About Medea
Medea is an ancient Greek play. It is written by Euripides and centres on the myth of Medea and Jason and was first produced in 431 BC. Due to the timeframe, this Euripides’ play has been interpreted over and over by playwrights worldwide for centuries. The exploration of the play centred on feminism, politics, and psychoanalysis, among other interpretations.
Three other plays, along with Medea, won Euripides the third prize in the City Dionysia. This play gained fame in the 16th century when it was rediscovered, remained part of the tragic repertoire, and became a classic of the Western canon. It became the most performed Greek tragic play in the 20th century when it experienced fresh interest in the feminist movement.
Medea Summary
Medea’s plot centres on the actions of Medea, the former princess of the Colchis Kingdom and Jason’s wife. When Jason leaves her for a Greek princess of Corinth, she feels threatened about the probability of losing her position to her husband’s new love.
Due to these confusing and hateful feelings she had towards her husband and his new love interest, she decided to take drastic measures. Medea avenges his betrayal by killing their two sons and his wife. Afterwards, she flees to Athens to leave the past behind and start living afresh.
Medea Quotes
MEDEA: “Let no one think me a weak one, feeble-spirited, A stay-at-home, but rather just the opposite, One who can hurt my enemies and help my friends; For the lives of such persons are most remembered.”
JASON: “Yes, the gods know; they know your loathsome heart.”
MEDEA: “he gods know who was the author of this sorrow.”
MEDEA: “Hate me. But I tire of your barking bitterness.”
Messenger: “But her father, [Creon] unawares, poor man, rushed headlong through the room, flung himself lamenting on the body, hugged and kissed it, sobbing out: […] “O god’s […] let me die with my daughter.”
Creon: “Go, Medea. Remove yourself. Get packing from this land. […] it is reported that you threaten me […] and of course the bride and groom.”
MEDEA: “For in other ways a woman is full of fear, defenseless, dreads the sight of cold steel; but, when once she is wronged in the matter of love, no other soul can hold so many thoughts of blood.”
Essay Structure on Medea
Introduction
The introductory part of an essay is to state your argument. This allows you to highlight your perspective on the book and capture the reader’s attention through your unique ideas. You can proceed to give a mini-outline of the things you will discuss in the body of your essay. This outline provides the reader with an incline about what they will get later on if they continue reading your essay on Medea.
The last sentence in the introductory segments should give way to the first paragraph of your essay’s body. This means they should align and connect to provide a complete scenario of the Medea essay you are about to begin fully.
Body
The body of paragraphs that follow the introduction will broaden the mini-outlines and brief points you mentioned earlier. The first paragraph should entail the most significant argument of all. Another important thing is to reference the book you’ve written an essay on for a detailed explanation.
Lastly, transitional phrases are things you should use more often. They are necessary because they help to link points together and combine your various arguments into one great and beautifully written essay on Medea.
Conclusion
This part signifies the end of your essay. However, this doesn’t mean it should be less standard than the introduction or the essay’s body. It would help if you accorded it the same approach as you’ve done for the first two.
When writing an essay, it is best to consider the conclusion as a second introduction. This is because some people enjoy reading the end first to see what the essay offers before going into the main body.
Therefore, whatever topic you write on, it is essential to do it properly. It would be best if you also used the appropriate indicators like the concluding transitional phrases, reaffirming your argument, and using a call to action.
Tips to Consider When Writing an Essay on Medea
Read the Book Thoroughly
When you’ve read the book from page to page, you can easily dissect and give the appropriate arguments and answers to questions when asked. it would be almost impossible to give your best arguments if you do not know the story of Medea inside out. Reading the book helps you to glean personal insights and opinions that are key to writing an essay.
Find a Compelling Topic
When you use exciting subtopics while writing your essay, it helps you write clearly. These topics can be in the form of the themes or arguments you derive from the book. Dividing the book into bits is one way to deeply touch various areas in the book and point out the relevant topics without repeating yourself. An unappealing topic may be a drag to write about and readers may have a difficult time assimilating a topic that isn’t well thought out.
Examples of good essay topics on Medea
Create the Outline
For instance, making a Medea summary is one way to brainstorm and organise your thoughts to make the best of it when writing. When you briefly summarise your points into a line, you can easily fall back on them when developing in the body of the essay. It is relatively easy to forget or omit important facts when writing, an outline makes sure you cover all your bases.
Write the Thesis Statement
Your arguments and opinions are what attract readers in the first instance. So, you need to develop them strong enough to keep readers scrolling or swiping because they can’t get enough of your ideas. Your thesis statement is a clear description of what you have set out to achieve with your essay. It gives direction and purpose to your text. This is what determines whether your points align or misaligned with the aim of your essay.
Include a Moral Lesson
What lessons do you need your readers to get at the end of the essay? This is one way to spice things up. With this, your readers have to communicate and sync with your argument.
For instance, the Medea summary is a whole lesson on its own. Medea was so overwhelmed with her grief and pains that she didn’t hesitate to hurt herself more just to get back at Jason. Her anger, which some may say is very justified, was the bane of Jason’s existence in the latter part of the play.
You don’t have to be all serious about it because it teaches moral lessons. Use natural and relatable scenarios further to explain your point most comprehensively.
Conclusion: proofread your work
When you are done with the body of your text and you have explained your points to satisfaction, you need to go through the paper from start to finish a few times. After writing your essay, it is best to read it so that you can correct the errors and replace things that aren’t needed. After the first proofread, you can take a break and return later.
This next time, you are coming with a fresh eye and will be able to catch mistakes more easily than in the first editing session. You don’t want to be embarrassed because of typos, so read your work again and again.
If you need help writing an essay on Medea, our expert writers are here to craft unique essays for you in no time.
FAQs
What is the Message of Medea?
The central messages of Medea are gender, power, passion, and revenge. “Hell hath no fury like a lady scorned,” this play portrays precisely what this quote says. Medea is so overcome and overwhelmed with her quest for revenge that she stops at nothing to enact it. She even gave up her children to ensure Jason did not go scot-free.
How is Medea a Tragic Hero Story?
Medea is a tragic hero story because the significant characters, Medea and Jason, made a judgment error that led to their downfall. Medea kills her children because she is expelled from the city and betrayed by her husband. On the other hand, Jason, controlled by his fleeting emotions and ambitions, causes the tragic deeds in the book in the latter part.
What Does Medea Symbolise?
She symbolises Hecate (the goddess that presides over spells and magic). In addition, she represents feminine revolt and is Helios’s granddaughter, which further strengthens her pride and strength and makes her partial divinity.
What is the Story of Medea?
Medea is a powerful and ambitious enchantress who helped Jason snatches the Golden Fleece from her father, King Aeetes of Colchis. She has a gift of prophecy and is of divine descent with magical powers. She uses her ability to advise and help Jason, whom she later married and bore children.
