Euripedes Mede Literary Analysis
Euripedes’ Medea is a tale of rebellion against the patriarchy of its time, which is symbolized by Jason’s betrayal of Medea and her revenge against him to quell her female rage. Jason turning on Medea is the plot catalyst used by Euripedes to demonstrate the danger of scorning women. Medea’s revenge is especially shocking and intended to punish Jason for his infidelity. Her methods are designed to move Medea’s character away from a traditionally passive female role into an anti-female threatening to men. The anger that drives Medea to do this is represented as female rage, which has led many into believing Medea is a feminist tale. These themes are instead installed to make Medea a cautionary tale for men. In exploring the effects of Jason’s betrayal, one must first examine the nature of Jason and Medea’s relationship. Culturally, Medea is expected to be a compliant, submissive wife who is obedient and loyal to her husband Jason. This is confirmed by Medea’s Nurse who says “For her part, she complied with Jason in all things,” (Euripedes, line 16). Thus Medea makes no attempts prior to Jason’s betrayal to usurp him, rebel or oppose his instructions and wishes. This lends to the interpretation of Medea as a cautionary tale, since Jason’s romantic betrayal is
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what sparks the first adverse reaction from Medea. “-She calls the gods to witness just how well Jason has repaid her,” (Euripedes, lines 27-29) says the Nurse, indicating that Medea not only believes strongly enough that she was wronged by Jason to invoke the highest authority of the gods, but seeks outside help and influence before acting on her own. Beckoning divine forces also implies Medea sees a lack of support from her society. This further emphasizes her inferior status as a woman in her society, and demonstrates that her only agency can come from appealing for help or use of her powers. Jason abandons her romantically by attempting to marry Glauce and physically by leaving her home and letting Medea suffer banishment after she creates a dangerous reputation for herself and her powers; to Jason’s initial benefit. This betrayal forces Medea to examine her role as a woman, her identity (and social status) without Jason and the social roles she is forced to play, as well as the inequality she is designated. In this sense, Medea asserts her identity and equality by expressing her “female rage.” Medea’s acts of revenge are multi-faceted and garner different reactions depending on how they are analyzed. A purely feminist interpretation of Medea is problematic, but the murders of Glauce and Creon, as well as her children place Medea in a position to be examined as an individual, and not by the associations she is designated in relation to Jason, a man. The Nurse says “She hates her children, feels no joy in seeing them. I’m afraid she might be plotting something,” (Euripedes, lines 42-43). The line foreshadows Medea’s killing her children, and expresses her lack of pleasure at the sight of her own offspring. Initial interpretation might be that Medea sees her children as a reminder of Jason and utilizes them as a method of inflicting punishment on him, which is correct. However, this act of filicide is more to do with Medea’s entrapment and Jason’s freedom. Their children symbolize the ties between them, but Jason has no restraints and Medea is hogtied. Jason enjoys the freedom to abandon Medea for Glauce, while Medea is trapped within the role of ‘mother’ but Jason is free of the same parental obligations despite them sharing equal responsibility for the children. Killing her children relieves Medea of being a “mother”, a role acquired by Jason impregnating her. She loses the role of wife, but relinquishes the role of mother. When, Jason scorns Medea for her actions, he makes it relevant to her sex; “You hateful thing, O woman most detested by the gods, by me, by all mankind- you dared to strike your children with a sword, children you bore yourself. You have destroyed me, left me childless,” (Euripedes, 1369-1371). First he places himself directly after the gods, himself the supposed gatekeeper of her worth on earth. He says that all mankind hates Medea which asserts that Medea’s abandonment of her role as mother through filicide is antithetical to the approval of her society. While murder may place Medea beyond the bounds of a sympathetic character, her act of revenge is seen as rebellious to Jason and the institutional demands of Medea as a woman in her society. She bore the children herself, but this alone does not make the murder of children significantly worse than it already is, it simply implies that Medea is not playing the role she should by going to the extreme opposite end of what is expected of a mother. Jason is upset with Medea for destroying his status in society “you have destroyed me,” and de-gendering him through her actions. Killing Glauce and Creon prevents Jason from holding authority and the death of his children removes his heirs and counteracts what is stereotypically expected of him as a man, which is siring offspring. He accuses Medea of destroying him but she never harms him physically, instead she strips him of things he benefits from as a male (a marriage and heirs) but which hinder her; an arrangement which left her powerless and children which subject her to Jason. So Medea does not destroy Jason, she destroys his male identity. When female rage is discussed in Medea it brings into question the power dynamics regarding sex and where the tale stands in a proto-feminist interpretation. Medea does not necessarily experience rage differently because she is female, she becomes enraged because the adverse circumstances she experiences are tied to her status as a female. She exerts her wrath on the other characters using supernatural powers. Plot wise, having supernatural abilities imbues her with agency unusual for a mortal female in a play as old as Medea. Such is also why Medea is constructed as a cautionary tale for men more than an empowering, feminist narrative for Women. The acts Medea commits in expressing her rage are horrific and designed to strike fear into the male ego. Medea does not advance the role of women in society, or advocate for sexual equality. At its core the play demonstrates that men and women can be equally vicious to one another, in turn warning men not to mistreat a powerful woman. Medea could never stand up for herself or lash out without her abilities. Euripedes does not encourage empathy for women as much as he demonizes Medea. Medea’s frustration at the double standards and unfairly demanding requirements of complying with her society play out in her ruminations on the role of a wife:
“Of all the living creatures with a soul and mind, we women are the most pathetic.
