The Theme of Family - 1694 Words

The Theme of Family in the Oresteia and the Medea Understanding Greek tragedy depends upon tracing the growth of characters and themes within the plays and how they help to highlight the greater significance of the work. A prominent theme discussed by the tragedians is that of family and is dominant in both the Oresteia and the Medea. The Oresteia centers on concepts of what family is and how obligations within a family transcend personal desires and dictate the life of individuals. The Medea on the other hand focuses upon the sanctity of familial bonds that must be cherished and how the family can be used to extract revenge and inflict pain upon a person. Both works share the idea that the ties within the family bring certain†¦show more content†¦The play sheds light on the familial bond of marriage between Medea and Jason. He treats her as if she’s â€Å"something won in a foreign land† who, since he no longer has use of her, can be disposed. In her misery Medea tells us that she not only eloped with Jason b ut also betrayed her father and her household in doing so. (74:476-484) Thus, we are forced to see her torment as a punishment for her previous actions. It seems pretty clear that Jason and her share a â€Å"diseased love† and their relationship has been built upon exploitation and lust. The realization that the play is trying to draw is that one cannot replace familial bonds with those of infatuation and that betrayal of your family has terrible consequences. Medea was the cause of pain for her father and in return receives pain from her own family as well. She eventually is able to see her wrong doings (86:799-802) yet the sexual jealousy that encompasses her drives her to revenge. It is clear that Jason must suffer for his actions yet the innocent slaughter of the foolish king and his pure daughter portray her as a wicked spiteful creature. She seems to be driven by a value system that is inconsistent with that of the tragedies i.e. the beliefs of an epic hero. But in th e world of tragedy, epic has no place and we see the nurse trying to wish away its existence.Show MoreRelatedTheme Of Family Loyalty In Hamlet1078 Words   |  5 Pagesrelationship with others helps develop a person’s values and beliefs. William Shakespeare illustrates the theme of how committing to a certain task can easily be renounced in the event of family loyalty being jeopardized or personal beliefs at stake. Themes of family loyalty and personal struggles are represented through Ophelia’s hardships with having to be forced to decide between her family and Hamlet. As well Hamlet struggles as he is trying to avenge his father but finding difficulty doing theRead MoreHamlet Theme Family Essay886 Words   |  4 PagesGrace 1 Kayla Grace October 29, 2012 Unit 2: Family 797 words Hamlet: Family Relationships The theme, family, in The Tragedy of Hamlet is major theme with lots of major points. This play is notorious for how it dwells on the issue of incest. In Shakespeare’s time, incest was a sin against God and the state. Queen Elizabeth I asked the Church of England to come up with a list of rules about marriage, basically a list of relatives who couldn’t marry, including in-laws. Also another focus isRead MoreAntigone- Theme of Family Loyalty1484 Words   |  6 PagesBetrayal of Family Loyalty In the play Antigone, written by Greek playwright Sophocles, loyalty to family seems to be a recurring theme. We first see it when Antigone defies King Creons order to keep her brother, Polynices, unburied as a punishment for his betrayal of their country Thebes. 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