Copied below are the essay questions for our final exam, followed by exemplary answers (or parts of answers). Ellipses ( . . . ) represent parts omitted from answers.

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2a. With Antigone, Medea, A Raisin in the Sun, and ‘night, Mother, we read four tragedies centered on women characters, their concerns, or their domains, but two of these plays were written by men, while two were written by women. What differences in style, setting, characterization, family dynamics, and social ethics appeared to result from these different authorships? Support your insights by comparing and contrasting the plays.

2a: sample answer 1

Antigone, Medea, A Raisin in the Sun and ‘night, Mother are all plays where women are the central characters and their concerns and actions shape the play. All of these plays have very strong female characters, who look out for their best interest and the well being of their families. However, since two of these plays (Antigone and Medea) were written by men and the other two were written by women, there are many differences in the style, setting, characterization, family dynamics, and social ethics.

The style and setting are one of the ways that the gender of the author creates a difference. The style of Antigone and Medea is very direct. The plays start with the problem and the female characters take action to resolve the problem. Raisin and ‘night Mother unfold the problem through conversation and the resolution to the problem occurs also through conversation. This style difference occurs because men are usually more direct and take action, while women usually talk through problems. The setting of Antigone and Medea is of course Greece but it is public and the problems are known by the townspeople. The chorus also comments on these problems adding to the involvement of the entire community. Raisin and ‘night, on the other hand, have a private setting which occurs in the home. Only the immediate family members are involved in the problem and can comment on the problem. The setting difference occurs because women emphasize the relationship of the family more than men. Also, the setting difference is because of the time periods the plays were written. Antigone and Medea were written in ancient Greece and the characters are in a royal position or at least an upper class position. This accounts for the public involvement because the good of the state would be affected by the problems facing their leaders. However, Raisin and ‘night are more modern plays and the characters are just average people so their problems do not effect a majority.

Another area that the differences due to the authorship, occurs are in the characterization and the family dynamics in the plays. The female characters in Antigone and Medea are strong women, who take action due to a man who has committed a wrong against them and they must right that wrong for the good of themselves and their family. Even though society views these women as weak, especially the kings in each play, they take a strong stand against their oppressors. However, it almost seems that if it were not for the oppressor they would not take the stand. Even in the case of Medea, who has a history of trickery. She is driven to do the evil deeds even early on by her love for Jason. In Raisin and ‘night the female characters are strong but their strength is from their love of their family. The women in Raisin gather strength from each other and from trying to keep the family together. The women in ‘night gain strength from the situation and from the ability that situation gives them to deal with the problems in their past. Also, the characters do not take immediate action but talk through the problems before deciding on the action to take. Even in ‘night Jessie talks through her choice to commit suicide with her mother before the act takes place. In all plays the family plays an important role. In Antigone and Medea the family is the reason they take action, but the feelings and thoughts of the family are not really expressed. The audience does not get to know all of the members of the family and how they feel and play into the situation. Raisin and ‘night, however, portray all of the immediate family and the family becomes involved with the problem. The family as a whole talk through the situation, and the audience get to view everyone’s thoughts and feelings.

Finally, the social ethics differ amongst the plays. Antigone and Medea are committing a social taboo to solve their problems. Medea commits murder and Antigone goes against the orders of the king to bury her brother. However, these taboos are overlooked by the chorus because they can see justification of the women’s actions. Raisin and ‘night also have social taboos but they are not as easily seen as acceptable. In Raisin, Walter wants to invest in a liquor store and mama sees that as wrong because it promotes alcoholism into the community but it could also be right because Walter would provide for his family. Also, the issue of abortion is brought up but if it is right or wrong is left up to the audience. In ‘night the taboo of suicide is the focus of the play but both sides of the issue are represented without the audience knowing the stand the author takes.

Although all four plays are centered around female characters and their actions, there are many differences that occur due to the gender of the author. Looking at the style, setting, characterization, family dynamics, and social ethics the differences between male authored plays about women and female authored plays about women becomes apparent. [EG 00]

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2a: sample answer 2

            Both Antigone and Medea are male-authored plays, while Raisin in the Sun and ‘night Mother are female authored. I will primarily contrast the writing styles, settings, characterization, family dynamics, and social ethics between these two groups.

