Misplaced Pages

#643356

47-555: The palace of ancient Iolcos is believed to be located in modern-day Dimini, where, in 2001, a Mycenaean palace was excavated. Dimini culture is well known for its abstract painted vessels. Dimini ware is characteristic of the Later Neolithic period in eastern Thessaly , although it was traded and imitated outside the region and has been identified as far away as Cakran in Albania . In 1886, Lolling and Wolters excavated

94-615: A 5th-century BC Greek audience. It can be argued that in the play Euripides portrays Medea as an enraged woman who kills her children to get revenge on her husband Jason because of his betrayal of their marriage. Medea is often cited as an example of the "madwoman in the attic" trope, in which women who defy societal norms are portrayed as mentally unstable. A competing interpretation is that Medea kills her children because she cares for them and worries about their well-being; once she commits to her plan to kill Creon and Jason's new bride, she knows her children are in danger of being murdered. This

141-486: A coronet, in hopes that the bride will not be able to resist wearing them, and consequently be poisoned. Medea resolves to kill her own children as well, not because the children have done anything wrong, but because she feels it is the best way to hurt Jason. She calls for Jason once more and, in an elaborate ruse, apologizes to him for overreacting to his decision to marry Glauce. When Jason appears fully convinced that she regrets her actions, Medea begins to cry in mourning of

188-420: A devouring poison consumed her limbs as with fire, and in his endeavor to save his daughter the old father died too. While Medea is pleased with her current success she decides to take it one step further. Since Jason brought shame upon her for trying to start a new family, Medea resolves to destroy the family he was willing to give up by killing their sons. Medea does have a moment of hesitation when she considers

235-510: A new life. Euripides' play has been explored and interpreted by playwrights across the centuries and the world in a variety of ways, offering political, psychoanalytical, feminist, among many other original readings of Medea, Jason and the core themes of the play. Medea , along with three other plays, earned Euripides third prize in the City Dionysia . Some believe that this indicates a poor reception, but "the competition that year

282-409: A proto-feminist wrongly abandoned by a treacherous husband." Feminist readings have interpreted the play as either a sympathetic exploration of the disadvantages of being a woman in a patriarchal society, or as an expression of misogynist attitudes. In conflict with this sympathetic undertone (or reinforcing a more negative reading) is Medea's barbarian identity, which some argue might antagonize

329-517: A total population of 2,008 (2021 census). The seat of the former municipality was the village of Ano Volos. According to ancient Greek mythology, Aeson was the rightful king of Iolcus, but his half-brother Pelias usurped the throne. It was Pelias who sent Aeson's son Jason and his Argonauts to look for the Golden Fleece . The ship Argo set sail from Iolcus with a crew of fifty demigods and princes under Jason's leadership. Their mission

376-404: A wife intent on vengeance, and a mother concerned about her children's safety and quality of life. Thus, Medea as a wife kills Creon and Glauke in the act of vengeance, and Medea as a mother thinks her children will be better off killed by her hand than left to suffer at the hands of an enemy intent on vengeance. Medea is often described as having a "heroic temper" and a strong motivation to avoid

423-489: Is a krater in Munich. However, these representations always differ considerably from the plots of the play or are too general to support any direct link to Euripides' play. But the violent and powerful character of Medea, and her double nature — both loving and destructive — became a standard for later periods of antiquity. Medea has been adapted into numerous forms of media, including operas, films, and novels. With

470-496: Is a tragedy by the ancient Greek playwright Euripides based on a myth. It was first performed in 431 BC as part of a trilogy, the other plays of which have not survived. Its plot centers on the actions of Medea , a former princess of the kingdom of Colchis and the wife of Jason ; she finds her position in the world threatened as Jason leaves her for a princess of Corinth and takes vengeance on him by murdering his new wife and her own two sons, before escaping to Athens to start

517-666: Is a tragic figure whose trials and tribulations were artfully dramatized in the much-staged play by Euripides , Medea . Iolcus is mentioned by Homer , in the Catalogue of Ships in the Iliad , and later in the Odyssey ; he gives it the epithets of ἐϋκτιμένη ("well built") and εὐρύχορος ("with broad places", "spacious"). The Bibliotheca of Pseudo-Apollodorus says the city was founded by Cretheus , and to have been colonised by Minyans from Orchomenos . In antiquity, Iolcus

SECTION 10

#1732771943644

564-546: Is an ancient city , a modern village and a former municipality in Magnesia , Thessaly, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of Volos , of which it is a municipal unit. It is located in central Magnesia, north of the Pagasitic Gulf . Its land area is 1.981 km . The municipal unit is divided into three communities, Agios Onoufrios (pop. 433), Anakasia (pop. 888) and Ano Volos (pop. 687), with

