The Moral Dilemma of Medea: Is Revenge Worth the Cost for Her Childrens Fate?

Is Medea doing her children a kindness as they are going to be banished and kicked ot anyway

Medea’s revenge ultimately makes her far guiltier than Jason

Traditional audience vs modern audience
Emotion love obligation < life
Justification does not equal right
Responsibility – guilt

1. MEDEA:

2. JASON:

3. COMPARISON:

In Euripidies play, Medea, Although both Medea and Jason committed wrongs, Medea’s acts of revenge ultimately make her more guilty than Jason. Medea, in a desperate act for justice, acted out in many murders, killing the ones closest to her.

Jason, blinded by his desire for power, left Medea, leading to the series of events that followed. There is a evident difference in audience opinion, the traditional audience would have seen Medea far guiltier, whereas the modern audience could see guilt in both of them. From the beginning of the play we are made clear of Medea’s violent nature. We are informed of the murder of her brother, and the nurse foreshadows the murder of Medea’s children.

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The nurse states, “I am afraid some dreadful purpose is forming in her mind… no one who makes an enemy of her will carry off an easy victory”. This is definitely fulfilled throughout the course of the play. Firstly, Medea convinces the daughters of Pelias to murder their own father. Once left devastated and alone, Medea’s next point of revenge was to ruin the life of Jason. She devised a plan in which she wished to murder Glauce, followed by the death of her own sons.

She values justice over crime, which is evident when she says, “Yes, I can endure guilt, however horrible; The laughter of my enemies I will not endure.”

Jason’s actions were not as gruesome as Medea’s.