            The writing styles used by Sophocles and Euripedes was far more direct than that of the female writers. In both Antigone and Medea, there was powerful action developed continually throughout the play; whereas, in Raisin and ‘night the female authors took a more indirect approach to writing the script. For example, in Antigone and Medea the characters took bold action. Antigone disobeyed the law of the state by burying her brother. This action was in direct conflict with Creon’s edict to leave him unburied because he was a traitor. She boldly disobeyed the king and suffered the consequences. In the same manner, Euripedes’ main character, Medea, bravely planned her revenge again Jason who had left her for a younger, wealthier woman. The authors of these two plays wrote in way that moved swiftly and directly from one action to another.

            On the other hand, Lorraine Hansbury (Raisin) and Marsha Norman (‘night) both used a more indirect writing style. In Raisin the check is mentioned numerous times before the reader can actually determine how it figures into the plot. In a similar fashion, Norman only gives us tiny pieces of the suicide plot at a time. We are further into the play before we are able to actually put the pieces together and determine how the main character is planning to kill herself. Although we continue to try to decide why she is doing this, the author very carefully writes in such a way to ensure that we can’t deduce any concrete reasons. Both Hansbury and Norman imply their meaning through hints and clues rather than stating information directly. This is in strong contrast to the style of the male authors.

            The settings of the two male-authored plays are very public locations. Antigone takes place in Thebes with the people/chorus listening and observing most of the actions. In the same way, Medea’s actions are staged in Corinth near the palace and again with the chorus observing and commenting on the actions. Several attendants, guards, the nurse and tutor are all observers of the various public scenes. In contrast, the two female-authored plays are far more private. Hansbury allows us to peek into the private pain of the Younger family. We see the brokenness of the various family members, but their actions are within the private boundaries of their home. In much the same way, Norman stages ‘night Mother in the home of Jessie and Thelma in a remote, rural setting. We see their pain as it unfolds, but this pain also remains hidden from the general public as well as other family members.

            The male authors seem to give masculine traits to their female characters. Antigone and Medea are both defiant, assertive, and powerful. In Antigone the law of the state can be associated with males since they are man-made laws. Sophocles develops Antigone’s character much as he might if the character were a male. Although she is a female, a strong male voice can still be heard. Euripede’s Medea uses double language to manipulate the men and the situation in general. Euripedes takes the risk and violates the stereotypical female role with Medea, but instead of molding her into a well-developed female character, he too seems to give her bravery and courage that we might associate with male characters.

            On the other hand, Hansbury’s females in Raisin are more developed. Although the majority of the characters are female, they are strong but vastly different from one another. We see Mama’s strength in a very different portrayal from the strength of Beneatha or Ruth. They are unique; they feel real because of the careful details used to develop them. Handsbury allows us to see both the strong and the gentle sides of the three women characters. However, because all three characters exhibit strong emotions, we are able to view this emotion as liberating instead of sentimental. In a similar way, Norman helps us to get to know both Jessie and Thelma. Since there is very little emphasis on plot, we are allowed to see Jessie’s obsessive-compulsive tendencies as both endearing and frustrating at the same time. Thelma’s character is also dimensional. Norman develops her in such a way that we cannot only feel her pain as she begs Jessie not to commit suicide, but we also get a glimpse of how she could be the source of some of Jessie’s anxiety. Overall, the male-authored plays did not allow us to see the female characters as multi-faceted in the same way the female authors did.

            The family ties in both Antigone and Medea provides the motivation for the strong action taken by the two title characters. However, there is very little detail written to develop a sense of strong family love or bonds between the title character and her family. We see the resulting action but never really see evidence of intimacy between the females and their family members. In contrast, Hansbury and Norman give us enough details that we are able to sense the strong family ties between the Youngers and between Jessie and Thelma. Even though the Youngers may lash out verbally at each other, we also see the moments of tenderness. Mama in effect puts family over money when she uses a portion of her insurance money to buy the family a home. Jessie chooses to talk to her mother about her suicide so that Thelma wont blame herself. We realize that Jessie knows her mother very well and is concerned about how Jessie’s death will affect her. We are aware of these bonds because of the careful details used by the female authors to help develop this intimacy.