611-464: Is not a paranoid fantasy; at this time in myth and history, helping one's friends and hurting one's enemies was considered a virtue. Thus, by their code of ethics, the Corinthians would do right to avenge their king and princess. (In another version of the myth, the people of Corinth kill her children to avenge the deaths of Creon and his daughter Glauke.) Conversely, a focus on Medea's rage leads to

658-444: Is only a barbarian woman, but hopes to someday join the two families and keep Medea as his mistress. Medea, and the chorus of Corinthian women, do not believe him. She reminds him that she left her own people for him ("I rescued you [...] I betrayed both my father and my house [...] now where should I go?"), and that she saved him and slew the dragon. Jason promises to support her after his new marriage ("If you wish me to give you or

705-460: The City Dionysia festival. Here every year, three tragedians competed against each other, each writing a tetralogy of three tragedies and a satyr play (alongside Medea were Philoctetes , Dictys and the satyr play Theristai ). In 431 the competition was among Euphorion (the son of famed playwright Aeschylus ), Sophocles (Euripides' main rival) and Euripides. Euphorion won, and Euripides placed third (and last). Medea has survived

752-622: The Mycenean tholos tomb known as Lamiospito . In 1901, Valerios Stais discovered the tholos tomb on the hill of the Neolithic settlement. He worked at the Dimini settlement with Christos Tsountas from 1901 up until 1903. In 1977, George Chourmouziadis continued excavations at the Neolithic settlement. Excavations of the Mycenean settlement in Dimini began in 1980 by V. Adrimi-Sismani. In 2001

799-463: The " Seskloans " as two separate cultural entities. However, I. Lyritzis provides a different story pertaining to the relations between the Dimini and the Sesklo cultures. He, along with R. Galloway, compared ceramic materials from both Sesklo and Dimini utilizing thermoluminescence dating methods. He discovered that the inhabitants of the settlement in Dimini appeared around 4800 BC, four centuries before

846-521: The actions that ultimately lead to her denigration and dethronement. Euripides depicts Medea as a witch and a devourer of men and children, rather than as a wife and mother wronged. Euripides' characterization of Medea exhibits the inner emotions of passion, love , and vengeance . According to classics scholar Fiona Macintosh, "[Medea] has successfully negotiated her path through very diverse cultural and political contexts: either by being radically recast as 'exemplary' mother and wife, or by being seen as

893-417: The children arrived with the robes and coronet, Glauce gleefully put them on and went to find her father. The poison overtook her and she fell to the floor, dying horribly and painfully. Creon clutched her tightly as he tried to save her and, by coming in contact with the robes and coronet, was poisoned and died as well. Alas! The bride had died in horrible agony; for no sooner had she put on Medea's gifts than

940-423: The children extra money for your trip into exile, tell me; I'm ready to give it with a lavish hand"), but Medea spurns him: "Go on, play the bridegroom! Perhaps [...] you've made a match you'll one day have cause to lament." In the following scene Medea encounters Aegeus , king of Athens . He reveals to her that despite his marriage he is still without children. He visited the oracle who merely told him that he

987-576: The coast and the city itself. Ancient Iolcus' location is at the Volos Kastro, located at 39°21′59″N 22°58′08″E  /  39.366305°N 22.96886°E  / 39.366305; 22.96886 . [REDACTED]  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain :  Smith, William , ed. (1854–1857). "Iolcus". Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography . London: John Murray. Medea (play) Medea ( Ancient Greek : Μήδεια , Mēdeia )

SECTION 20

#1732771943644

1034-529: The excavations uncovered a Mycenaean city and palace complex they believe could be part of ancient Iolkos . A stone weight and a sherd inscribed with Linear B writing were also uncovered. The "invasion theory" states that the people of the Neolithic Dimini culture were responsible for the violent conquest of the Sesklo culture at around 5000 BC. Moreover, the theory considers the "Diminians" and

1081-443: The exile. She convinces Jason to allow their two sons to give gifts to Glauce in hopes that Creon will lift the exile against the children. Eventually Jason agrees. Forgive what I said in anger! I will yield to the decree, and only beg one favor, that my children may stay. They shall take to the princess a costly robe and a golden crown, and pray for her protection. In the next scene a messenger recounts Glauce and Creon's deaths. When

1128-417: The fact that the chariot is given to her by Helios indicates that she still has the gods on her side. As Bernard Knox points out, Medea's last scene with concluding appearances parallels that of a number of indisputably divine beings in other plays by Euripides. Just like these gods, Medea "interrupts and puts a stop to the violent action of the human being on the lower level, … justifies her savage revenge on

