Preview

Billy's Revenge In Medea

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
850 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Billy's Revenge In Medea
"Mom!!!" screamed the small girl, "Billy pinched me." "Did not," cried a boy who I can only assume was Billy. The mother quickly settled the quarrel, but upon looking at the young girl's face I realized that it was far from over in her eyes. She had been wronged and her mother had not enacted any satisfying form of justice, so she would have to take care of it on her own. As she plotted her revenge, she crossed a line. She was no longer seeking justice for a wrong doer; she was now seeking harsh revenge for his "crime" against her. In the Greek drama Medea, the main character, after whom the play is named, seeks what she sees as justice against those who have wronged her.
In the play Medea, the reader's loyalty is split between Medea and
…show more content…

He eventually relents and offers her one day to gather herself and leave. After Creon departs, Jason arrives and tries to convince Medea that she is to blame for being exiled. She reminds him of all that she has done for him: "…Whenever I cheated my father for you and killed my brother when he perused us…" He remains unsympathetic to her peril and says that it was his wish that their children could grow up under his watchful eye here in Corinth, where he will someday be king. Of coarse Medea realizes that Jason has agreed to marry Creon's daughter because it will guarantee him the kind of power that he longs for. After Jason takes his leave Medea begins to seek "justice" for the crimes of Jason, Creon and his daughter. She first asks Aegeus for asylum in Athens, the city where he is king. He agrees in return for the help of her magic, which will cure his sterility. With the problem of sanctuary out of the way Medea begins to enact her revenge, which begins with the death of the woman who has taken away her husband and her children's father. Medea uses her magic and trickery to poison Creon's daughter, and upon seeing her bitter end he reaches out to her, becoming consumed by the poison as well. With two of her enemies out of the way she has only Jason left to deal with. She recalls the attitude Aegeus had toward children, that the parents carry on their legacy through them, and she

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    In the play Medea written by Euripides, the patriarchal society of ancient Greece is examined and the role of women in a male centred society is explored. In this world where “the middle way,” or moderation in all things is valued and reason and logic are seen to be the ideal, there is no room for passion or emotion which further limits the value of women. In response to Jason’s arrogant sense of superiority and his disregard for his wife’s feelings, Medea shows criminal behaviour by killing Jasons children and his new wife so he cannot continue his family line and denying him burial rights for his own children. However, it is Jason who acts like a criminal because he betrays his oath to Medea, and his criminal behavior forces Medea to commit the unjustifiable act of infanticide because she felt she had no other alternative.…

    • 1687 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    How Does Creon Kill Medea

    • 568 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Medea is driven mad by her love and hatred for her husband, Jason. In the story, Medea plans to kill Jason, Creon, and Creon’s daughter who Jason plans to marry. She wants to kill him because he betrays her love; Jason is in love with the power he could possess once he marries the new bride. Medea vows to make Jason suffer the same pain she had suffered. In three particular instances of the play, Medea could have stopped her ploy for revenge, but she chose not to.…

    • 568 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    When Jason left Medea for his new bride and new throne Medea was enraged. Medea immediately went seeking for revenge against Jason and his new bride. Medea gifts the new bride a beautiful gold dress and diadem sent by the children and the new bride dresses in her present. Euripides depicts Medea’s vengeance through her gifts and a messenger is sent to tell Medea what had happened. “The wreath of gold that was resting around her…

    • 749 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Medea’s relationship to Jason, as a Middle Eastern woman, provides for disaster if broken, for it is made up of Medea’s excessive sacrifices to be with a man of another race. She entered the relationship fully aware of the obstacles she’d encounter to be with Jason and of the fact that even if they managed to be together, the relationship would be illegitimate. This implies that her love for him was deep, clearly, she’d do whatever to be with him, but it makes her vulnerable if this love is tossed away. To lose Jason after all her efforts, such as “betraying [her] father for him, killing [her] brother, [and] making [her] own land hate [her] forever,” would prove that all of that was for nothing and that he never saw her the way she saw him. As with Addie and Sethe, her reaction is natural, her entire life was disrupted when Jason divorces her and thus her capacity to be a good mother is gone. She cannot be expected to be a good mother when all her life’s work is being unraveled before her eyes; she will lash out and attempt to regain a sense of herself. In the sorrow that Jason creates, Medea attempts to create the same sorrow for him and this plan incorporates killing their children. It is barbaric and vile, but it is irrational to label Medea as a bad mother for those murders. All her life before her, Medea was striving towards greatness, to…

    • 1659 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Furthermore, Medea takes offense to men having nothing to bind them to their commitments and women having to uphold to higher standards of commitment. In her eyes this is an injustice because whether it is a man leaving his wife, or a wife leaving her husband it only reflects negatively on the woman. She states “we women are the most wretched…we have bought a husband, we must then accept him as professor of our body… for women, divorce is not respectable; to repel the man, not possible” (24). From this statement we can tell that women are not afforded the same options as men, but still women are less respected if they do not act according to the social expectations of women. Jason leaving Medea not only subjects her to societies ridicule and shame, but a personal shame. The extent of her loyalty as went unappreciated and it results in her feeling used. Medea states, “Do you see how I am used- In spite of those great oaths I bound him with-By my accursed husband? Oh, may I see Jason and his bride ground to pieces in their shattered palace for the wrong they have dared to do to me, unprovoked! ” (22). In Medea's eyes his actions are a betrayal and her actions express those of vengeance. Has much as she has done for him she would have never thought that Jason would have shamed her in the way that he did. The idea that unexpected behavior leads to belittlement can be best expressed in Aristotle's, understanding of an insult, when he states, “if [a person] should have been expecting the opposite. For what is greatly unexpected is the more painful... From these considerations it should be clear what seasons, times, dispositions and ages are easily moved to anger… (144). Medea was not expecting Jason to dishonor her because she has fulfilled…