            The social ethics can be perceived quite differently in the two groups of plays. The male-authored plays have the females breaking the law, laws that were written by males. Antigone ignores the man-made laws in favor of the more important (in her eyes) laws of the gods. In a similar fashion, Medea manipulates the situation by violating the social norms. She not only murders her husband’s new lover but her own children as well. We see very little struggle of conscious from these two characters as they decide to violate the laws of the state and, in the same way, relatively little, if any, remorse for having done so.

However, in the female-authored texts we see Mama struggle with what is morally right when she debates with Walter Lee about investing in a liquor store. She is against the idea on moral grounds but later changes her mind and turns the money over to him. In ‘night Mother, Jessie struggles with her decision to kill herself. In typical female fashion, she talks through the situation trying to help her mother see things through her own eyes. Jessie’s decision isn’t anyone’s fault; it isn’t right or wrong she proclaims repeatedly. It is just the way things have to be. We even see Jessie’s resolve weaken when her mother talks to her about the shame her family will feel as a result of her suicide. We get the feeling that this talking through process may even convince Jessie that maybe she shouldn’t kill herself. Both female authors write their script in such a way that we understand how the characters struggle with the lack of a defined line between right and wrong. [AZ 00]

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2a: sample answer 3

In the classical tragedies of "Antigone" and "Medea" women are presented through the perspective of the male writer. As a result, much of the action of the plays, as well as the development of character and style, differ from the female authored plays, "A Raisin in the Sun" and ""Night Mother." Antigone and Medea represent women who must make decisions in societies that are inherently patriarchal. However, in counterpoint to the relegated role of women both characters dare to challenge the authority of male figures, and act according to their conscience (Antigone), or desire (Medea). Essentially, Antigone and Medea violate all stereotypes by denying the rules of men. Antigone answers to a higher law, beyond the reach of man. In her pride and willfulness she resembles her father, Oedipus, and her uncle, Creon, and displays masculine characteristics. Elsewhere the tragedy reinforces the sense of male dominance through images of male sexuality as in the stallion and the plow. The male still has the upper hand, "the one voice" of rule. In addition, Creon epitomizes male directness and action. Antigone however, remains ambivalent in regard to the law, seeing her duty as moral.

Medea also functions in a world defined by men. She plays the supportive role as wife to Jason, however at his betrayal she stands to lose everything. Medea is also an outsider, a barbarian. Her desperation forces her to make choices that remain unthinkable. However, as the quintessential woman scorned, she exacts her revenge, and her actions rather than Jason’s drive the play.

In the modern plays of RIS and NM female writers dictate characters and action. Unlike the classical tragedies, the action in RIS and NM occurs in a predominantly female environment. As a result, there is a clear sense of women’s presence as opposed to control. Furthermore, the plays are relational, there are no absolute truths and feelings are shared though often indirectly. Although the plays lack the patriarchal dominance evident in the classics, they do address the concerns of men. RIS presents a well-drawn male character in Walter Younger. Significantly, his dreams and desires share equal billing with the needs of the women in his life. In NM the needs and considerations of Jessie’s son, ex-husband, and brother play a role in the decision making process. In "Antigone" only Haimon emerges as a new kind of man, remaining open to the ideas of the heroine. The cost for such enlightenment however, subjects him to ridicule and eventually he pays with his life. As with the classics, female-authored modern tragedy essentially mirrors its time. There is a sense of women coming into their own, and defining themselves as individuals as opposed to attractive appendages for men. Antigone and Medea were undoubtedly liberated for their time, but they paid a heavy price for daring to challenge the patriarchal system. [YH 00]

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2a: sample answer 4

The four tragedies read while covering tragic women can easily be categorized into two completely different ways of writing literature. I believe this is most easily distinguished by the sex of the author of the play. Although all four plays are indeed wonderful, the plays written by the men are starkly different than the plays authored by the women.

