Sacrifice In Medea

In ancient Greek mythology, there are many stories of strong women, but none as tragically captivating as that of Medea. This story follows Medea’s intense romance with a classic Greek hero and results in tragedy for her and the ones she loves. Readers can sympathize with her heartbreak, jealousy, and desperation as she attempts everything in her power to restore her broken relationship after her lover abandons her for another woman and a marriage that will bring him wealth and power. This theme of abandonment and marrying for power and prestige is true to life, and is seen in literature throughout cultures and across time. Women of Medea’s time in the Greek tradition often played a more submissive role to men. These women were less frequently …show more content…
Medea’s hamartia is her passionate vengefulness. Her heartbreak results in a desperate need to inflict suffering and pain similar to hers on her husband. This selfish vengeance obscures Medea’s ability to focus on the needs of her children. In her mind, her children and those involved lose their humanity and become a bargaining chip and tool in her plot for revenge. Medea loses focus on who is important and loses all natural affection in her obsessions. She sacrifices her family to win his love in the beginning, and she repeats this action with the murder of her children to satisfy her need for revenge in the end. These senseless murders are the most effective method in her tortured mind to inflict suffering on Jason. This is a direct result of her emotion-driven personality. Medea’s vengeful attitude turns her into a heartless villain. In the end, everyone ends up suffering or dead at the hands of …show more content…
The vengeful woman suffering unrequited love is found in variances in many stories worldwide. This character type continues to appear in modern storytelling to this day. Characters like Medea appear in folktales, theatre, and film. One example is the Mexican folktale of La Llorana. In this legend a young woman falls in love with a handsome ranchero, marries him, and has two children with him. The ranchero ultimately loses interest in her and finds another woman. She mistakenly believes that her children are the reason their relationship ended. She then drowns her children in a river and later drowns herself. Another modern example is in the dramatic script “By the Bog of Cats” by Marina Carr. This play is an adaptation of the story of Medea in modern Ireland. The Medea character is an Irish traveler who loses her common-law husband to his new marriage into a family for wealth and respect. Her fear of losing everything results in her decision to murder her child and take her own life. Modern films like “Fatal Attraction” and the opera “Madame Butterfly” also seem to be inspired by the character types with similar