Year 12 Kayla Complete Medea Essay 2 2
‘Jason is punished more than Medea in Euripides’ play’. DiscussJason is the real criminal in Medea, do you agree?
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.
Euripides constructs Medea to be a powerful voice in a world of silent women. All women of the time were treated the same way, and they weren’t valued. Medea was a King’s daughter, sorceress and Apollo’s granddaughter, so just those factors made her different. Medea was not herself when she was with Jason, she changed when she became Jason’s wife living as a foreigner in a ‘civilised’ land far from her native home. As “an exile,” Medea has been self-contained and submissive, she has “won a warm welcome from her new fellow citizens” and has been “complete support” to her husband. Despite this, Jason shows “criminal behavior” and leaves Medea for a “princess’ bed” in order to further his own social position. As Medea reminds Jason, he “owes his life” to her; she has helped him gain the Golden Fleece, even killing her own brother to ensure their escape and then tricking Pelias’ daughters into killing their father the King. Medea’s sense of betrayal is then amplified when Jason tries to convince Medea that he did it for
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.
Euripides constructs Medea to be a powerful voice in a world of silent women. All women of the time were treated the same way, and they weren’t valued. Medea was a King’s daughter, sorceress and Apollo’s granddaughter, so just those factors made her different. Medea was not herself when she was with Jason, she changed when she became Jason’s wife living as a foreigner in a ‘civilised’ land far from her native home. As “an exile,” Medea has been self-contained and submissive, she has “won a warm welcome from her new fellow citizens” and has been “complete support” to her husband. Despite this, Jason shows “criminal behavior” and leaves Medea for a “princess’ bed” in order to further his own social position. As Medea reminds Jason, he “owes his life” to her; she has helped him gain the Golden Fleece, even killing her own brother to ensure their escape and then tricking Pelias’ daughters into killing their father the King. Medea’s sense of betrayal is then amplified when Jason tries to convince Medea that he did it for