    • 356 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Medea's Revenge

    • 196 Words
    • 1 Page

    In “Medea” and The Tragedy of Revenge the main argument is motives for Medea's revenge on Jason. The author argues that Madea did it out of lust and believed Jason deserved it because he was a man with injustice and an oath-breaker. The writer believes Medea's actions were out of jealousy and lust because the first person she aims to kill is Jason’s new love interest Glauce. The author brings up some great examples one that was most interesting is how Medea even after she was successful with killing both Creon and Glauce she had no reason to kill her children. She stills finds it necessary to destroy Jason in every way that ruining his new life was not enough and also does not end up killing Jason. Medea commits unsophisticated revenge on Jason…

    • 196 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    medea study questions

    • 690 Words
    • 2 Pages

    1. We learn that medea and Jason both absconded from medeas home country, which meant betraying them and killing medea’s family in the process. Once they were in their current country they had two kids, then Jason left them for the princess of the lands. And now medea is heartbroken and murderous.…

    • 690 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Critical Lens

    • 382 Words
    • 2 Pages

    As Mahatma Gandhi said “An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind”, he showed in any situation of seeking vengeance on someone it will end up hurting everyone. In the play Medea, Euripides illustrates this to be true showing how Medea kills…

    • 382 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    When Leunig proclaims “It is the supreme way to hurt my husband,” she reveals to the audience her inability to concede defeat, ultimately leading to the destruction of Jason’s happiness and the City of Corinth’s order. On the surface, it may appear that Medea’s actions are driven by her homelessness and hereditary ties; she faces being left vulnerable with no “native land” to take her back. Yet, ultimately it is Medea’s pride which leads to her exacting revenge. Through her language and character development, Euripides paints the picture of a scorned woman, who must make others share in her own suffering to feel at peace. Medea will ignore the advice and pleas of the Chorus and Nurse, seeing her revenge out until the bitter end.…

    • 618 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Euripides' Greek play "Medea", Medea's revenge ultimately makes her guilty of causing the tragedy, not Jason. This is…

    • 549 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Both Fifth century B.C. playwright Euripides and Roman poet and dramatist Ovid tell the story of Jason ditching Medea for another woman; however, they do not always share a perspective on the female matron's traits, behavior, and purpose. Euripides portrays a woman who reacts to injustice by beginning a crusade to avenge all who harmed her which she is prepared to see through even if it means resorting to the most contemptible methods. Ovid, on the other hand, tells of a much less extreme figure whose humble goal is only to persuade Jason to return. Despite these differences, both Medeas create trouble by acting with emotions instead of with reason, and as a result, put themselves in regrettable situations.…

    • 1553 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In the play the Nurse says, “Jason has betrayed his sons and her, takes to bed a royal bride, Creon’s daughter.”(Euripides pg. 337) The text explains that Jason has left his two sons and Madea just to marry a princess. Jason left Medea because he said he will be able to have money to support his children, which is selfish because he can find other ways to get money. Medea also thinks Jason is being selfish and just wants a new wife because he was tired of her. A tragic hero has a tragic flaw, and Jason’s selfishness is his flaw because, after Madea learns what he’s going to do, he begins to lose…

    • 493 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    On Monsters

    • 890 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Moreover, many people are monsters because of the pain and suffering they instill in another human being. Repeatedly in the media, we witness news about parents harming their own children and children harming their own parents. Medea, a character vividly described by Asma as a “monstrous mother,” is a prime example of the monstrous person. The tale of Medea is about a mother consumed by much hate and anger with her husband, Jason; for “cheating” on her by proposing to another woman in order to climb the political ladder. In the event of all her…

    • 890 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    As the Nurse at the beginning of the story tells, Medea gave up everything she had to be with Jason. She left her family, and even killed her own brother to be able to run away with him. Medea, who has been dishonestly betrayed by her husband, uses revenge to punish him for his deeds and to seek the rewards which it offers to ones pride. The reader begins to feel pity for the main character and even excuse her actions. That is a result of identification with Medea, as a cheated spouse. In any kind of relationship during life, people expect fidelity, so they clearly understand why she wanted revenge.…

    • 554 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Medea And Aegeus Analysis

    • 401 Words
    • 2 Pages

    While trying to establish arrangements for her escape, Medea and Aegeus have this exchange. During the time the Medea is weeping, she shouts threats to the King and his family. Because the King feels it is unsafe to let her remain in Corinth, he exiles her. Medea convinces him to let her stay an extra day so that she can plan how to safely leave. Aegeus, one of Medea’s friends, comes through town after having consulted the Oracle about being unable to have children. Medea offers him a pill that will cure his infertility if he helps her to safely live in Athens. He vows that if she can travel to Athens without his help, that he will…

    • 401 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics