Final answer:
Medea serves as a reference to understand the limited rights of two groups of freeborn adults in Athens - women and foreigners - who, despite being free, had almost no political rights in Athenian society. Only about 10% of the population, consisting of native-born Athenian males over 20, had political rights, showcasing the stark inequality that was intrinsic to what was considered an advanced democracy for its time.
Step-by-step explanation:
The depiction of Medea in the context of ancient Athenian society allows us to examine the rights or rather the lack of rights of two freeborn groups of adult people in Athens. Although it is not explicitly stated in the original question, these groups can be inferred as women and foreigners who lived in Athens, both of whom had very limited political and social rights.
In Athenian democracy, the political rights were restricted to a narrow segment of the population. Approximately only 10% of the population, consisting of native-born Athenian men over the age of 20, had political rights. Women, regardless of their status within society, and free non-citizens, including prosperous Greeks not born in Athens, were excluded from political participation.
Even women who reached a higher status, such as hetaeras, or mothers of citizens, were still not granted the full rights afforded to their male counterparts. Athenian society was patriarchal, with men holding all the legal and political advantages, highlighting the stark contrast in rights between men and other freeborn groups in Athens.