Tragedy in Medea
Crystal Smart
Medea is a tragedy because it demonstrates a strong tragic hero who has many commendable talents but is destroyed by a tragic flaw. Medea immediately arouses sympathy from the reader, in the beginning of the play. Her nurse introduces Jason, Medea's husband, as a cheater who left Medea for a princess. The audience immediately takes Medea's side. Everyone has loved someone, and knows the pain of betrayal. Medea is a scorned, unhappy, single mother. She has been abandoned in an unfamiliar country with no husband and two children, even though she has done no wrong. She expresses her frustrations loudly and draws the townspeople, as well as the reader, to her side.
The sympathy increases when one learns the things she sacrificed to become Jason’s wife. She left her home, killed several men, including her brother, in order to give Jason an advantage. She is also ordered to go into exile from her native land. She has no friends or family in this unfamiliar country. This chain reaction causes Medea to reveal her tragic flaw. Jason becomes her enemy and she begins plotting her revenge. It becomes easier to understand Medea’s actions later in the play because her situation is one that some can relate to. She may be seen as a tragic heroine, even as she devises a plan to kill her own children. However, it is tough to overlook her shocking actions.
She uses the excuse of her children’s welfare to convince Creon into giving her another day before she is exiled, but she really uses this time to perform her exterminations. To totally punish Jason's wrongdoing and her isolation, she wounds Jason as deeply as he wounded her. In addition to Glauce, the princess, she kills her own children, an action so unspeakable that it makes her terrible flaw very clear. She does not think of the consequences that she will face. Her main goal is to seek revenge on Jason. After killing Glauce with a poisoned crown and gown, and unintentionally killing Creon too, she kills her
Medea is a tragedy because it demonstrates a strong tragic hero who has many commendable talents but is destroyed by a tragic flaw. Medea immediately arouses sympathy from the reader, in the beginning of the play. Her nurse introduces Jason, Medea's husband, as a cheater who left Medea for a princess. The audience immediately takes Medea's side. Everyone has loved someone, and knows the pain of betrayal. Medea is a scorned, unhappy, single mother. She has been abandoned in an unfamiliar country with no husband and two children, even though she has done no wrong. She expresses her frustrations loudly and draws the townspeople, as well as the reader, to her side.
The sympathy increases when one learns the things she sacrificed to become Jason’s wife. She left her home, killed several men, including her brother, in order to give Jason an advantage. She is also ordered to go into exile from her native land. She has no friends or family in this unfamiliar country. This chain reaction causes Medea to reveal her tragic flaw. Jason becomes her enemy and she begins plotting her revenge. It becomes easier to understand Medea’s actions later in the play because her situation is one that some can relate to. She may be seen as a tragic heroine, even as she devises a plan to kill her own children. However, it is tough to overlook her shocking actions.
She uses the excuse of her children’s welfare to convince Creon into giving her another day before she is exiled, but she really uses this time to perform her exterminations. To totally punish Jason's wrongdoing and her isolation, she wounds Jason as deeply as he wounded her. In addition to Glauce, the princess, she kills her own children, an action so unspeakable that it makes her terrible flaw very clear. She does not think of the consequences that she will face. Her main goal is to seek revenge on Jason. After killing Glauce with a poisoned crown and gown, and unintentionally killing Creon too, she kills her