Psychoanalysis of Medea - 2843 Words

Title: Libido: Medea’s Real Force ABSTRACT In this study, Medea by â€Å"Euripides† is approached from a psychoanalytic perspective. It focuses on the theory of Freud that Libido plays an important role in the character building of an individual and that actions of individuals are motivated and controlled by it. The motivation of Medea’s actions does not come from the outside circumstances but arise from her libido. All her actions are analyzed to bring a somewhat clear picture of her psychology. She murders her children after a lot of thinking because of the conflicts hatching in her mind. The movement of the unconscious of Medea has been highlighted. Her libido transforms into ego when her libido object is taken from her. She loses the†¦show more content†¦(Patricia) This transformation in the person of Medea occurs because she is in danger of losing her libido object. She can go to all extremes to preserve this new feeling which she relishes now. Medeas actions are now derived by this new force and she is unable to act reasonably. She is ready to make the unwomanly move to kill her brother in order to get a safe passage for Jason and her. She acts unreasonably and unwomanly because she is unable to control the newly felt feeling of libido. This strange force of libido resides in her unconscious and inspires her actions. According to Freud â€Å"...it (libido) manifests itself in irresistible attractions exerted by one sex upon the other and that its aim is sexual union or at least such actions as would lead to that union.† (Freud, The Basic Writings of Sigmund Freud) It is no doubt her overpowering libido which takes control of her consciousness and she acts as her libido dictates her. It is worth noting that all of her actions are violent now. This is explained by Freud as,†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ the libido is regularly and lawfully of a masculine nature, whether in the man or in the woman.† (Freud, The Basic Writings of Sigmund Freud) Its instinctual manifestation is quite clear. Here we come across a young woman, Medea, who can do anything to get hold of her libidoShow MoreRelatedConflict Between Male And Femal e Characters2154 Words   |  9 Pagesmale characters. Euripides’ Medea and Aristophanes’ Women at Thesmophoria provide one with a paradigm from each genre of how sexual role reversal can explore alternative representations of gender and result in having a transgressive impact on dominating gender ideology. Both playwrights present complex characters that conform to and discard their traditional gender roles during the course of the play’s narratives Barbara Freedman’s Frame-up: Feminism, Psychoanalysis, Theatre provides an appropriateRead MoreGreek Mythology8088 Words   |  33 PagesThanks  to  the  magical  powers  of  Medea,  daughter  of  the  ruler  of  Colchis,  Jason  performed  the   impossible  tasks  necessary  to  win  the  fleece  and  to  take  it  from  the  dragon.  Afterward  Medea  took   horrible  revenge  on  Pelias,  who  had  killed  Jason’s  parents,  stolen  Jason’s  throne,  and  sent  Jason  on   the  quest  for  the  fleece.  She  tricked  Pelias’s  daughters  into  cutting  him  up  and  boiling  him  in  a   cauldron.  Medea’s  story  continued  to  involve  horrific  violence.  When  Jason  rejected  her  for  another   woman,  Medea  once  more  usRead Moresecond sex Essay13771 Words   |  56 P agesthis reciprocity might have facilitated the liberation of woman. When Hercules sat at the feet of Omphale and helped with her spinning, his desire for her held him captive; but why did she fail to gain a lasting power? To revenge herself on Jason, Medea killed their children; and this grim legend would seem to suggest that she might have obtained a formidable influence over him through his love for his offspring. In Lysistrata Aristophanes gaily depicts a band of women who joined forces to gainRead MoreCleanth Brookss Essay Irony as a Principle of Structure9125 Words   |  37 PagesFeminist Poetics * Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar: Infection in the Sentence; The Madwoman in the Attic * Murray Krieger: A Waking Dream: The Symbolic Alternative to Allegory * Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari: Anti-Oedipus: Capitalism and Psychoanalysis * Renà © Girard: The Sacrificial Crisis * Hà ©là ¨ne Cixous: The Laugh of the Medusa * Jonathan Culler: Beyond Interpretation * Geoffrey Hartman: Literary Commentary as Literature * Wolfgang Iser: The Repertoire * Hayden White: The Historical