Medea in Art

Medea by Eugene Delacroix, 1838



Evelyn DeMorgan's Medea, 1889



Study for Jason and Medea, 1907 by John William Waterhouse



Medea by Bernard Safran; 1964



Last two slides of powerpoint

Chorus/Chorodia

•          Chorus- upon entering the stage from the aisles for the first time, they sang a song called a parados. The Chorus leader engaged in  dialogue with the characters and the entire Chorus sang and danced at certain times.

•          The Chorus of Medea is composed of the women of Corinth. They deliver much of the exposition and expounds (detailed statements) poetically on theme.

•          The Chorus is both horrified and enthralled by Medea.

•          They admire that she is powerful and fearless and refuses to be wronged by men. Represent traditional attitude towards the action

•          At times the Chorus engages in the dialogue directly.

•          Hamartia- is a Greek work rooted in the notion of “missing the mark”; translated it means mistake, flaw, failure, or sin. It is through the hamartia the audience experiences the catharis.

•          Hubris- excessive self- pride or confidence. Crucial to this definition is the Ancient Greek’s concepts of honor and shame.

•          Pathos- appeals to the audience’s emotions. It is part of Aristotle’s philosophies in rhetoric (along with logos and ethos). Pathos is the use of emotional appeals to alter the audience’s judgment.

•          Catharsis- Greek word meaning “cleansing” or “purification”. Through tragedy the audience pities the tragic hero on some level. The pity brings about the catharsis. This is necessary for moral order to be restored.

•          Deus ex machina- any artificial or improbable device resolving the difficulties of a plot

•          Exodus- exit; end of play

Myths-Period 2

At the end of the movie Troy, Achilles captures the essence of humanity when he says, "The Gods envy us. They envy us because we’re mortal, because any moment might be our last. Everything is more beautiful because we’re doomed. You will never be lovelier than you are now. We will never be here again."

The themes of life and death have come up quite a bit during the presentations. Why were these themes so important to the Greeks? Why do you think the Gods envy mortals? Provide an example from one of the myths taught by your classmates to discuss in detail why the Greeks wrote about such themes. In what way do these myths stand the test of time?

Myths- Period 9/10

At the end of the movie Troy, Achilles captures the essence of humanity when he says, "The Gods envy us. They envy us because we’re mortal, because any moment might be our last. Everything is more beautiful because we’re doomed. You will never be lovelier than you are now. We will never be here again."

The themes of life and death have come up quite a bit during the presentations. Why were these themes so important to the Greeks? Why do you think the Gods envy mortals? Provide an example from one of the myths taught by your classmates to discuss in detail why the Greeks wrote about such themes. In what way do these myths stand the test of time?

Myths - Period 12

At the end of the movie Troy, Achilles captures the essence of humanity when he says, "The Gods envy us. They envy us because we’re mortal, because any moment might be our last. Everything is more beautiful because we’re doomed. You will never be lovelier than you are now. We will never be here again."

The themes of life and death have come up quite a bit during the presentations. Why were these themes so important to the Greeks? Why do you think the Gods envy mortals? Provide an example from one of the myths taught by your classmates to discuss in detail why the Greeks wrote about such themes. In what way do these myths stand the test of time?

Print for class by Wednesday January 25th

We have conducted some close "readings" of paintings in class. Below you will find four more paintings, two by Kahlo and two by Munch. Select one to print in color. You can print in the library if need be.  You might have to cut and paste the image in a word document. Be sure to leave enough room around the painting to annotate. Bring the image to class on Wednesday, January 25th. You will annotate the painting and connect it to The Metamorphosis in a close reading. Come prepared with notes, quotes, ideas to use for your close reading.

Without Hope, Kahlo 1945