Euripedes: Medea & Aeschylus: The Persians - Contexts

When was Euripedes' Medea first performed?

431 BC

When was Aeschylus' Persians first performed?

472 BC

Which wars served as the background to The Persians, which plays an intrinsic war in the play itself (e.g. the Battle of Salamis)?

The Persian Wars

What dramatic genre does Medea, and The Persians, fall into?

Tragedy

What festival was Medea, and The Persians, first performed at?

City Dionysia

What does the City Dionysia festival reinforce to the Greeks?

Religious issues and lessons

What is the most important religious lesson that was shown in Greek tragedies at the City Dionysia?

Hubris

What core Athenian trait was reinforced at the City Dionysia (hint - NOT religion)?

Democracy

How was democracy reinforced to the Athenians at the City Dionysia (i.e. in the theatron, or viewing area, of the theatre)?

They sat in each of their polis

Which character in Medea shows great hubris, in denying Medea the oaths he swore to her (an example of a religious lesson to the Greeks)?

Jason

What sort of character did playwrights use in tragedy, to highlight the 'greatness' of Athenian democracy?

Kings and dictators

True or false: Playwrights would compete to create the best tragic play at the City Dionysia?

True

Which two characters in The Persians were used to reinforce the need for democracy to Athenians at Dionysia (i.e. through their hyperbolic decadence and poor leadership)?

Xerxes and Atossa

Do we know for sure whether or not women attended plays at the City Dionysia?

No

Where were Athenian women supposed to remain at all times, in order to preserve lineage / family honour?

Indoors, veiled

Which two events were women allowed to leave the house for, under constant supervision and veiled?

Festivals and funerals

Who were one of the only groups of women, who were educated in politics and social matters, in Athens?

High-class prostitutes

What would Athenian men have thought of Medea's cunning and ability to manipulate men?

Terrifying (as it threatens Greek social order)

What were the different ways in which a play was staged at the City Dionysia?

Masks; costumes; movement; shoes; backdrop; music

What sort of shoes does Darius wear in The Persians, symbolising his decadence and the Persian stereotype of barbarity?

Saffron shoes

Analysis: How could the costuming of Medea affect her characterisation to an audience?

A veil would make her appear Greek, whereas a barbaric costume would remind the audience of her foreign identity

What is the name of the crane used in Greek tragedies to symbolise the entrance of the gods, used by Medea to enter the stage at the end of the play?

Mechane

Which two scholars say that Medea comes from a barbarian land, but is presented as Greek in the play (making the play itself a social critique of Greek society)?

Hall and Mossman

What sort of Greek character does Medea's characterisation strongly resemble, should her gender be removed?

Homeric hero

Analysis: Arguably, what is the ultimate debate that underlies Medea?

Whether or not she is a barbarian