Both Antigone and Medea are set in Ancient Greece. The title characters in both plays are headstrong, clever women who are able to use both their brains and their feminine wile to help them get along in the world. These main characters are the only characters we are able to know on a personal level. We are introduced to Ismene (Antigone) and to the nurse and chorus of women (Medea), but we never know much about them except that they are timid women. They know they are powerless, and do not argue with the ways of the world. We learn very little about their personalities. The male characters in the two plays are crucial to the plots, but the audience does not develop much of a relationship with them. We know who they are in relation to the title character, but little beyond this is learned. Many of the men, Medea’s two sons for example, remain nameless. This lack character development is how Sophocles and Euripedes make such powerful characters in their tragic heroes.

The complete opposite is how Hansberry and Norman write their plays. Each and every character in these two plays is extremely well developed. The audience learns what makes each character tick. In A Raisin in the Sun, the central character is a man. However, this would not be much of a play if not for the wonderfully developed female characters whom he shares a stage with. In both of these plays emotion takes over, and the audience feels for these people. By knowing them so personally, we can relate their life’s problems to our own. Also, these women are strong in ways different than Antigone and Medea. The women in Raisin and ‘Night Mother are not trying to avenge some wrong done to them. They are simply living their lives the best they can. They have control of their individual lives, and go about taking care of what they feel is their duty. They take care of their homes, prepare food for the rest of the family, and are decision makers all while trying to help financially support the family. These characters seem real, not larger than life superwomen who feel they must put on a cape and rid the world of all wrongdoing.

Maybe the women authors make their plays more intimate simply because they are women. It is considered to be the female nature to talk things out, attempt to solve problems, and nurture others. This flagging of the sexes is society at its worst, yet these plays are perfect examples. Women are considered soft and emotional people. Men are the "strong" ones who must hide their emotions and try to be more mater-of-fact and straight to the point about how to handle a given situation. This is how the characters Antigone and Medea are created. Will this change? No one can see the future. However, these plays span enough time to make a good guess; the more things change, the more they stay the same. [TP 00]

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2b. Though tragedy is historically a male-authored genre, women frequently appear as protagonists or as major characters. Why? What issues do their presence and voice highlight? How do women characters "drive the plot," and how do they helpfully complicate any simplistic classification of tragedy as a genre? Refer to at least 4 plays from our readings, at least 2 of them from the "Tragic Women" section (Antigone, Medea, A Raisin in the Sun, and ‘night, Mother).

2b: sample answer 1

Tragedy is a representation of reality (handout). When women are included in tragedy the author allows new and more complicated issues to be considered. These include the outcome of the tragic event on the home and the children and the consideration of the Oedipal complex.

Women become representative of the home in literature. Men in literature usually perform roles outside of home. The outcome of a woman in a tragedy allows the audience to analyze the roll of women and the effect of tragedy on this traditionally considered sacred place. If the home is a safe place then what is the outcome of O’Neill’s tragedy "Desire under the Elms" when Abbie falls along with the tragic hero Eben. The audience will ask this same question when Jessie takes her life in "‘Night Mother". A women’s role as protector of the home can be questions in "A Raisin in the Sun" as the family loses everything when a business deal goes sour. Tragic Women allow the author to explore the issue: What happens to the home when a woman falls?

Children are often associated with both the home and mother. In most traditional literature children are included with their mothers. If a woman in tragedy falls, the outcome on her children can be devastating. Medea kills her children to avenge the wrong committed against her. The author allows the audience to consider the fate of the children. This consideration can only occur when women are at the heart of tragedy. Antigone, as the daughter of Oedipus, is the child of a great tragic figure. Her death is represented of the outcome of tragedy on women and children. O’Neill’s plays represent his mother as a great woman in the midst of a tragic fall. Her mental illness and a drug addiction drive the male characters into their own tragic condition. Women in tragic literature allow the audience to consider the outcome of the women’s tragedy and its influence on the children. [DH 00]

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2b: sample answer 2

As we have studied in this course, tragedy has traditionally been written by men. This fact, however, does not mean that women characters have not been included in the writings. On the contrary, women characters are among some of the most famous protagonists in these plays. The question asked is, what do these female characters offer and how do they improve the quality of the genre? To answer this question we must analyze examples from the genre and determine the contributions made by the women characters. . . .

