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The character of medea
Essays on medea as a character
Greek tragedy media analysis
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It is easy to agree with a family member or friend about a bad decision, but it is much more difficult to agree with someone you do not like, or do not even know personally. When that person is a fictional character it is even more challenging. Medea is a very pitiful character, but she is also rather cunning in the way she carries out her actions. However, due to the overwhelming sense of wrong-doing, the reader may find it easy to identify with her. Medea makes a wonderful pathetic character because of her strange way of thinking and rationalizing, ability to manipulate people, and her strong desire to make Jason suffer. Because of Medea’s strange way of thinking, the reader is able to identify with her. Although she wishes harm on Jason, Medea does not care who else gets hurt along the way. “Ah, lost in my sufferings, I wish, I wish I might die,” (pg. 692, line 97-8). She is able to convince the reader with her first line that her suffering has been so awful, that there is no longer any point in living. Before truly understanding what is going on in the play, Medea is able to get many people on her side. At the very least, she is able to make most people feel sorry for her right away, and recognize her as a pitiful character. Another thing that proves that Medea has a strange way of thinking is how she rationalizes the murder of Jason’s new wife. Most people, regardless of where they live, feel that murder is wrong. Maybe evoke revenge in the way of ruining a reputation or something along those lines, but never kill. In Medea’s mind, there was nothing else she could do at this point to make Jason suffer like she had suffered. Medea is able to totally remove any human emotion behind the murder. She cannot seem... ... middle of paper ... ...ter because of her strange way of thinking and rationalizing, ability to manipulate people, and her strong desire to make Jason suffer. Although many people have decided to hate Medea by the end of the play, most could not help but feel sorry for her in the beginning. There is almost an immediate connection for the reader when Medea’s husband leaves her for another woman, but this quickly changes to revulsion when the children are killed. Love her or hate her, at the very least people can relate to something about her character. People are able to connect, and even pity her situation. Regardless of personal feelings toward the character, there is no doubt that she is a pathetic character. Works Cited Lawall, S. (Ed.). (2006). The norton anthology of western literature (Vol. 1, 8th ed., pp. 691- 720). New York: W.W. Norton & Company.
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
In Euripides Medea, Medea is the morally ambiguous character. In part, Medea can be seen as good because she wanted to live with Jason and her two children in Corinth as a family and enjoy a happy life. So it is understandable that Medea becomes devastated and an emotional wreck after Jason leaves her for the princess. He claimed by marrying the princess, he could bring the children up in a well-being and make more royal children. Medea became a distressed. Hateful, and a bitter woman at Jason. Medea mentioned, “we women are the most unfortunate creatures.” Medea acknowledges that the women don’t have much choice in the marriage and if they want a good life, they need a man to control them. And that woman would be much better off if they had
As she is "Faced with her husband's cold pragmatism, Medea responds according to her nature." Euripides really stresses the "otherness" of Medea's nature: she is "of a different kind", described in terms of nature and animals: she is "a rock or wave of the sea'", "like a wild bull", "a tiger". Yes, she is a little dangerous, but she is driven by her hear; that vital force which distinguishes the body from the corpse and has been crushed by Jason's betrayal.
Even though Medea’s crime are despicable, Jason is also a despisable character. When he encounters Medea for the first time in the play, he says, “Even if [Medea] hates me / I could never think badly of [Medea]” (Euripides 462-463). It is easy for Jason to say these kind words because he is not the one being abandoned for another spouse. He also undermines Medea again after she recites how she helped him in on the Ship Argo. Instead of giving her any credit or appreciation, Jason confesses, “since you make such a mountain of it, I think that Kypris, god of love, was the savior” (Euripides 525-526). It is not enough to leave Medea for another woman while allowing her and her children to be exiled, but Jason also felt the need to discredit her contribution to his
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.
All her efforts, only to be betrayed by the man she loved the most. Unfortunately, her misery did not end with the betrayal. She sought revenge on the traitor that carried no guilt and felt that Medea’s sex was to blame, for she was the one that had been weak and acted out of love for so many years. After much thought and self-conflict, she decided to murder the new bride of her former husband and taking the life of her own children. Euripides made Jason’s character to be self-centered and having “a minimum capacity to understand the feelings of others” (Jacobs). Leading Medea to commit a most horrible act, knowing that it would at last cause Jason the same pain that he had cause her: she murdered their
The problem set at the beginning of the play is that Jason has decided to marry another wife, Glauce. Medea is angered and will not let Jason off without punishment. The loss of Jason is not only a matter of passion; Medea has been completely humiliated by Jason's decision to take a new bride. Her pride shows again when she refuses Jason's aid. Though her situation is difficult, she would rather destroy all than accept help from one who has wronged her so horribly. Living as a barbarian among Greeks has made her more defensive, more full of hurt pride. To punish Jason, Medea had her children deliver poisoned gifts to the new bride, to kill her children, Glauce, and Creon. . Medea is not without feeling, nor is she a sociopath. She comprehends the difference between right and wrong, but chooses to follow the dictates of rage.