1175-404: The fall of the Sesklo civilization (ca. 4400 BC). Lyritzis concluded that the "Seskloans" and "Diminians" coexisted for a period of time. [REDACTED] Media related to Dimini at Wikimedia Commons Iolcos Iolcus ( / aɪ ˈ ɒ l k ə s / ; also rendered Iolkos / aɪ ˈ ɒ l k ɒ s / ; Ancient Greek : Ἰωλκός and Ἰαωλκός; Doric Greek : Ἰαλκός ; Greek : Ιωλκός )

1222-461: The gods brought to bear / So have things gone, this whole experience through! This deliberate murder of her children by Medea appears to be Euripides' invention, although some scholars believe Neophron created this alternate tradition. Her filicide would go on to become the standard for later writers. Pausanias , writing in the late 2nd century AD, records five different versions of what happened to Medea's children after reporting that he has seen

1269-682: The golden fleece. The play is set in Corinth some time after Jason's quest for the Golden Fleece , where he met Medea. The play begins with Medea in a blind rage towards Jason for arranging to marry Glauce , the daughter of king Creon . The nurse, overhearing Medea's grief, fears what she might do to herself or her children. Creon, in anticipation of Medea's wrath, arrives and reveals his plans to send her into exile. Medea pleads for one day's delay and eventually Creon acquiesces. In order to be accepted Medea must become trickier and must totally conceal her position. Crouching at Creon's feet, she begs him in

1316-462: The grounds of a gain and of her need to remain in Corinth: "Do you think that I would ever have flattered that man unless I had some gain to make or some device to execute? I wouldn't have even spoken or touched him with my hands". In the next scene Jason arrives to explain his rationale for his apparent betrayal. He explains that he could not pass up the opportunity to marry a royal princess, as Medea

1363-515: The grounds that she has been treated with disrespect and mockery, … takes measures and gives orders for the burial of the dead, prophesies the future," and "announces the foundation of a cult." She then escapes to Athens in the divine chariot. The chorus is left contemplating the will of Zeus in Medea's actions: Manifold are thy shapings, Providence ! / Many a hopeless matter gods arrange / What we expected never came to pass / What we did not expect

1410-503: The interpretation that "Medea becomes the personification of vengeance, with her humanity 'mortified' and 'sloughed off'" (Cowherd, 129). Medea's heritage places her in a position more typically reserved for males. Hers is the power of the sun, appropriately symbolized by her great radiance, tremendous heat and boundless passion. In this view Medea is inhuman and her suffering is self-inflicted, just as Jason argues in his debate with her. And yet, if we see events through Medea's eyes, we view

1457-488: The late 20th century, being interpreted as a nuanced and sympathetic portrayal of Medea's struggle to take charge of her own life in a male-dominated world. The play holds the American Theatre Wing's Tony Award record for most wins for the same female lead character in a play, with Judith Anderson winning in 1948, Zoe Caldwell in 1982, and Diana Rigg in 1994. Medea was first performed in 431 BC at

Dimini - Misplaced Pages Continue

1504-428: The laughter of her enemies, "even at the cost of decisions that contradict self-interest, personal safety, or strongly held moral beliefs," (Lush, 2014). Although some may say that her motive was jealousy over Jason’s new bride, her pride also made her unwilling to let her enemies, in this case Jason and his new wife, look down on her. Medea stated that "her enemies [would] cause her pain and rejoice," and that her priority

1551-498: The name of her children to allow her only one day. At this Creon is moved and grants to her one more day in Corinth. Medea's unexpected power of persuasion or even of fascination lies in her change of attitude: instead of preaching to Creon about the unpopularity of the sophoi she plays the role of a desperate mother, needing one day to prepare for exile. Medea is aware of the humiliating quality of this tactic, but she justifies it on

1598-447: The pain that her children's deaths will put her through. However, she steels her resolve to cause Jason the most pain possible and rushes offstage with a knife to kill her children. Determined to stop Medea, the chorus runs after her only to hear the children scream. Jason then rushes onto the scene to confront Medea about murdering Creon and Glauce, and he quickly discovers that his children have been killed as well. Medea then appears above

1645-470: The play suggests that Medea's children were traditionally killed by the Corinthians after her escape; so Euripides' apparent invention of the filicide might have offended, as his first treatment of the Hippolytus myth did. That Euripides and others took liberties with Medea's story may be inferred from the 1st century BC historian Diodorus Siculus : "Speaking generally, it is because of the desire of