A third tragedy with significant female characters is Oedipus Rex. One of the important characters is Jocasta, Oedipus's mom/wife. This particular character enhances the genre when she raises the point of the truth not being always the best choice. This point is made even more dramatic because of her relationship to Oedipus and the spoken truth. In the end, the tragedy would have less meaning if this female character was not given the opportunity to speak. . . .

In conclusion, great tragedies include important women characters to enhance the quality of the genre. Without the presence of women, the audience would only be exposed to a male-oriented voice. Therefore, by the inclusion of women, the genre is raised to a higher, more complex level of understanding. [MF 00]

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3a. "Dreams" for most Americans imply a romance narrative of escape or transcendence, but many of our plays—especially those by O’Neill—have invested the concept of the dream with more complex meanings. In the first part of your essay, review the "romantic" concept of dreams in popular culture and in our plays (especially Ah! Wilderness). As a transition toward O’Neill, review some of the more complex uses of the concept we have seen in other plays (e. g., Oedipus Rex, Hamlet, A Raisin in the Sun). Then focus your essay on O’Neill’s concept of "the dream" as a tragic yet ennobling aspect of humanity, referring to at least two of the following three plays: Desire Under the Elms, Long Day’s Journey into Night, A Moon for the Misbegotten.

3a: sample answer

Ingrained in the American psyche is the sense of the dream as integral to life’s experience. Without hope and ambition life lacks purpose, becoming worthless. This theme reverberates through much of American literature and popular culture perhaps because the nation was founded from a belief in the dream of freedom. In many respects, the dream is closely associated with romantic idealism and success as in the rags to riches stories of James Tyrone or Jay Gatsby. The familiar theme of boy gets the girl of his dreams surfaces in O’Neill’s "Ah! Wilderness," in which Richard lands the prize (Muriel) after nearly losing her. AW serves as an example of the American dream in romantic terms as it emerged in the early to mid 20th century. The dream centers round family life and the attainment of the home with the white picket fence and the basic nuclear family. The Millers represent the kind of family O’Neill wished for. They form a safe, loving unit. Dissention and rebellion, as in Richard’s radical philosophizing and pseudo pessimism, never seriously threaten the family’s stability. Rather, they highlight his teenage naiveté and create unity in the family as the parents reflect on the errors of youth and the joy of later years.

Elsewhere, however, dreams become more complex and take on greater significance. "Hamlet," for instance, projects dreams as forms of escape or revelation. They provide a means for reflection and moral decision-making.

In Larraine Hans berry’s "A Raisin in the Sun" the dream exemplifies a desire for social and political equality for African Americans. But, more than that, it also reminds us of the dreams of the individual and how we are defined by those dreams. Mama’s dream and Ruth’s relate to the Millers’ dream of home ownership and stability. However, this dream is not derived from the desire of material gain; rather, it reflects a need for security and dignity. Walter’s dream reflects the get rich quick scheme for financial success to provide his family with security. Beneatha’s dream relates to personal fulfillment through education and professional success. This not only reflects the universal dreams of all women to be equal in a man’s world, but also the dreams of new generations of ethnic minorities.

Essentially, as O’Neill indicates, without dreams and the strive to attain them, men are but ghosts and life is worthless. This theme resounds in much of O’Neill’s work and is closely associated with his tragedies. In "A Long Days Journey Into Night" all of the characters with the exception of Jamie, reveal their dreams and aspirations. Tyrone reflects on his lost opportunity to become a great Shakespearean actor, while Mary recalls her ambition to become a pianist and a nun, and the later dream of a home and stability. Edmund’s dreams symbolize a rejection of materialism in favor of spiritual freedom, becoming one with nature. Dreams are, of course, by their very nature elusive. The failure to achieve such dreams strikes at the heart of tragedy, and O’Neill’s characters deteriorate as their dreams fail to materialize. Hence Tyrone becomes a shadow of the actor he might have been, Mary succumbs to morphine addiction, and Edmund’s life becomes fraught with dissipation and ill health. Significantly, however, the dreams survive and provide a means for father and son (Tyrone and Edmund) to reach each other through the sharing process. Such experience creates understanding and a sense of admiration and caring between the characters.

            Despite the thwarting of such dreams, the knowledge that they exist elevates the status of the characters. In such a way, O’Neill creates empathy by adding a sense of substance and nobility to his players. Only Jamie is shown to be without a dream and the result is a life of drunken dissipation.

