Tragedy Themes/Ideas

Tragedy Themes/Ideas

1. Medea

   • Women, femininity & the position of women
     • Masculine vs feminine qualities
       • Medea can speak in rhetorics, and only men should be able to do that
   • Revenge
   • Greatness & pride
   • Betrayal
   • Exile
   • The "Other"
   • Love
     • Free will vs. fate
   • Cleverness
   • Manipulation
   • Right vs Wrong
   • Accusations and oath breaking
     • Connected to Themis
       • Behaviour regulated by sanctions
       • Verbal contracts
   • The family breakdown
     • The household safe
     • Family honour
     • Heritage
     • Murdering own family members is horrific

2. Ajax

   • Pride and conceit
   • Intelligence more important than brute force
   • Anger and hatred
   • Effects of war
   • Limits of loyalty
   • Personal honour vs group honour
   • Models of masculinity
   • Relation to Dionysos
   • Role of Tecmessa
   • Ajax's sanity
   • Friends vs enemies

3. Trojan Women

   • Effects of war (women, children, innocents)
   • Importance of male bloodline
   • Fatal heritage
   • Burial rites
   • Role of women
   • Role of gods
   • Man responsible for his own actions
   • Honour and dignity
   • The horrors of war
   • Dread
   • Hope
   • Revenge

4. Agamemnon

   • Naturalistic symbolism
   • Womanliness & manliness
     • Male vs female
   • Character foiling and doubling
   • Fire & sunrise (divine and mortal)
   • Women as "promiscuous"
   • Premature death
   • Ambition and daring
   • Divine vs human justice
     • Justice vs Revenge
   • Beast symbolism
   • Corruption & purity (healing)
   • Light v. Dark
   • Freedom vs Slavery
   • Man must suffer to be wise
   • Free will vs Fate/Necessity