History of Greek Art and Culture - Essay Example

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The author of the paper "History of Greek Art and Culture" argues in a well-organized manner that the characters of Medea and Clytemnestra are two of the most notable in the area of Greek Literature, in which the female gender can dominate: either to create or destroy…

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Subject: Other
Type: Essay
Level: College
Pages: 2 (500 words)
Downloads: 2
Author: leannonlawson

Extract of sample "History of Greek Art and Culture"

Medea and Clytemnestra would be remembered for the murders they made against the people closest to them, primarily rooted in vengeance and unfulfilled frustrations. Medea, being an abandoned wife, murdered her husband’s new woman named Glaucus and her father through a poisoned vestment. To further her husband’s bitterness, she ended the lives of their two children and then fled from the place using a flaring chariot from Helios, her grandfather. According to the Role of Women in the Art of Ancient Greece website, “Clytemnestra is a powerful woman and a powerful character in Greek plays of the Classical period.” Clytemnestra’s murder of Agamemnon was because of her anger towards him. In various versions of her story, it was said that she has been raped and forced to marry Agamemnon, and her act of resistance was through murder. Medea and Clytemnestra are similar in the way that they resorted to murder to take revenge; however, they differ in their reasons. Medea’s vengeful ideas were from her jealousy and hatred towards Jason and Glaucus while Clytemnestra killed Agamemnon to give justice to what he has done to her.

Oedipus the King

Oedipus Rex may have been the most intense tragedy in Greek literature which affected and touched many social issues even up to the present times. It is all about a king’s son, Oedipus, who was exiled with the intention for him to die because of a prophecy, which was eventually fulfilled. Upon killing his father, he gained the kingdom of Thebes in his hands and ended up marrying his mother, Jocasta. The fulfillment of the prophecy caused him to suffer.

Oedipus is a victim of circumstances; however, one could not directly say that he deserves to suffer because first of all, it must be considered that Oedipus is innocent of the prophecy and his true identity. If his parents took care of him in their kingdom, there are better chances for them not to fulfill the prophecy. Oedipus may have killed his (unknowingly) father, but that was due to self-defense. A flaw of Oedipus, however, is not telling Thebes what has happened to their king. In this account, Oedipus is liable to accept reasonable punishment. The suffering he has encountered did not do justice to him at all, since it was his parents’ choice to abandon him and make his real identity unknown to him.

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