This section was inspired by a theater production in the Munich Residenztheater based on The Golden Fleece, a trilogy by Franz GrillparzerGrillparzer, Franz (1791–1872), and especially by the third part: Medea. The production conveyed to us that Medea is above all a stranger and refugee, lost in a rather reluctant or even hostile environment in CorinthCorinth, and abandoned by her Greek husband Jason. In what follows we discuss two alternative interpretations. The Greek interpretation of the play that was presented by EuripidesEuripides in the fifth century BC at Athens’ Dionysia, sees Medea as a vengeful wife who murders her children to destroy her husband. The German interpretation, probably strongly influenced by Grillparzer’sGrillparzer, Franz play, emphasizes that Medea suffered hard from being abandoned by her selfish Greek husband Jason in a discriminating environment that regards her as a barbarian. It is an empirical question whether the hypotheses of the two different interpretations hold. However, because of lack of scientific research, we have to restrict ourselves to narrative speculations. In order to discuss and compare these interpretations we will look for further arguments in Anselm Feuerbach’sFeuerbach, Anselm Medea painting and Pasolini’sPasolini, Pier Paolo Medea film.

错误:搜索内容不能为空,请输入英文关键词
错误:关键词超出字数限制,请精简
高级检索

Medea: Child Murderess or Abandoned Wife?

  • Manfred J. Holler,
  • Barbara Klose-Ullmann

摘要

This section was inspired by a theater production in the Munich Residenztheater based on The Golden Fleece, a trilogy by Franz GrillparzerGrillparzer, Franz (1791–1872), and especially by the third part: Medea. The production conveyed to us that Medea is above all a stranger and refugee, lost in a rather reluctant or even hostile environment in CorinthCorinth, and abandoned by her Greek husband Jason. In what follows we discuss two alternative interpretations. The Greek interpretation of the play that was presented by EuripidesEuripides in the fifth century BC at Athens’ Dionysia, sees Medea as a vengeful wife who murders her children to destroy her husband. The German interpretation, probably strongly influenced by Grillparzer’sGrillparzer, Franz play, emphasizes that Medea suffered hard from being abandoned by her selfish Greek husband Jason in a discriminating environment that regards her as a barbarian. It is an empirical question whether the hypotheses of the two different interpretations hold. However, because of lack of scientific research, we have to restrict ourselves to narrative speculations. In order to discuss and compare these interpretations we will look for further arguments in Anselm Feuerbach’sFeuerbach, Anselm Medea painting and Pasolini’sPasolini, Pier Paolo Medea film.