Medea Notes: Context: Written by Euripides who lived during the Golden Age of Athens, Genre: Melodrama Euripides

was famous in Athens for centering his tragedies on women; he used his tragic heroines to explore the relationship between gender and the other conceptual, political, social, and esthetic categories organizing Athenian life. Medea is a tragedy of revenge Content: Tutor tells the nurse that Creon wants to send children and Medea into exile. -Medea is heart broken by the betrayal -Jason has abandoned his wife -fearing a possible plot of revenge, Creon banishes Medea and children -Medea is granted one day before she must leave, she plans to complete her justice on this day -Aegus King of Athens offers Medea sanctuary in his home city in exchange for her knowledge of certain drugs. -Medea engages in a ruse; she pretends to sympathize with Jason -gives a cornet and dress as a present they are actually poisoned -Glouce is killed, Creon chooses to die by her side by absorbing the poison himself. -against the protests of the chorus Medea murders her children and flees the scene in a dragon-pulled chariot provided by her grandfather -Jasons left Medea to marry the Kings daughter -decides to kill children due to believe that no one can safe them -Medea is a sorceress/princess -tricked the daughter of a rival king into poisoning their own father. Tartuffe: Genre: Neoclassicism comedy, written by Molire in 1664 a play that satirizes religious hypocrites and certain aspects of the church. Tartuffe was banned, and Moliere had to resort to using his influence with the king to get permission for the play to be produced. Tartuffe was first written and performed during the reign of King Louis XIV of France, which lasted from 1643 until the Kings death in 1715. Random Fact: Because of his criticism of many aspects of life, Moliere was denied a proper burial and was only grudgingly allowed a burial plot in sanctified ground. -comedy had to happen to the lower class but still had to teach a lesson. -Could not show untrue things: violence, soliloquies, chorus, and supernatural . -The Arts flourished under Louis XIV -Moliere was adopted as the Kings Company -Moliere for varied reasons, continues the play for an entire act longer than is often necessary, the fifth act contributes little or nothing to the total view of the play and is blatant piece of flattery to the king.

Content: Initial Situation: Orgon, the head of a prosperous family, has been taken in by Tartuffe, a man who appears to be holy, but is really a fraud. Orgon and his mother are the only ones to have fallen under the tricksters spell the rest of Orgons relatives, including his wife and brother in law, see right through Tartuffe. Conflict: Orgon tells his daughter Marianne that she will be marrying Tartuffe instead of Valere her longtime fianc. Complication: Tartuffe attempts to seduce Orgons wife, Elmire. Elmire shuts him down, then makes a deal with him: if hell convince Orgon to let Mariane marry Valere, she wont tell Orgon whats happened, Orgon refuses to believe him and disinherits him instead. Tartuffe is made the sole heir to Orgons future. Elmire decides that Orgon needs to be shown the truth as quickly as possible. She makes Orgon hide under a table while she seduces Tartuffe. Orgon is horrified by what he sees and confronts Tartuffe. Conclusion: Tartuffe shows up, policeman in tow, to arrest Orgon. Hes shown the damning documents to the King. The police arrest Tartuffe instead and explains that the wise King could see through Tartuffes ruse instantly. Orgon is given back his property and absolved of any wrongdoing, Tartuffe is taken away and Mariane and Valere are slated to be married.