Essay On Sympathy
Neither Medea nor Jason deserve our sympathy || Faigy Gross
Euripides wrenches and pulls at the emotions of the reader from every angle throughout his play of Medea, where he compels the audience to feel sympathy for both Medea and those she causes to suffer. At the inception of the play, Euripides positons the audience to pity Medea, employing an emphatic nurse figure to describe her tormented past. In contrast, the audience are manipulated to be unsympathetic towards Jason who has betrayed Medea in order to ‘advance his position’ causing her turmoil. However, these feelings shift numerous times throughout the play when Medea presents herself as a narcissistic and cruel individual who organises many murders, nullifying any initial pity while Jason, who suffers immensely, warrants sympathy following the death of both his wife and children. Unlike Medea and Jason, there are other characters who are deserving of complete sympathy; the children, as well as the King’s daughter Glauce who are naïve, innocent and vulnerable individuals who are murdered. Finally, Aegeus is a character who merits complete consideration and understanding as his kindness leaves him vulnerable to Medea’s manipulations. Consequently, it is demonstrated in Euripides’ play of Medea, that there are many characters who deserve a level of pity at times, while others warrant complete and utter compassion.
From the start of the play Euripides positions the audience to be sympathetic towards Medea and condemning of Jason. From the onset, the Nurse reveals the recent background events that have caused Medea so much distress and torment, “she herself helped Jason in every way… she is all obedience” and now he “has taken a royal wife to his bed.” Right away, the audience are positioned to feel angry at Jason for breaking his marriage vows despite Medea’s kindness to him, while also feeling sympathy towards Medea when informed of her suffering. Medea is an Asiatic princess; but because she is a woman
Euripides wrenches and pulls at the emotions of the reader from every angle throughout his play of Medea, where he compels the audience to feel sympathy for both Medea and those she causes to suffer. At the inception of the play, Euripides positons the audience to pity Medea, employing an emphatic nurse figure to describe her tormented past. In contrast, the audience are manipulated to be unsympathetic towards Jason who has betrayed Medea in order to ‘advance his position’ causing her turmoil. However, these feelings shift numerous times throughout the play when Medea presents herself as a narcissistic and cruel individual who organises many murders, nullifying any initial pity while Jason, who suffers immensely, warrants sympathy following the death of both his wife and children. Unlike Medea and Jason, there are other characters who are deserving of complete sympathy; the children, as well as the King’s daughter Glauce who are naïve, innocent and vulnerable individuals who are murdered. Finally, Aegeus is a character who merits complete consideration and understanding as his kindness leaves him vulnerable to Medea’s manipulations. Consequently, it is demonstrated in Euripides’ play of Medea, that there are many characters who deserve a level of pity at times, while others warrant complete and utter compassion.
From the start of the play Euripides positions the audience to be sympathetic towards Medea and condemning of Jason. From the onset, the Nurse reveals the recent background events that have caused Medea so much distress and torment, “she herself helped Jason in every way… she is all obedience” and now he “has taken a royal wife to his bed.” Right away, the audience are positioned to feel angry at Jason for breaking his marriage vows despite Medea’s kindness to him, while also feeling sympathy towards Medea when informed of her suffering. Medea is an Asiatic princess; but because she is a woman