Passion Gone Too Far in Medea
Passion Gone too Far in Medea
Passion is any powerful or compelling emotion or feeling and is not limited to just feelings of love, but also, feelings of hate (“Passion” def.1). In Euripides's, Medea, there is a suggestion that revenge may, sometimes, be justified (Hopman 155). However, when revenge leads to loss of life, others would argue that passion has gone too far (Robertson XVI - XVII).
In Euripides’s play, Medea, “a woman betrayed by Jason -- her husband of 10 years, a man she had murdered many for, including her brother -- who now tosses her aside to marry another woman of royal blood, Glauce (Armstrong 1). Medea is outraged by this and is set on seeking revenge on him (1). Out of anger, Medea plans for revenge, to kill Jason and his wife to be, Glauce. But, after hearing that she and both of her children were going to be banished, she thought of a plan even crueler. She would let Jason live, but make him “grow old without a lover, without children, and without friends” [Her new plan is to kill her children]. (Weigel 1). Medea is a tragedy of a woman who feels that her husband has betrayed her with another woman and the jealousy that consumes her. This is an example of passion gone too far. Just because a husband or lover betrays us, we can not let our emotions rule our lives, nor can we let our passion dictate our behavior to the point of murder. Nothing is more precious than life. Some may say that cheating deserves revenge: “The Corinthian women in Medea exalt Medea's revenge as a [triumph for all women] to the misogynist tradition and claim that Medea brings them honor (Hopman 155). Furthermore,
“as they hear Medea describe how she will avenge her honor by killing Jason, his new bride, and the bride’s father for one fleeting moment,
Jason's unsettling breech of his oaths is envisaged as having one positive consequence. It will allow for a twist in the spoken tradition (414 - 16) that will bestow praise on women and put an end to the old
Passion is any powerful or compelling emotion or feeling and is not limited to just feelings of love, but also, feelings of hate (“Passion” def.1). In Euripides's, Medea, there is a suggestion that revenge may, sometimes, be justified (Hopman 155). However, when revenge leads to loss of life, others would argue that passion has gone too far (Robertson XVI - XVII).
In Euripides’s play, Medea, “a woman betrayed by Jason -- her husband of 10 years, a man she had murdered many for, including her brother -- who now tosses her aside to marry another woman of royal blood, Glauce (Armstrong 1). Medea is outraged by this and is set on seeking revenge on him (1). Out of anger, Medea plans for revenge, to kill Jason and his wife to be, Glauce. But, after hearing that she and both of her children were going to be banished, she thought of a plan even crueler. She would let Jason live, but make him “grow old without a lover, without children, and without friends” [Her new plan is to kill her children]. (Weigel 1). Medea is a tragedy of a woman who feels that her husband has betrayed her with another woman and the jealousy that consumes her. This is an example of passion gone too far. Just because a husband or lover betrays us, we can not let our emotions rule our lives, nor can we let our passion dictate our behavior to the point of murder. Nothing is more precious than life. Some may say that cheating deserves revenge: “The Corinthian women in Medea exalt Medea's revenge as a [triumph for all women] to the misogynist tradition and claim that Medea brings them honor (Hopman 155). Furthermore,
“as they hear Medea describe how she will avenge her honor by killing Jason, his new bride, and the bride’s father for one fleeting moment,
Jason's unsettling breech of his oaths is envisaged as having one positive consequence. It will allow for a twist in the spoken tradition (414 - 16) that will bestow praise on women and put an end to the old