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What is the structure of Medea?
Quick answer:
The structure of Medea follows the traditional Greek tragedy format: prologue, parodos, alternating episodes and stasima, and exodus. The prologue introduces characters and background, the parodos features the chorus, each episode advances the plot, and each stasimon provides the chorus's commentary. The play concludes with the exodus, where Medea laments her fate after her tragic actions.
Prologue: This is the introductory scene to a play. Usually it involves a limited number of characters that explain the necessary history to understand the current drama. In Medea this would be the scene between the Nurse ("O how I wish that ship the Argo/had never sailed off to the land of Colchis"), the Tutor ("Old slave from my mistress’ household,/why are you here, standing by the gate"), and Medea herself ("I can’t stand this pain, this misery./What do I do? I wish I could die!").
Parados: The first song spoken or sung by the chorus. This scene begins in Medea when the Chorus Leader comes on.
First Episode: In an episode, characters and chorus members talk and advance the plot. It's important to remember that in Greek theatre no more than 2 or 3 characters can be onstage (besides the chorus, who weren't really onstage at all but in a separate place called the 'orchestra').
Choral Ode: A song or chant performed by the chorus. Usually this would be combined with a dance or ritual of some kind.
Second Episode: The second scene between characters.
Choral Ode: The second choral ode.
(...) The rest of the play should go back and forth between episodes and choral odes.
Exodus: Finally, at the end of the play, the chorus gives some piece of final wisdom. Here is the exodus from Medea:
"Zeus on Olympus,
dispenses many things.
Gods often contradict
our fondest expectations.
What we anticipate
does not come to pass.
What we don’t expect
some god finds a way
to make it happen.
So with this story."
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