First of all, we have to buy a husband: spend vast amounts of money, just to get a master for our body - to add insult to injury. And the stakes could not be higher: will you get a decent husband, or a bad one? If a woman leaves her husband, then she loses her virtuous reputation. To refuse him is just not possible. When a girl leaves home and comes to live with new ways, different rules, she has to be a prophet-learn somehow the art of dealing smoothly with her bedmate. If we do well, and if our husbands bear the yoke without discomfort or complaint, our lives are admired. If not, it’s best to die.” (Euripedes, lines
231-246). She is trying to fulfil what is rigorously demanded of her as a woman (being a compliant wife and mother) while being denied the ability to do them after Jason abandons her. She is left legally powerless and alone for all of her efforts (which include killing her own brother). She feels that women are pre-dedicated to difficult, unrewarding lives. Nonetheless, her alternatives are dim; she says it is best to die if a woman’s marriage is unsuccessful. But Medea does not die, she instead destroys all attachments she holds to Jason as his wife, and ruins his chances of marriage to Glauce. Where she is bound by the total destruction of her reputation and Jason’s abandonment, she denies him happiness the same by taking his lover and children away. Therefore Medea is not enraged at being female inherently, and her rage is not automatically different in nature than a man's, but the causation behind her rage is stipulated by her femininity. Thus, a proto-feminist interpretation of Medea would be incomplete, not fully true. In Medea one examines Greek marriage disassembled and examined through the eyes of a scorned woman. Medea rebels against patriarchy by choosing to use her agency in destructive ways. Jason didn’t “bear the yoke,” he stepped out of his role as loyal husband and father, so Medea followed suit with murder. At the play’s conclusion, Medea and Jason’s relationship has ended. They stand on equal ground, but Medea is freed and Jason has lost everything; a sufficient display of the difference in circumstances each sex experiences in the same relationship. In the end, Medea’s rebellion leaves her no more redeemed, and the status of women in greek society unchanged. If anything, gender roles are encouraged within Medea and straying from them is shown to be very dangerous.
what sparks the first adverse reaction from Medea. “-She calls the gods to witness just how well Jason has repaid her,” (Euripedes, lines 27-29) says the Nurse, indicating that Medea not only believes strongly enough that she was wronged by Jason to invoke the highest authority of the gods, but seeks outside help and influence before acting on her own. Beckoning divine forces also implies Medea sees a lack of support from her society. This further emphasizes her inferior status as a woman in her society, and demonstrates that her only agency can come from appealing for help or use of her powers. Jason abandons her romantically by attempting to marry Glauce and physically by leaving her home and letting Medea suffer banishment after she creates a dangerous reputation for herself and her powers; to Jason’s initial benefit. This betrayal forces Medea to examine her role as a woman, her identity (and social status) without Jason and the social roles she is forced to play, as well as the inequality she is designated. In this sense, Medea asserts her identity and equality by expressing her “female rage.” Medea’s acts of revenge are multi-faceted and garner different reactions depending on how they are analyzed. A purely feminist interpretation of Medea is problematic, but the murders of Glauce and Creon, as well as her children place Medea in a position to be examined as an individual, and not by the associations she is designated in relation to Jason, a man. The Nurse says “She hates her children, feels no joy in seeing them. I’m afraid she might be plotting something,” (Euripedes, lines 42-43). The line foreshadows Medea’s killing her children, and expresses her lack of pleasure at the sight of her own offspring. Initial interpretation might be that Medea sees her children as a reminder of Jason and utilizes them as a method of inflicting punishment on him, which is correct. However, this act of filicide is more to do with Medea’s entrapment and Jason’s freedom. Their children symbolize the ties between them, but Jason has no restraints and Medea is hogtied. Jason enjoys the freedom to abandon Medea for Glauce, while Medea is trapped within the role of ‘mother’ but Jason is free of the same parental obligations despite them sharing equal responsibility for the children. Killing her children relieves Medea of being a “mother”, a role acquired by Jason impregnating her. She loses the role of wife, but relinquishes the role of mother. When, Jason scorns Medea for her actions, he makes it relevant to her sex; “You hateful thing, O woman most detested by the gods, by me, by all mankind- you dared to strike your children with a sword, children you bore yourself. You have destroyed me, left me childless,” (Euripedes, 