The Use and Abuse of Power by the Female Protagonists in Strindberg's Miss Julie and Euripides' Medea
Miss Julie by Strindberg and Medea by Euripides explore the theme of power struggle. Julie, the Count’s daughter, was raised by a mother who hated men; Strindberg hence presents a confused character who struggles with her sexual desire for men juxtaposing with her need to dominate them. She feels compelled to use her social status when dealing with Jean. Medea, on the other hand, is presented as a brave, unpredictable, almost barbaric woman of extremes; she has committed several crimes on her husband’s behalf. Medea is constantly associated with images of extreme passion be it love, hatred or rage, and it is through the expression of these extremes that the audience becomes familiar with her persona. When she learns of her husband 's betrayal, she abandons any semblance of nobility and maternity left in her and is so consumed with rage that she plans to commit even more atrocious acts to satisfy her thirst for revenge and urge to be controlling.
It is important to note that in both plays, servants introduce the female protagonists; both are labeled as ‘wild’ by subordinates. Julie and Medea appear on stage seeking power and/or defying social norms. The playwrights immediately therefore highlight the importance of power for both women; their desire to dominate their male counterparts is apparent in the first scenes. The use of the servants to pinpoint this theme is an indication of the playwrights’ concerns about the social hierarchy and power in the respective societies. Even before the characters’ first appearance on stage, the audience learns of both females’ need to dominate. In Medea this is done through the chorus’ comparison between Medea and “a wild bull”[1], in addition to the Nurse’s speech, in which she describes Medea as “wild and hateful”1 and later tells her “beware a royal temper”[2]. In Miss Julie the conversation between Jean and Christine recounts how Julie made her ex-fiancé “jump over her hiding whip like a dog”[3] thus showing her need to
It is important to note that in both plays, servants introduce the female protagonists; both are labeled as ‘wild’ by subordinates. Julie and Medea appear on stage seeking power and/or defying social norms. The playwrights immediately therefore highlight the importance of power for both women; their desire to dominate their male counterparts is apparent in the first scenes. The use of the servants to pinpoint this theme is an indication of the playwrights’ concerns about the social hierarchy and power in the respective societies. Even before the characters’ first appearance on stage, the audience learns of both females’ need to dominate. In Medea this is done through the chorus’ comparison between Medea and “a wild bull”[1], in addition to the Nurse’s speech, in which she describes Medea as “wild and hateful”1 and later tells her “beware a royal temper”[2]. In Miss Julie the conversation between Jean and Christine recounts how Julie made her ex-fiancé “jump over her hiding whip like a dog”[3] thus showing her need to
Bibliography: Euripedes, Medea, Cambridge University Press, 1999 August Strindberg, Miss Julie, Meuthen, 1992 ----------------------- [1] Euripides, Medea, Cambridge University Press, 1999, page 7 [2] Euripides, Medea, Cambridge University Press, 1999, page 9 [3] August Strindberg, Miss Julie, Meuthen, 1992, page 4 [4] August Strindberg, Miss Julie, Meuthen, 1992, page 11 [5] August Strindberg, Miss Julie, Meuthen, 1992, page 12 [6] Euripides, Medea, Cambridge University Press, 1999, page 3 [7] Euripides, Medea, Cambridge University Press, 1999, page 17 [8] Euripides, Medea, Cambridge University Press, 1999, page 53 [9] August Strindberg, Miss Julie, Meuthen, 1992, page 39 [10] August Strindberg, Miss Julie, Meuthen, 1992, page 25