Dramatic Suspense in Euripides' and Seneca's "Medea".

Abstract

Our purpose here is threefold: (1) to make an exhaustive study of dramatic suspense itself as generated by two highly influential Medea plays; (2) to provide a complete rereading of these plays; and (3) to make a comparative study of the dramas, particularly with regard to the innovative ways each author evokes suspense in his audience. This study begins with an introduction discussing some key considerations of myth, tragic drama, and suspense, and how these relate to each other, the tragic hero, and the audience. Certain Aristotelian concepts are discussed. The second chapter deals with the Medea legend itself, from its origins to its influence on Euripides and subsequent development before Seneca. Specifically, there are two quite divergent legends regarding the murder of her children. One indicates that they were killed by the Korinthians, the other, by their mother, but accidentally. This makes Euripides the first to motivate Medea to murder her children deliberately to avenge Jason's betrayal. An extensive third chapter deals with Euripides' Medea and sets out to show that, contrary to modern critical consensus which presumes Euripides' audience knew everything beforeh and , in fact, the Athenians of 431 B.C. must have been in the dark throughout most of the drama as to who would kill the children: Medea or the Korinthians. Viewed from this perspective, the play generates a much greater degree of suspense, which the author is shown to develop with extreme originality and skill scene by scene throughout the drama. In the next chapter, Seneca's Medea is discussed. Here, of course, we must assume that his audience was more or less familiar with Euripides' drama and /or later authors who treated the same theme. In any case, there is no question of alteration of the major motif established by Euripides: that Medea kills her children intentionally in order to punish Jason for ab and oning her. Nonetheless, it is shown that through his substantial innovations and original h and ling of other key motifs, the Choral interludes, dramatic structure, and the character of Medea, Seneca creates a unique drama with a power and suspense all its own. A concluding chapter follows.