HL Essay Draft Kobe

IB English Language and Literature Higher

Level Essay
Line of Inquiry​: In what ways does the representation of Medea
in the translation by Ben Power illustrate marginalisation and
gender inequality?

Key Concept: ​Representation

Area of Exploration: ​Time and Space

Name:
Candidate Number:
Date Submission:

Word Count: 1490

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Medea​ is a Greek tragedy written by Euripides in 431 BC. It is based upon the myth of the
golden fleece and tells the story of Jason and Medea. Over the centuries, Euripides’ play has
been explored and interpreted by many playwrights across the globe offering political,
psychoanalytical and feminist perspectives yet still staying true to the play’s core themes. In the
summer of 2014, a new, inspiring version of the play written by Ben Powers, was staged at the
London National Theatre. Power updated the original, giving a modern twist to the setting. In
this production, actor Helen McCrory as Medea explores multifaceted attitudes and themes that
are relevant in today’s world: feminism, the other or outsider and gender issues. In a
collaboration with the director Carrie Cracknell, the production offered new perspectives and a
21st-century representation of Medea. This groundbreaking production gives rise to the line of
inquiry: in what ways does the representation of Medea in the translation by Ben Power illustrate
the themes of marginalisation and gender inequality? Through the analysis of Ben Power's
dramatic and linguistic techniques, the modern audience can observe how the representation of
Medea illustrates marginalisation and gender inequality in today’s world.

Throughout the play, Medea is perceived as an outsider, both ethnically and as an exile from her
own family. To understand the significance of her exile the audience needs to view her as a
marginalized woman and her association with the theme of ‘the other’. The famed myth of Jason
and his exploits acts as a frame story for this play to emphasise the themes of marginalisation
and inequality. Prior to the action of ​Medea, ​the eponymous protagonist left her homeland for the
love of her life; this action puts her, at the start of the play, as a stateless woman, in a powerless
position. She has forsaken the only place where she had superiority, under the protection of her
own royal lineage. However, with the promise of marriage with Jason, she abandoned her
homeland and murdered her own family. In Euripides' play, Medea suffers the consequence of
trusting her husband as he cheats on her, marrying the princess of Corinth. Her thirst for revenge
poses a threat to Jason and King Creon - mandating her exile; this forces her to be in a position
where she cannot flee to her homeland and has nowhere to go without civil protection from
Jason. According to S. Georgia Nugent, “A Greek wife occupies a place that is liminal or
marginal…. She remains, to some extent an outsider, is ​xenos​ (from which we derive, in English,

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xenophobia).” (Nugent 313) An ‘outsider’ has little possibility of being accepted by the group
but offspring are more likely to find acceptance (Melani). Thereby, Medea marrying Jason has
ultimately sacrificed her own identity and value within the hegemony of ancient Greece. For the
Greeks, non-Greeks were seen as ‘barbarians’ and Medea suits that representation perfectly with
her explosive behaviour and ethnic origin. Xenophobia places Medea in an impossible position,
as the binary opposition places her in a position of being considered uncivilised and enslaved; it
opposes the civilised virtues of the Greeks - who are members of the ​polis​ and governed by law.
This accentuates Medea as an outsider and a parasite under Jason’s protection, although for a
modern audience, the real parasite is Jason who exploited her talents in order to accomplish his
deeds. In Ben Power’s production, Medea’s marginalization is seen through juxtaposing her
clothing compared with that of the royal Corinthians (Figures 1 and 2).

Figure 1 ​Medea​. Produced by Ben Power, 2014. (00:11:58)

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Figure 2 ​Medea​. Produced by Ben Power, 2014. (00:40:11)

In the early stages of the play, Medea’s ragged costume contrasts with the lightness of the
Corinthians; she wears trousers and a tank top, connoting both masculinity and poverty. This
differentiates her from the rest of the ensemble, illustrating the motif of marginalisation of
Medea. In addition, her tone of voice is loud and abrupt compared to that of Kreusa, revealing
her barbaric nature that contrasts with Greek traditional feminine attitudes. Medea is a ​xenos​ and
the text exemplifies her as the target of xenophobic comments: “You’re a foreigner and your
nature is dark, unknown” says Creon. Medea’s godly bloodline has been a factor of her
marginalization as even through blood: “I am the sun god’s race” exclaims Medea; she is not
human, and mortals fear the unknown; this alienates Medea. Thus, watching this play in the
modern light highlights the prejudices of recent times, whilst revealing the timeless issue of
prejudice against those who are different; the sympathy for Medea is exacerbated in the modern
era as attitudes towards marginalised outsiders such as immigrants and refugees are now
generally better informed.

