Medeo is a Play Based on the Myth of Jason and Medea Written by Euripides

Medea, foreign bride to Jason of the Argonauts fame, is troubled by the ethnocentric marriage customs of the Greeks in which marriage is seen as an institution for heirs. As a foreigner in Corinth, Medea is already faced with judgment from native Greeks. Medea’s history of crimes such as, the death of her father by chopping him into pieces reveals her capabilities and more importantly her abandonment by her husband Jason reveals the culture of male supremacy. Because of this, Medea attempts to gain sympathy from the women of Corinth, appealing to their shared experience of being marginalized by gender.

In Euripides’ play Medea, the audience is introduced to a uniquely female perspective often absent in Greek drama. Of course, this perspective, being written by a man, is not absent of the female mythological archetypes common throughout all of Greek literature. Most of the female characters hold archetypal roles to move the story forward. However, during the course of the play, Medea defies a simple archetypal prescription. She fits in between the lines of a “good” character and “bad” character, plays many different roles for her own ends, but still remains sympathetic. Medea takes on different female roles in order to accomplish her goals, however she as a character does not fit neatly into any one female archetype. This speaks to her greater role as a tragic hero, magnifying her manipulations and her reasons for doing so—her struggle as a powerful woman to find a place to belong.

In the Greek tragedy, Medea, by Euripides, most readers would characterize Medea as being selfish, cruel, and a cold-blooded murderer. This characterization is due to the extreme actions she took to seek revenge on her husband for betraying her and their children. As the story opens with the nurse telling of the betrayal towards Medea and her children by her husband, Jason, it is very easy to feel sympathy towards Medea. She betrayed her family and followed her true love to an unknown land, and now she has been deceived by him. Medea’s words, early in the story, strongly express her broken heart. “Aaaah! Oh, horrible, horrible, all that I suffer, my unhappy struggles. I wish I could die” (105-106). She feels shamed by Jason. He allowed his desire to marry into royalty cause him to betray a loving, faithful wife. Even though the betrayal of her husband has caused her great heartache and to act emotionally unstable, readers can also portray Medea as being passionate, intelligent, and caring.

All based on the same myth of Jason and Medea, Euripides' Medea, Apollonius of Rhodes' the Argonautika, and Ovid's Metamorphoses each describe a unique version of the same character. The initial characterization of Medea in Euripides' play serves as the basis in which both Apollonius and Ovid base their interpretation of Medea. Although each, in its own defining events, shape a similar Medea who overcomes similar difficulties, the execution of each calls for a different interpretation of the woman by the reader.

In the tragedy called, Medea, that was written by Euripides, the center of attention is on Medea, Princess of Colchis and wife to Jason, King of Iolcus, and her dominant desire for revenge. I, for one, have an admiration for tragic love stories. By reading this play, I believe that Medea is evidence of women’s true emotions towards any type of deception with men. According to the tragedy, Medea falls blindly in love with Jason without her family's approval, betrays her family for her husband, since they’re both from different opposing cities and classes. She tried to be a model wife for him and please him with everything, just like most women in today’s era attempt to do with their significant other. Medea, being selfless, killed her own brother for Jason's protection. Approaching a new city, Jason leaves Medea and her children for the daughter, Glauke, of King

The play Medea, produced by Euripides in 431 BCE is based on an intense debate of justice and betrayal between Medea and Jason. Euripides portrays the play Medea as repayment of Medea for Jason marring Creon’s daughter. However, as per to Medea’s perspective it was displayed as justice for her to kill her own children. Euripides set forth Medea’s intense love as a passion that it prevents her to let go of Jason without any revenge Moreover, Medea’s pride for herself forces herself to put an end to her children’s life without any second thought. Euripides also uses Medea to illustrate how women had limitations compared to men.

In the play Medea, the author Euripides emphasizes that the harsh treatment the main character, Medea, receives throughout the play reflects how women are treated in Greek society. The hardships of women in Greek society can be mainly seen by Medea passionate soliloquies. Medea speaks about how looked down upon, due to the fact that she a woman from a foreign country that holds more intellect than most men in the city where she currently resides. Even Jason, her husband, betrays her trust by marrying another woman because he deems her as useless to him. Though it causes Medea great despair, the people who surround her do not frown upon Jason for finding another woman even though he already has one.