1692-609: The stage with the bodies of her children in a chariot given to her by the sun god Helios. When this play was put on, this scene was accomplished using the mechane device usually reserved for the appearance of a god or goddess. She confronts Jason, reveling in his pain at being unable to ever hold his children again: I do not leave my children's bodies with thee; I take them with me that I may bury them in Hera 's precinct. And for thee, who didst me all that evil, I prophesy an evil doom. Although Jason calls Medea most hateful to gods and men,

1739-529: The text's rediscovery in 1st-century Rome (the play was adapted by the tragedians Ennius , Lucius Accius , Ovid , Seneca the Younger and Hosidius Geta , among others); again in 16th-century Europe; and with the development of modern literary criticism : Medea has provoked multifarious reactions. The form of the play differs from many other Greek tragedies by its simplicity; most scenes involve only Medea, one other character, and The Chorus, representing

1786-400: The tragic poets for the marvellous that so varied and inconsistent an account of Medea has been given out." A common urban legend claimed that Euripides put the blame on Medea because the Corinthians had bribed him with a sum of five talents. In the 4th century BC, South-Italian vase painting offers a number of Medea-representations that are connected to Euripides' play — the most famous

1833-474: The transplants of culture and time and continues to captivate audiences with its riveting power (Tessitore). The play's influence can be seen in the works of later playwrights, such as William Shakespeare . While Medea is considered one of the great plays of the Western canon , Euripides' place in the competition suggests that his first audience might not have responded so favorably. A scholium to line 264 of

1880-454: The women of Corinth. These simple encounters highlight Medea's skill and determination in manipulating powerful male figures. The play is also the only Greek tragedy in which a kin-killer makes it unpunished to the end of the play, and the only tragedy about child-killing in which the deed is performed in cold blood, as opposed to in a state of temporary madness. Medea's rebellion shakes the world as she tells of her past history, shedding light on

1927-406: Was extraordinarily keen"; Sophocles , often winning first prize, came second. The play was initially rediscovered with Rome's Augustan drama , and then again in the 16th century. It has remained part of the tragedic repertoire, becoming a classic of the Western canon and the most frequently performed Greek tragedy in the 20th century. It experienced renewed interest in the feminist movement of

Dimini - Misplaced Pages Continue

1974-439: Was finally ruined by Demetrius Poliorcetes ' foundation of Demetrias in 294 BCE, when the inhabitants of Iolcus and of other adjoining towns were removed to that place. It seems to have been no longer in existence in the time of Strabo , since he speaks of the place where Iolcus stood. Strabo states that a festal assembly was held there in honor of Pelias . The position of Iolcus is indicated by Strabo, who says that it

2021-478: Was instructed "not to unstop the wineskin's neck". Medea relays her current situation to him and begs for Aegeus to let her stay in Athens if she gives him drugs to end his infertility. Aegeus, unaware of Medea's plans for revenge, agrees. Medea then returns to plotting the murders of Glauce and Creon. She decides to poison some golden robes (a family heirloom and gift from the sun god Helios , her grandfather) and

2068-528: Was on the road from Boebe to Demetrias, and at the distance of 7 stadia from the latter. In another passage he says that Iolcus is situated above the sea at the distance of 7 stadia from Demetrias. Pindar places Iolcus is at the foot of Mount Pelion , consequently a little inland. It might indeed appear, from Livy , that Iolcus was situated upon the coast; but in this passage, as well as in Strabo, The name of Iolcus seems to have been given to this part of

2115-524: Was situated in Magnesia , ancient Thessaly , and was a polis (city-state). It is rarely mentioned in historical times. It was given by the Thessalians to Hippias , upon his expulsion from Athens in 511/510 BCE, but he rejected it. It is also quoted in the Periplus of Pseudo-Scylax as a city belonging to Magnesia . The town afterward suffered from the disputes of its inhabitants, but it

2162-432: Was to "avoid her enemies’ derision." (Lush, 2014). Although the murder of her children would cause her pain, Medea’s temperament caused her to prioritize Jason’s unhappiness over anything else. Medea is centered on Medea's calculated desire for revenge against her unfaithful husband. Medea is of divine descent and had the gift of prophecy. She married Jason and used her magic powers and advice to help him find and retrieve

2209-577: Was to reach Colchis in Aea at the eastern seaboard of the Black Sea and to reclaim and bring back the Golden Fleece. Along with the Golden Fleece, Jason brought a wife, the sorceress Medea —king Aeetes ' daughter, granddaughter of Helios , niece of Circe , princess of Aea, and later queen of Iolcus, Corinth and Aea, and also murderer of her brother Absyrtus , and her two sons from Jason. She

#643356