional values associated with oikos and polis serves as a means by which to comment on the issues of fifth century Athenian life. This paper shows how oikos the private domain) and polis (the public domain) come to be separate and conflicting concepts in the democracy of Athens. Euripides shaped The Medea around the idea of Medea throwing off the bonds of oikos as a result of her desire for revenge on Jason. Medea knowingly denies the bonds of oikos in order to assert her power. This paper finishes with a nod towards the idea that similar debates regarding oikos and polis can be seen today and that, perhaps, Euripides might even recognize them in their current forms.
Creative Commons License
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Persistent Identifier
http://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/13156
Recommended Citation
Blankenship, Debra
(1992)
"Oikos and Polis in the Medea: Patterns of the Heart and Mind,"
Anthós Journal (1990-1996): Vol. 1:
No.
3, Article 14.
Available at:
https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/anthos_archives/vol1/iss3/14
