Some women characters in Greek Tragedy fought against the duties and responsibilities of their roles in life, and against the ceremonies and moral laws that restrained them. In some cases, this rebellion strikes at the very essence of what we consider right and wrong, as seen in "Medea," where the titular character murders her children to get back at her husband. Antigone, from the play of the same name by Sophocles, is a subtler rebel, battling against society's conventions. Antigone goes against religious convention by attempting to bury her slain brother, who has been denied a ritualistic burial. Antigone's actions are deemed a holy crime.
Many female characters in Greek Tragedy are anything but meek and mild, regardless of how much or how little power women might have enjoyed in Ancient Greece. Women protagonists are often proactive, willing to take matters into their own hands and carry out any actions that are necessary, even bloodthirsty actions. In Euripides' "Hecuba," for example, the titular character carries out revenge for her son's death by luring her enemies into a tent and brutally slaying them.
While some female characters are shown as strong and powerful, others are cast into the roles of victims. They are denied freedom and power, and are often physically attacked or forced to watch those they love die. An example is Cassandra, a character who appears in "The Women of Troy" by Euripides, and who witnesses the fall of Troy and is sexually assaulted by Ajax.
Some of the female protagonists in the plays of Greek Tragedy combine the seemingly opposite roles of both villain and heroine, becoming moral quandaries who continue to fascinate readers and audiences with their ambiguity. The most famous example is probably Medea, from the play of that name. The play's action centers on the mistreatment of Medea by her husband Jason, and ends with the massacre of Medea's children by Medea herself. Audiences are left to wonder whether to sympathize with the wronged Medea and blame Jason for being behind the reason for the murders, or whether to see Medea as truly monstrous.