After going through the pain of childbirth, naming their babies, seeing their children grow up, and dreaming of their futures, filicide is usually far from the minds of most parents. The emotional ties that parents share with their children are hard to sever, yet in Genesis the culture was accepting of child sacrifices. The fear of the gods was stronger in ancient times, when science was lacking appropriate explanations, and so gods were believed to cause natural events. If the God from Genesis, who was much more powerful than any man and exponentially more vengeful, told parents to sacrifice their child, for the sake of their family (and the rest of the population for that matter), then the pious parents would sacrifice that child—even if the intent was not to kill, but to test worshipers. Modern culture frowns upon the act of filicide, and parallels Greek society’s view that child sacrifice was not an option. Yet, even in that society, Medea commits filicide with hardly any involvement of a Greek god or a seer. Medea willfully chooses to execute her offspring with prideful malice in response to her unfaithful husband in a disapproving society, while Abraham in Genesis piously follows his God and the social norms of his time by offering up his beloved child—and is saved from his loss because of his great faith. The audience of Medea would be repulsed with her selfish motives while Abraham (whose wife was barren for many years) would be praised for his immovable trust in God’s promises. God promises Abraham that He will “make your [Abraham’s] offspring as numerous as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore” (Genesis 22:17). Abraham is married to Sarah who “was barren; she had no children” (11: 30). Ch... ... middle of paper ... ...r own children—that was written by Euripides. The chorus, who signifies the common people and the women of Corinth, pleads with Medea to reconsider her choice after they name her “most unholy woman” for considering this act. They have only heard of “just one other woman/who dared to attack, to hurt her own children” and so supports that child-killing was not the norm (1323-24). Medea’s hamartia would have been her intense hubris and stubbornness that caused her to kill her children. The audience would not have felt as much sympathy to Medea as they would have given Abraham, the pious follower. Medea’s power struggle was not something the average citizen would have to deal with and the culture would not have been supportive. Abraham, however, was justified in his culture and did what he believed to be right, and so was rewarded by the salvation of his first born.
While some people may believe that Medea crossed the line when she had killed four people, including her children, in order to get revenge, others view this killing as justifiable because it was the only way to truly hurt Jason. Yet, because of how emotional Medea was and where she came from, readers believe her to be demented and barbaric. However, readers will have to take into factor the actions that Medea took before this story took place and is told throughout the story in Medea’s own confession, “Love for you was greater than my wisdom. Then I killed Pelias in the most agonizing way, at the hands of his own daughters, and demolished his household, all of it. Now, after I’ve done all this to help you, you brute, you betray me and help
She knew the difference between right and wrong and still chose to harm her innocent children. Also, Medea violated Aquinas’ natural law from the Summa Theologica. The natural law is a universal moral law that pertains to human nature. According to the natural law, all people are inclined to do good and avoid evil. All people have particular inclinations such as: preservation of life, family, sex, education of offspring, knowing truth, and living in a society. Medea egregiously violated the natural law. She murdered Glauce, Creon, and her two children; obviously violating the preservation of life inclination of human nature. She did not get to educate her children and murdered
Throughout the whole story, you are torn with emotions between the characters. At first, you feel sorry for Medea. Her husband, who she has saved from death, has left her for another woman. She has been "all/obediant" their entire marriage, transforming herself into the sort of wife required by society. You can't help but sympathize with her.
While both women do wrong by the law of man, and Medea against the law of the gods, they do it for different reasons. In the beginning Medea kills many people and monsters with little or no concern of the consequence. When the story deals with modern times Medea kills out of pure revenge and spite for Jason. She plots for weeks to kill Jason’s new bride and poisons her, and then before she leaves the country she murders her two sons, she had with Jason, before she rides off in her bright white chariot.
In the play "Medea", Medea faces the harsh reality of infidelity. Her husband Jason has left her for a princess. Medea, like any normal woman today would want revenge. The difference between them is that the normal woman would not commit the crime, while in fact Medea does. After what feels like an eternity of planning and vowing revenge she devises a plan to murder the woman who has stolen her husband as well as her husband and their two children. She feels betrayed and has every right to. Imagine in that time that it was a crime to commit adultery, but because Jason had left his wife for a princess it was plausible which left Medea livid.
