Research Article

MAD WOMEN ON STAGE: FEMALE INSANITY IN EURIPIDES’ MEDEA, HENRIK IBSEN’S HEDDA GABLER and EUGENE O’NEILL’S LONG DAY’S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT

Number: 40 June 29, 2020
TR EN

MAD WOMEN ON STAGE: FEMALE INSANITY IN EURIPIDES’ MEDEA, HENRIK IBSEN’S HEDDA GABLER and EUGENE O’NEILL’S LONG DAY’S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT

Abstract

Throughout the history, women challenging their gender roles have mostly been labelled as hysterical, mad or dangerous by the patriarchal society. This long-seated tendency to associate women with insanity has also been echoed in drama. In that regard, this paper will explore the representation of nonconformist women who transgress the boundaries of imposed normality in Euripides’s Medea, Henric Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler and Eugene O’Neill’s Long Day’s Journey into Night. Financially dependent and restless with societal expectations, Medea, Hedda and Mary are tragic heroines of different eras resisting patriarchy that finally bring them on the verge of madness. After having sacrificed their aspirations or relative freedom for their marriages, those atypical female protagonists meet on a common ground in their repudiation of the dictated gender roles and motherhood image, which leads Medea to murder her own sons and Hedda to end her life while leaving Mary no choice than cutting off from reality through morphine.

Keywords

References

  1. Euripides. Medea. (1998). In Drama: Classical to Contemporary. ed. Coldeway and Streitberger. Prentice Hall: New Jersey, 1998. (73-95).
  2. Ibsen, Henrik (2000). Hedda Gabler. In Drama: Classical to Contemporary. ed. Coldeway and Streitberger. (pp. 550-583). Prentice Hall: New Jersey.
  3. O'Neill, Eugene ( 2009). “Long Day's Journey Into Night”. Norton Anthology of Drama. Vol. 2. (pp. 932-1012). New York: Norton P.
  4. Bressler, C. E. (1999). Literary Criticism: An Introduction to Theory and Practice. (pp. 932-1012). New Jersey: Prentice Hall P.
  5. Coldewey, John C. & W. R. Streitberger (2000). Drama: Classical to Contemporary. New Jersey: Prentice Hall P
  6. Code, L. (ed) (2000). Encyclopedia of Feminist Theories. New York: Routledge.
  7. Chesler, Phyllis (1997). Women and Madness. 2nd ed. New York: Four Walls Eight Windows P.
  8. Ellis, L. (1999). Appearing to Diminish: Female Development and the British Bildungsroman, 1750-1850. London: Associated UP.

Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Literary Theory, Creative Arts and Writing

Journal Section

Research Article

Publication Date

June 29, 2020

Submission Date

January 28, 2020

Acceptance Date

May 8, 2020

Published in Issue

Year 2020 Number: 40

APA
Can, M. (2020). MAD WOMEN ON STAGE: FEMALE INSANITY IN EURIPIDES’ MEDEA, HENRIK IBSEN’S HEDDA GABLER and EUGENE O’NEILL’S LONG DAY’S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT. Pamukkale Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi, 40, 405-416. https://doi.org/10.30794/pausbed.681422
AMA
1.Can M. MAD WOMEN ON STAGE: FEMALE INSANITY IN EURIPIDES’ MEDEA, HENRIK IBSEN’S HEDDA GABLER and EUGENE O’NEILL’S LONG DAY’S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT. PAUSBED. 2020;(40):405-416. doi:10.30794/pausbed.681422
Chicago
Can, Meltem. 2020. “MAD WOMEN ON STAGE: FEMALE INSANITY IN EURIPIDES’ MEDEA, HENRIK IBSEN’S HEDDA GABLER and EUGENE O’NEILL’S LONG DAY’S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT”. Pamukkale Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi, nos. 40: 405-16. https://doi.org/10.30794/pausbed.681422.
EndNote
Can M (June 1, 2020) MAD WOMEN ON STAGE: FEMALE INSANITY IN EURIPIDES’ MEDEA, HENRIK IBSEN’S HEDDA GABLER and EUGENE O’NEILL’S LONG DAY’S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT. Pamukkale Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi 40 405–416.
IEEE
[1]M. Can, “MAD WOMEN ON STAGE: FEMALE INSANITY IN EURIPIDES’ MEDEA, HENRIK IBSEN’S HEDDA GABLER and EUGENE O’NEILL’S LONG DAY’S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT”, PAUSBED, no. 40, pp. 405–416, June 2020, doi: 10.30794/pausbed.681422.
ISNAD
Can, Meltem. “MAD WOMEN ON STAGE: FEMALE INSANITY IN EURIPIDES’ MEDEA, HENRIK IBSEN’S HEDDA GABLER and EUGENE O’NEILL’S LONG DAY’S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT”. Pamukkale Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi. 40 (June 1, 2020): 405-416. https://doi.org/10.30794/pausbed.681422.
JAMA
1.Can M. MAD WOMEN ON STAGE: FEMALE INSANITY IN EURIPIDES’ MEDEA, HENRIK IBSEN’S HEDDA GABLER and EUGENE O’NEILL’S LONG DAY’S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT. PAUSBED. 2020;:405–416.
MLA
Can, Meltem. “MAD WOMEN ON STAGE: FEMALE INSANITY IN EURIPIDES’ MEDEA, HENRIK IBSEN’S HEDDA GABLER and EUGENE O’NEILL’S LONG DAY’S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT”. Pamukkale Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi, no. 40, June 2020, pp. 405-16, doi:10.30794/pausbed.681422.
Vancouver
1.Meltem Can. MAD WOMEN ON STAGE: FEMALE INSANITY IN EURIPIDES’ MEDEA, HENRIK IBSEN’S HEDDA GABLER and EUGENE O’NEILL’S LONG DAY’S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT. PAUSBED. 2020 Jun. 1;(40):405-16. doi:10.30794/pausbed.681422
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