Year 12 EAL - ‘Medea’ Assignment
Characterisation and characters
A character’s personality, views and values can be revealed through:
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What the character says.
How the character speaks – think about the language the character uses and the tone they use.
What others say to them or think about them.
What the character does.
How their personalities and attitudes are revealed in their relationships with others.
How the characters’ attitudes and beliefs are challenged by others.
Stage directions.
1. Use the dot points above to collect information about and write descriptions of the following
characters: Medea, Jason, Creon, Nurse, Aegeus and Tutor.
2. Choose two or three key moments in the text where Euripides’ portrayal of the character reveals
something about their views (what they believe) and values (what is important to them). Outline this.
Do these views challenge the common views and values held by the ancient Greeks?
3. Write a succinct paragraph on Euripides’ view of Medea and Jason. Is he sympathetic or
unsympathetic? Admiring or critical? Affectionate or hostile? How do you know?
Themes
Complete a 200 word analysis of each of the themes below for the text as whole. Ensure you utilise the TEE
structure in your analysis:
Topic: Introduce the theme and discuss the development of it throughout the text.
Explain and Explore: Give one or more strong examples from the text to discuss the overall theme e.g. key
scenes/dialogue.
Evidence: Use quotes throughout your analysis to strengthen your discussion.
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Betrayal
Exile
Relationships between parents and children
Reason vs Passion
Revenge
Views and values
Identifying views and values
1. Identify three core views that you believe are expressed by the Chorus throughout ‘Medea’. Provide
examples to support your response.
2. What does Euripedes value/condemn? Identify three qualities/concepts/ideas that you believe
Euripedes endorses (supports), challenges or leaves unquestioned in ‘Medea’. Justify your response.
(e.g. the role of women in a patriarchal society, the treatment of foreigners, slavery, justice)
Nicole Carbonaro
Structure and language
1. Discuss in detail the choices Euripides makes to engage the audience in the drama of his play. Does
he encourage us to sympathise with Medea? How?
2. Make a list of 3 stage directions that show what is happening in terms of the physical action of the
play. Explain their significance.
3. Make a list of 3 stage directions that show what is happening in terms of the emotional states of the
characters in the play. Explain their significance.
4. Study the language patterns and choices of Medea and Jason. How do they speak to others? What
tone(s) do they use? Are their word choices negatively or positively connotated? How does Euripides
use their language to influence our reactions to them? Use examples to support your discussions.
5. One of the key skills of this outcome is the ability to analyse the ways in which textual meaning is
created. This means being able to identify narrative devices used by authors and the way structural
and language elements contribute to a readers understanding of the key textual concerns. Some of the
devices include:
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Imagery (similes, metaphors, personification etc)
Symbolism / Motif
Tone / Mood
Writers use these devices to shape our perceptions of and attitudes towards characters and textual ideas /
themes. Find 5 literary devices Euripides uses throughout the text and explain their meaning.
Language / Literary Device
(for example, symbol,
imagery – simile /
metaphor, use of setting
etc.)
Nicole Carbonaro
Textual Example
(Quote)
Meaning Created
(for eg, how do we perceive character, what does it
add to our understanding of theme, social context
etc.)