Euripides, one of the most famous playwrights of ancient Greece, could be considered one of the first advocates of women's rights. With plays like Alcestis and Medea, he clearly emphasized the condition of women, and even included them in the chorus of the latter play, a feat that was not often achieved in ancient Greece. Over the years, it has been argued that the two central characters in each of these plays offered contradictory depictions of women of that era, and I can safely say that I agree with that argument. I will develop my point of view by pointing out an important similarity between Alcestis and Medea, followed by a key difference, and I will conclude by comparing them with the ancient Greek representation of an "ideal woman". While I support the argument that Alcestis and Medea represent contrasting ideas about women, I am not ignoring any similarities. I also noted a significant one, which shows that in the end, they are only human. It is the love of the two women for their children. In Alceste's case, even though she agreed to take her husband's place as the one who is supposed to die, her last thoughts are of her children. It is obvious that she wants to be assured of the well-being of her children when she implores Admete "not to remarry and to spare them a stepmother and an inferior replacement, full of malice and anger, who would lift the hand against [his] children and [his own]” (Alcestis 324-7). In this way, Alceste wants to ensure that a potential mother-in-law does not "completely ruin [her] hopes of marriage (Alceste 337)" by talking about her daughter, even though she has no fear for her child male because he “has his father, a large tower of st...... middle of paper ...... know, and does not cause a commotion outside his house. On the other hand, it is clear that Medea is far from the depiction of the "ideal" woman due to her vengeful spirit, her tumult, and the fact that she ended up hurting her children, no matter how much of violence. the pain or sorrow she endured before, not to mention that she also killed her brother, according to many stories about her. In summary, I think Alcestis and Medea are two very different women in ancient Greece. They may have their own reasons, but taking only what is presented to us, only Alceste fits the mold of the “ideal” woman. Works Cited Euripides. Alceste, Medea, Hippolyte. Diane Arnson Svarlien and Robin Mitchell-Boyask. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Company, 2007. Powell, Barry. Classic myth. 3rd ed. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2000.