In this essay Hamilton contrasts modern audience reaction to Euripides's play with fifth-century Greek perceptions of the drama.
Euripides's psychologically realistic portrayal of Medea, who indulges in an excessive form of revenge-the murder of her own children. This is a fascinating study of motivation, yet it is a topic safely distant to modern audiences. The people and society in Medea are part of ancient history. Today's audiences can consider and understand Medea's motivation while simultaneously dismissing it as both a work of fiction and as part of a past culture. However, to Euripides's fifth-century Athenian audience, Medea's act would, under the circumstances, make perfect sense. These Athenians, congregated in the temple of Dionysus to celebrate an annual ritual of dramatic performances, would give no more than a moment's thought to Medea's motivations. Instead, the significance of.....