Medea's most valuable argument for her innocence, was her psychiatric condition. An example of her situation happened many times in the past and continue to happen to this day. 1994 Susan Smith drowned her two children in a lake. 1998 Kathleen Folbigg suffocated her only child. Many things come to mind when hearing about these horrible acts. What sane mother would do such a thing to her own children. But that’s just it, no sane mother would kill her own child. If looked closely both Susan and Kathleen had psychological issues that led them to committee these dull acts. Susan Smith was rejected by her husband, Kathleen Folbigg’s father murdered her mother in front of her. Medea suffered most of those acts, she was not only rejected by her lover, but she also had her pride taken away from her. Revenge considered one of the most ancient and brutal human impulses. When a person is threatened by another, the fist thought that comes to one’s mind is revenge. But its when these thoughts become reality that society
Medea’s trial begins in Corinth as she stands in front of the civilians who plan to testify against her due to the royal deaths. The citizens plead Medea culpable of slaughtering her children and sending poisoned gifts to the royals. The nurse testifies against Medea portraying her as a dreadful person before the court stating Medea “hates her children” (l.43). Moreover, the nurse describes Medea as a “terror” which reflects that “there’s no way to be her enemy and come out as a victor” (ll.50-51). The judge considers that the nurse recalls Medea’s words “I’ve suffered so much” and “O children, accursed, may you die” which reflects Medea’s intention to get revenge on Jason by killing their children (ll.118-119). In the meantime, Medea defends herself by stating that she killed in order to protect her children against the royal family. Medea’s lawyer states she was not mentally stable ever since her husband’s betrayal. However, the audience notices that Medea plans the pros and cons of her violent actions towards the King and princess carefully that way she does not
The tragic play Medea is a struggle between reason and violence. Medea is deliberately portrayed as not a ‘normal woman’, but excessive in her passions. Medea is a torment to herself and to others; that is why Euripides shows her blazing her way through life leaving wreckage behind her. Euripides has presented Medea as a figure previously thought of exclusively as a male- hero. Her balance of character is a combination of the outstanding qualities of Achilles and Odysseus.
... powerful, manipulative, and extremely smart, yet because she is a woman she has limited social power. She has no chance of being a hero because she acts out of hurt in her marriage and love turned to hate. In Aeschylus’ Oresteia, Agamemnon also kills his child, although it is not praised, he is still considered a hero after his death. Medea is portrayed as being a selfish and ruthless woman, making her unnatural. Nevertheless, the audience finds themselves uncomfortably admiring Medea and her strength as a woman. Medea’s madness portrays how one’s emotions can lead to detrimental results rather than using reason. She is driven by her desire for revenge and will stop at nothing to burn her husband Jason as he did her.
Euripides shows his views on female power through Medea. As a writer of the marginalized in society, Medea is the prime example of minorities of the age. She is a single mother, with 2 illegitimate children, in a foreign place. Despite all these disadvantages, Medea is the cleverest character in the story. Medea is a warning to the consequences that follow when society underestimates the
Her hatred toward Greek women continues as she discusses the fact that she should not have to bear children or have a strong maternal instinct in order to be considered a woman of societal worth. Women should be as important in battle as men are, as she states on page 195 when she says “They say that we have a safe life at home, whereas men must go to war. Nonsense! I had rather fight three battles than bear one child. But be that as it may, you and I are not in the same case.” The gender imbalance in the ancient Greek civilization is greatly upsetting to Medea, creating her mindset that Greek women are weak and simple minded while Greek men are oppressive and inequitable. Medea shares
In Medea we have the Women of Corinth; more complicated women who act only as the Chorus and have little power to alter plot. They flock around Medea, pleading and sympathizing with her. They stay inactive and only speak with emotions and ideals fitting superficial levels of their status as women and wives. At the beginning, when Medea was only a wronged woman, they chastise Jason (as it would be proper to do if a man committed adultery): “Still I think... You have betrayed your wife and are acting badly.” (Euripides, 19). However, later in the play, when Medea discloses her plan to kill her children they simply plead with her: “I both wish to help you and support the normal Ways of ma...
Even in today’s society, gender roles play a part in how people view the world. Although more important than the gender roles are the emotions that antagonize the psyche of the human. Medea shows how jealousy can lead to revenge and influence bad decisions and ruin or even end lives. Ironically, the decisions she makes to kill her children, leaves Jason helpless much like a Greek wife during this time. She removes the opportunity for him to voice his opinions, needs, and desires. This flip of traditional gender roles shows how gender roles are not a reliable way to view a society.
Medea is a woman who murdered her brother and left her homeland to be with Jason, her love and eventual husband. After she bears him two children he leaves her and marries the daughter of the King of Corinth. Medea then proceeds to use her children to deliver gifts laced with violent poison to the princess. The princess dies and so does her father.
Women’s lives are represented by the roles they either choose or have imposed on them. This is evident in the play Medea by Euripides through the characters of Medea and the nurse. During the time period which Medea is set women have very limited social power and no political power at all, although a women’s maternal and domestic power was respected in the privacy of the home, “Our lives depend on how his lordship feels”. The limited power these women were given is different to modern society yet roles are still imposed on women to conform and be a dutiful wife.