Euripides' Medea: the theatricality of "madness"

Abstract

Medea is an Ancient Greek tragedy written by Euripides and first played in 431 BC. It portrays a woman who goes beyond the traditional role of a woman in Ancient Greek society, so far as to kill her children and her husband’s new wife—to revenge his “betrayal.” Medea’s feeling of abandonment and her jealousy can be seen as the driving forces of her behaviour, and despite her guilt, Medea became a symbol of the oppressed woman—portraying the concerns of any woman of the epoch. We propose a reading for this Ancient Greek tragedy, which widely influenced world literature and the arts, within the lens of the medical humanities. The analysis of Medea’s mental state is augmented with quotations of the text in English translation (by Morwood J, 2008). Medea’s description by Euripides constitutes the representation of an individual’s psychology who is mentally disturbed and is a striking example of theatrical “madness.” Medical practitioners should read this Ancient Greek tragedy as they could benefit from the way the author depicts Medea’s mental state. The medical practitioner is exposed to the “theatricality of madness” and can examine the protagonist’s behaviour. The tragedy becomes an example of how the arts and humanities could be included in modern medicine as a means for medical practitioners to enhance their horizons and look beyond the results of a cold diagnosis.