As the play unravels, the audience is introduced to a woman who has been abandoned by her husband and is left with nothing. Like any good tragic hero, Medea has two major flaws that cause a mistake in her judgement and lead to the downfall of herself and those around her; rage and jealousy. These two qualities eventually lead to her committing multiple murders, most shockingly including her two sons. (56) But unlike the heroes in other greek tragedies, Medea was not destined by the gods to commit such horrendous acts. Like all the other women in her time, Medea was supposed to swallow her pride and bear the pain of betrayal quietly. Her children and the king and his daughter were not destined to die in that way. This is evident before Medea kills her children, when she is
To Medea, her conflict with Jason is a game to see who can take more from the other, who can leave her arena having gone through the most pain. Agon is shown through what Medea takes from Jason, how she makes him suffer for what he’s done to her. First, Medea takes his mistress, the princess of Corinth. By playing her strengths in herbs, Medea offers gifts of a dress and crown laced with a poison that essentially burns the princess’ skin off along with anyone who touches her. After she takes away Jason’s lover, she takes away what she knows will hurt him the most: their two sons . It is obvious at this point that Medea has become so consumed with this idea of contest that she fully believes the way to win is by killing her own two children. Lastly, to ensure that Jason’s pain exceeds her own, Medea not only refuses to let Jason bury the children but also prophesizes to him of an insignificant and shameful death. With a goal, target, and strategy in mind, the empowering concept of agon really is what pushed Medea to do all she did; she was simply trying to win her
She would do anything in her rightful power to help and be with this man; which included killing her younger brother, Absyrtus, and scattering his decapitated body over various oceans and realms of land. Her action can be reflected wit... ... middle of paper ... ... racterization all combine to reveal Medea’s true character throughout the play. She is first revealed as an evil, wicked person that only seeks vengeance and revenge in order to get back at Jason for using then leaving her.
From when Medea first reflects on meeting Jason to the end of the story, her emotions toward him change immensely. Although it is clearly obvious that Medea is not mentally well, the fact still remains that this is a normal range of emotion for someone who went through all she did with Jason. The ups and downs of love have been played and replayed throughout centuries of drama and human life.
... know, and does not cause commotion outside of her home. On the other hand, it is quite clear that Medea is far from the depiction of the “ideal” woman because of her vengeful spirit, her uproar causing ways, and the fact that she actually ended up hurting her children, regardless of the amount of pain or sorrow she went through beforehand, not to mention that she also killed her brother, according to many of the stories about her.
Medea has been exiled for three times: from her home country near the Black Sea, from Jason's homeland Iolchos, and now from the city of Corinth. We would naturally think that a woman like Medea, being exiled for many times, is the most vulnerable and most powerless woman. She has got no friend and no citizenship. At the time of Euripides, being an exile is not an interesting position that a person wants to be in. It is like a suicide. Most people at that time in Greece view strangers as barbarians with no intelligence at all. In addition, Medea is going to be an exile with two children. She is supposed to be in lots of trouble. On the other hand, Jason has won the princess of Corinth's love. He is going to be Creon's son-in-law. Jason abandon's Medea after all she has done for him. Jason doesn't fear Medea at all because he has support from Creon, king of Corinth. Jason is supposed to be more powerful than Medea. Jason is the son-in-law of the king and Medea is an exile. But, as Euripides suggests, what the audience expects doesn't come true at all.
Medea’s illegitimate marriage and the betrayal of Jason drive Medea to extreme revenge. Medea chooses to act with her immortal self and commit inhumane acts of murder rather than rationalize the outcomes of her actions. Medea see’s this option as her only resort as she has been banished and has nowhere to go, “stripped of her place”. To create sympathy for Medea, Euripides plays down Medea’s supernatural powers until the end of the play. Throughout the play Medea represents all characteristics found in individual women put together, including; love, passion, betrayal and revenge. Medea’s portrayal of human flaws creates empathetic emotions from the audience. The audience commiserates with Medea’s human flaws as they recognize them in themselves. Medea plays the major role in this play as she demonstrates many behavioral and psychological patterns unlike any of the other Greek women in the play; this draws the audience’s attention to Medea for sympathy and respect.
... takes matters into her own hands and doesn’t wait for a man to handle things for her. Also, her internal conflict that is visible throughout the entire play signify that she actually thinks for herself, and is strong enough to need to make serious decisions on her own, regardless of her gender. All of this goes back on the traditional Greek society, and helps make Medea into a play that is ahead of its time. With Euripides challenging the notion of misogyny, he creates Medea to show how powerful and dangerous a woman can be in a story, even though it was never heard of in the modern eras.