A modern audience might also view ​Medea ​as an exploration of feminist attitudes towards
gender inequality. In ancient Greece, women were considered minors, who must always be

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under the legal guardianship of a male (Nugent 313). In addition, women had no voting rights
and were not legal citizens in Greek states; even in the religious sphere, where women played
roles such as priestess, women were more concerned with the organisation of domestic
households than the cults of state or ​polis.​ William P. McDonald examines Jason's excuse that
marrying Kreusa would ensure the future protection of Medea’s children, stating “it contains
irony that no recipient audience would fail to discern”. Jason claims: “Your sacrifices have given
you more than you ever gave me” suggesting he owes Medea no gratitude. Secondly, Jason
states: “I married you. I made you happy. I civilised you. You’d never known law or justice. You
were nothing when I found you.” The pauses in between the sentences in Power's version
emphasise the dehumanising effect as he understates Medea’s identity, reciting his points like a
checklist. The repetition of the singular pronoun ‘I’, conjoining it with positive connotation
makes him the important figure, he uses ‘you’ to disempower Medea comments on Medea as
though women always must serve men. The word ‘civilised’ is especially dehumanising as if he
were a colonising power, imposing his laws on her, a savage, a barbarian. Additionally, her
honest response to the misogynistic criticism, reveals the feminist strength in her. After Creon’s
threat: she states “.....because I’m a woman. Women of Corinth, don’t teach your daughters to
think for themselves” This implies that Medea knows the position of ordinary women; she
exposes the misogyny behind men’s fear of women. Jason’s and Creon’s comments, in fact, act
as a framing device to emphasise Medea's representation and story; his comments allow the
audience to further admire Medea’s perseverance against misogyny and consolidate her
representation as a strong woman. This is emphasised by the audience's pity for Medea as she
struggles with the dilemma of killing her children on the path for vengeance: “I am going to lose
you. And I will drag myself through the rest of my life in a terrible sadness.” McCroy’s voice
and her body language as she mimics the action of ‘dragging’ (Figure 3) powerfully show that
her voice breaks with her heart.

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Figure 3 ​Medea.​ Produced by Ben Power, 2014. (00:57:36)

The drama emphasises Medea's alienation and subjugation and establishes a powerful sense of
her righteous indignation as she is belittled by Jason. Her inner fortitude, self-confidence and to
assure that the hope that she has, will be realized, is all the more powerful. It is even more
meaningful when she says “Seems it was for nothing I went through the agonies of labour. I
screamed as my body tore in two to bring you forth” because her children are all she has to love.
It is so important for her to find a centre, of who she is, and not be enslaved - but to find the
liberty to express her own worth as a woman. The symbolic representation of her value and
identity as a woman is so paramount that it transcends her maternal love. Thereupon, reminding
us the audience of the unfathomable misogyny that a woman can face every day and that we
should acknowledge women’s value and identity as human beings.

The play ​Medea​ as reimagined by Ben Power has predominantly shown us the ways in which the
issues of marginalisation and gender inequality are represented through Medea. Her
marginalisation sparks insight into the era of ancient Greece but also how women today are
treated similarly: How women still do not have the same human rights as men in society.
Medea’s advocacy for gender equality calls upon her strength to overcome adversity in the name

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of justice for women. Her sheer resolve to harm herself in order to seek gender equality is ever
more inspiring for the women in Corinth and today’s audience. Ben Power wants his audience to
find the truth behind misogyny and advocate for women’s voices in a world in which women
have been stigmatised by men for centuries.

Works Cited:

Euripides. Medea, National Theatre Collection. Drama Online. Web. 27 Aug. 2020.
<​https://www.dramaonlinelibrary.com/video?docid=do-9781350935075&tocid=do-9781350935
075_6083701776001​>.

Melani, Lilia. ​The Other,​ Brooklyn College, 5 Feb. 2009,

academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/english/melani/cs6/other.html.

McDonald, William P. THE BLACKNESS OF MEDEA. ​CLA Journal,​ vol. 19, no. 1, 1975, pp.
2037. ​JSTOR​, www.jstor.org/stable/44325584. Accessed 28 Aug. 2020.

Nugent, S. Georgia. Euripides' Medea: The Stranger in the House. ​Comparative Drama,​ vol. 27,
no. 3, 1993, pp. 306327. ​JSTOR​, www.jstor.org/stable/41153653. Accessed 27 Aug. 2020.

The Free Encyclopedia, Wikipedia. “Medea.” ​Wikipedia,​ Wikimedia Foundation, 23 Aug. 2020,
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medea.

Van Zyl Smit, Betine. MEDEA THE FEMINIST. ​Acta Classica​, vol. 45, 2002, pp. 101122.
JSTOR​, www.jstor.org/stable/24595328. Accessed 26 Aug. 2020.