1369-1371). First he places himself directly after the gods, himself the supposed gatekeeper of her worth on earth. He says that all mankind hates Medea which asserts that Medea’s abandonment of her role as mother through filicide is antithetical to the approval of her society. While murder may place Medea beyond the bounds of a sympathetic character, her act of revenge is seen as rebellious to Jason and the institutional demands of Medea as a woman in her society. She bore the children herself, but this alone does not make the murder of children significantly worse than it already is, it simply implies that Medea is not playing the role she should by going to the extreme opposite end of what is expected of a mother. Jason is upset with Medea for destroying his status in society “you have destroyed me,” and de-gendering him through her actions. Killing Glauce and Creon prevents Jason from holding authority and the death of his children removes his heirs and counteracts what is stereotypically expected of him as a man, which is siring offspring. He accuses Medea of destroying him but she never harms him physically, instead she strips him of things he benefits from as a male (a marriage and heirs) but which hinder her; an arrangement which left her powerless and children which subject her to Jason. So Medea does not destroy Jason, she destroys his male identity. When female rage is discussed in Medea it brings into question the power dynamics regarding sex and where the tale stands in a proto-feminist interpretation. Medea does not necessarily experience rage differently because she is female, she becomes enraged because the adverse circumstances she experiences are tied to her status as a female. She exerts her wrath on the other characters using supernatural powers. Plot wise, having supernatural abilities imbues her with agency unusual for a mortal female in a play as old as Medea. Such is also why Medea is constructed as a cautionary tale for men more than an empowering, feminist narrative for Women. The acts Medea commits in expressing her rage are horrific and designed to strike fear into the male ego. Medea does not advance the role of women in society, or advocate for sexual equality. At its core the play demonstrates that men and women can be equally vicious to one another, in turn warning men not to mistreat a powerful woman. Medea could never stand up for herself or lash out without her abilities. Euripedes does not encourage empathy for women as much as he demonizes Medea. Medea’s frustration at the double standards and unfairly demanding requirements of complying with her society play out in her ruminations on the role of a wife:
“Of all the living creatures with a soul and mind, we women are the most pathetic.
First of all, we have to buy a husband: spend vast amounts of money, just to get a master for our body - to add insult to injury. And the stakes could not be higher: will you get a decent husband, or a bad one? If a woman leaves her husband, then she loses her virtuous reputation. To refuse him is just not possible. When a girl leaves home and comes to live with new ways, different rules, she has to be a prophet-learn somehow the art of dealing smoothly with her bedmate. If we do well, and if our husbands bear the yoke without discomfort or complaint, our lives are admired. If not, it’s best to die.” (Euripedes, lines
231-246). She is trying to fulfil what is rigorously demanded of her as a woman (being a compliant wife and mother) while being denied the ability to do them after Jason abandons her. She is left legally powerless and alone for all of her efforts (which include killing her own brother). She feels that women are pre-dedicated to difficult, unrewarding lives. Nonetheless, her alternatives are dim; she says it is best to die if a woman’s marriage is unsuccessful. But Medea does not die, she instead destroys all attachments she holds to Jason as his wife, and ruins his chances of marriage to Glauce. Where she is bound by the total destruction of her reputation and Jason’s abandonment, she denies him happiness the same by taking his lover and children away. Therefore Medea is not enraged at being female inherently, and her rage is not automatically different in nature than a man's, but the causation behind her rage is stipulated by her femininity. Thus, a proto-feminist interpretation of Medea would be incomplete, not fully true. In Medea one examines Greek marriage disassembled and examined through the eyes of a scorned woman. Medea rebels against patriarchy by choosing to use her agency in destructive ways. Jason didn’t “bear the yoke,” he stepped out of his role as loyal husband and father, so Medea followed suit with murder. At the play’s conclusion, Medea and Jason’s relationship has ended. They stand on equal ground, but Medea is freed and Jason has lost everything; a sufficient display of the difference in circumstances each sex experiences in the same relationship. In the end, Medea’s rebellion leaves her no more redeemed, and the status of women in greek society unchanged. If anything, gender roles are encouraged within Medea and straying from them is shown to be very dangerous.