In "A Moon for the Misbegotten" O’Neill provides a chance for Jamie to resolve his guilt and achieve a sense of resolution. The tragicomedy of MFM presents two characters who remain basically misfits or outsiders. However, even misfits are not without dreams. In the tragicomic figure of Josie, O’Neill presents the complex character of Josie, the virgin/whore trapped in a body that appears to sabotage her dream of having a good man to love and marry. As misfits, Jamie and Josie are drawn to each other and find solace, if not lasting love in a relationship based on mutual need. The Pieta representation of the two characters, with Josie offering comfort to Jamie as a mother would to a son, provides a chance for Jamie to resolve his feelings towards his dead mother. For Josie it offers a chance to partially fulfill a dream to give and receive love. As with most of O’Neill’s tragedies, however, nothing is solved. Dreams remain as elusive as ever, and the human condition increasingly tragic. [YH 00]

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3b. The last three plays we read by Eugene O’Neill—Long Day’s Journey into Night, Ah! Wilderness, and A Moon for the Misbegotten—used three narrative genres—tragedy, comedy, and romance—to represent the same subject matter of his family or, more broadly, the American family. Identify, compare, and evaluate some of the tragic, comic, and romantic elements in these three plays as they deal with similar subject matter, either the particular stresses of the O’Neill family or the more universal problems of the American family. To "evaluate," compare the genres’ effects on the audience plus their cultural or intellectual implications as they deal with a subject as value-heavy and conflict-heavy as the American family.

3b: sample answer

            Eugene O’Neill decided to portray his family in his plays and some of the problems his family faced. By analyzing his family the audience can relate to aspects of his family. This creates the representation of the American family in O’Neill’s plays. In his plays Long Day’s Journey into Night, Ah! Wilderness, and A Moon for the Misbegotten O’Neill portrays his family in tragic, comic, and romantic genres, but they all still deal with the same problems, only in different lights.

            The first issue dealt with in all three plays is the problem the family faces with alcoholism and drug addiction. In LDJ, all three men drink in order to deal with the problems of the family and to discuss those problems. Also, Mary, the mother, has an addiction to morphine that the family tries to deal with. The whole family tries to gloss over these addictions by only talking about it in a round about way, like calling Mary’s addiction her nerves. The audience feels pity for the way the addictions are handled because it is apparent that the family is aware of the problem but cannot solve it due to the fact that they refuse to discuss the problem. In Ah!, the problem of alcoholism is seen in Uncle Sid. He has a drinking problem but since he behaves in a comical manner the family can make light of the situation. Also, Richard has a night of drunkenness but the family does have to deal with the problem because he swears to never do it again and found it unappealing. The audience gets to gloss over the problem because the family can avoid it through humor. Moon, takes on a tragic element in Jamie’s problem with drinking because he starts back again after his mother’s death. But a romantic tone is taken because the audience only sees him drunk while Jessie is taking care of him. Also, since he has spent the night with Jessie there is hope that he will change his ways. The audience gets to feel pity for him again but they leave with a sense of hope that he will overcome his addiction.

            Another issue the family faces in these plays is the idea of women as whores and virgins. In LDJ, there is this knowledge that Mary takes on a purity role. Since she wanted to be a nun it gives her a virgin quality. Although Jamie loves his mother, he finds comfort in Violet who is a whore. These conflicting roles of women give the audience pity for the characters because the woman who is virtuous has such a sad life and as a result her son only finds comfort in a whore. Ah!, approaches the subject comically because the whore that Richard spends time with he finds no enjoyment in, has no desire to sleep with her, and he becomes silly in his drunkenness. On the other hand Muriel is the virgin and all ends well because her and Richard reunite and there is a happily ever after sense to their relationship. The audience can overlook the whore/virgin situation because all ends as it should. In Moon, Jessie has the reputation as a whore but after coaxing confesses her virginity to Jamie. This has a romantic quality because it makes them alone in their knowledge of the truth and brings them closer to each other. The audience can see the complexity of Jessie because she is not as she appears to be. Also, her virginity makes her pure of heart even though she is so crass on the exterior. . . . [EG 00]