The struggle of the outsider is facilitated by his isolation and inability to form meaningful connections with other members of his community. Even though outsiders have the ability to challenge their respective communities, their struggles inevitably lead to their moral corruption. Reflecting the patriarchal norms of ancient Athenian society, Euripides' play Medea from 431 BC. AD criticizes the effect of community pressure on an outsider's moral ethos. Similarly, Tennessee William's play, A Streetcar Named Desire (1957), reflects the collective consciousness of postwar America by demonstrating society's mistreatment of foreigners. Although these pieces come from different time periods, both composers recognize the struggles that outsiders universally face and how the injustices of society ultimately lead to their downfall. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Societal gender norms can cause isolation and condemnation of foreign women who struggle to express their individuality. This is demonstrated in Euripides' play Medea through the development of the main character, who finds herself isolated due to her fight for women's equality against the ancient Athenian patriarchal society. His subversion of gender roles is evidenced in Creon's didactic imperative to Medea: "An angry woman... is a less dangerous enemy than a calm and intelligent woman." So go away…no more arguing. Here, the negative lexical string of "temperament" and "dangerous enemy" illustrates Medea's struggles with society that are due to her rejection of traditional female emasculation. This leads to a societal condemnation of Medea's struggle for justice, highlighted by Creon's exclamation "Medea, sullen rage against your husband!" However, Medea's rebellion against the patriarchy and subsequent struggle as an outsider leads to her obsessive hatred. This is evident in her statement to Jason, "So miserably will your fate end this affair," which connects the murder of her children to the struggle and mistreatment she suffered because of Jason. Thus, Euripides reflects on the mistreatment of women in ancient Athenian society through the character of Medea and highlights how an outsider's struggle can lead to immoral acts of retribution. Transposing the ideas of Euripides' Medea, into William's play A Streetcar Named Desire, the patriarchal norms that predominated in New Orleans in the late 1940s were criticized. This is indicated through the characterization of Blanche, an outsider who struggles to conform to her community, which consequently leads to the degradation of her individuality. Blanche's hysterical tone in "I want to be near you, I have to be with someone, I can't be alone" highlights her struggle to be accepted into society by conforming to prevailing patterns of male dependency in the context of William. This is also seen in Blanche's statement "You haven't said a word about my appearance", in which the emphasis on physical beauty reflects her desire to avoid the prospect of being an outsider by conforming to the stereotypical role of femininity. Therefore, when Stanley rejects Blanche, she struggles to fulfill the feminine obligations of housewife and servitude. She then becomes an outsider with the desire to escape reality, as evidenced by the exclamation of “I will tell you what I want”. Magic! Yes, yes, magic! Therefore, Blanche, just like Medea, fights against the norms of.