The tragic tale, Medea, by Euripdes proposes a certain question which creats speculism. Wether or not Medea is the villan, or is she a product of her environment, is frequently crictly analyzed. Medea, in the tale, committs a series of evil actions against the people which betrayed her. The cruel betrail which Medea endures can be interpreted as motif for her actions. Critical analysis of the circumstances surounding Medea can help explain the vile deeds she comitted. In order to fully understand the actions taken by Medea we must grasp the socialogical postion of woman and men of the time. The culpret of the betrayal is Jason, Medea's former husband. In many ways the entire play has to do with the growing

Even though thousands of years divide the Golden Age of Greece from the modern day, the same issues prevail. While the treatment of women and foreigners are just two examples of modern and controversial topics, these same themes were also represented on the stage in Ancient Greece. Euripides, a famous Greek playwright, addressed these issues in his play Medea, where he analyzes the tragic ending of the relationship between the Greek hero, Jason, and his foreign wife, Medea. This play illustrates Medea’s treacherous scheme to exact true revenge through the murder of Jason’s new wife and father-in-law, as well as her own children, in order to establish her power in a society that oppresses both women and foreigners. After listening to Medea’s grievances about his remarriage to a Greek princess, Jason attempts to counter her compelling claims that she has been wronged. By utilizing vivid imagery and irony throughout Jason’s speech in Medea, Euripides emphasizes the themes of the value placed on women, the conflict between passion and reason, and the difference between civilization and barbarity.

The protagonist of the Greek drama is Medea – a barbarian princess, a powerful witch, and a foreigner in her husband’s hometown of Corinth. A female lead in a drama written during a misogynist era should be the first indication that Medea is not an orthodox piece. Medea’s high and noble birth almost becomes irrelevant as the setting of the drama turns her royal status into that of an outsider. When her Medea’s husband, Jason, betrays her for the princess of Corinth in order to obtain a higher status, it becomes obvious that Medea’s birthright had diminished. The exposition of the play reveals Medea’s egocentric nature as she “lies, fasting, surrendering her

Medea is quite often called Euripides's magnum opus for a multitude of reasons, and the fleshing out of Medea is one of the most prominent. He created a juxtaposition portraying Medea as both a victim of society and a cold, cunning, manipulative killer. This brought the issues of slavery, women’s rights and equality to light in ancient Greece. Euripides’s masterpiece drama builds on Medea’s important role in Jason and the Argonauts. Now, however, Medea is Jason’s antagonist, murdering his new wife, children and father in law. Medea does this through careful manipulation and scheming, using her intelligence, cleverness and cunning to create plots deadly to those around Jason in order to exact her revenge. Unfortunately for Medea, that same

Medea’s discourse is presented upon the traditional and emotional reasoning of ancient greek culture which was governed upon respect and love for the Gods. Medea’s argument not only explores a world organised according to preexisting laws and logic, but also demonstrates the ways in which woman were disempowered by democracy as only men were permitted to vote and engage in political affairs. For Medea tradition is truth and this is were Jason has failed her, “ You can insult me. You have somewhere to turn to. But I shall go from this land into exile, friendless…And how did I choose it? Did I betray my Husband?.” Medea’s thoughts and actions throughout the texts are driven by tradition, therefore she accuses Jason of betrayal as he has giving

A Greek Tragedy, Medea, by Euripides gives a backstory on the life of an adventurer and a woman madly in love. Previous Greek tragedies state that Jason, the love of Medea’s life only loves her in order to retrieve the Golden Fleece to retain his rightful throne. His encounter with Medea results to him agreeing to marry her so that she could assist him in his journey. Medea holds great power and judgement as a sorceress. The beginning of the play told by the nurse synopsizes the story of Medea’s melodramatic situation. Euripides illustrates her differently as a woman in her society during her time of era. They may be seen as victims, heroes, and villains.

The dramatic text Medea allows an exploration into the politics of gender within Ancient Greek society. Medea is the tragic story of a woman who was shunned and she had skillful attack. Early in the play, when Medea is upset and somewhat depressed, she examines the inequality of men and women in her monologue. Along the time that the story of Medea took place; the society often placed many women into yielding roles. In society it is common that men are favored more then the women. The women were not popularly known for anything. The women were weak and relied on their husbands for everything. “In the story Medea said that when a man is home if he gets fed up with the people he can go elsewhere to ease his heart (Medea

Life of a female was always a struggle, even in the era before christ. 431 B.C., when Euripides wrote his tragic play, Medea, the Greeks were living in a patriarchal society; men had every right to control women. This influenced Euripides when writing his play, which is perspicuously illustrated when Medea, the mother of two child, takes their life with her own hands. However, Medea is not a guilty verdict, since Jason triggers Medea’s unwilling actions through seduction for personal gain, and abandons her for a new wife.