Where is the line of going too far drawn? For some, that line would be drawn after the actions of said person crossed an emotional or physical boundary; and for others, like Jason, going too far might be his estranged wife killing their children. Regardless, everybody has a line that shouldn't be crossed. Throughout the play, Medea has gone through a tragedy. Her husband, Jason, brought her to the strange land of Corinth, leaving her with no familial support. To add to her pain, Jason leaves Medea for a princess in Corinth, leaving her in eventual exile. Medea is filled with grief, pain, and anger, leading her to take her emotions out on those around her; specifically her children. While Medea's position is one not wished on anybody, the actions
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In the Greek tragedy Medea by Euripides, Medea’s actions, though stemming from an understandable place, are too extreme, affect too many people, and thus are unjust. Medea's misplaced anger, selfishness, and hunger for revenge leads Medea to killing her children, who played no part in their father's betrayal. The arguably most extreme action Medea takes is against her own children. As a form of revenge against her husband, Jason, who left her for another woman; she kills her children. This is revealed to Jason by the Chorus after he enters her house. They cry to Jason, “Your children are dead, killed by their mother’s hand” (Euripides 1354), and encourage him to see the slaughter Medea has left behind. Medeas main goal was to hurt Jason, doing whatever she could, to make her feel pain like she did. With this in mind, she sets her eyes upon one of the most precious things in Jason’s life- the children. Though the children were innocent and hadn’t done anything wrong, Medea still sacrificed their innocent lives for her own gain. Her revenge hadn’t stopped at just killing his children though- no, she went even further to make a point and show Jason their …show more content…
Arguably, there are also two sides to the story and Medea is no stranger to this concept. Medea’s story is one filled with betrayal and tragedy on all sides, including herself. Medea’s actions, while extreme, can be seen as a response to the injustices she faced. Faced with the betrayal by her husband Jason, who abandoned her for another woman, she resorted to finding revenge to help reclaim some of her dignity. Medea’s suffering can provide some cushioning to her actions, but it does not excuse them. Her decisions to murder her children, manipulate, abuse hospitality, and cause harm to innocent people cannot be overlooked. Even in the face of betrayal, there are lines that should not be crossed, and Medea's extreme actions overshadowed any grievance she went through. Despite the injustices Medea went through, her actions cannot be considered just. Her moral compass lacked guidance and caused her to bring pain to her kin and ultimately herself. While Medea's position at the beginning of the story is one envied by none, there are no worldly excuses for her extreme course of
In the Greek tragedy Medea by Euripides, Medea’s actions, though stemming from an understandable place, are too extreme, affect too many people, and thus are unjust. Medea's misplaced anger, selfishness, and hunger for revenge leads Medea to killing her children, who played no part in their father's betrayal. The arguably most extreme action Medea takes is against her own children. As a form of revenge against her husband, Jason, who left her for another woman; she kills her children. This is revealed to Jason by the Chorus after he enters her house. They cry to Jason, “Your children are dead, killed by their mother’s hand” (Euripides 1354), and encourage him to see the slaughter Medea has left behind. Medeas main goal was to hurt Jason, doing whatever she could, to make her feel pain like she did. With this in mind, she sets her eyes upon one of the most precious things in Jason’s life- the children. Though the children were innocent and hadn’t done anything wrong, Medea still sacrificed their innocent lives for her own gain. Her revenge hadn’t stopped at just killing his children though- no, she went even further to make a point and show Jason their …show more content…
Arguably, there are also two sides to the story and Medea is no stranger to this concept. Medea’s story is one filled with betrayal and tragedy on all sides, including herself. Medea’s actions, while extreme, can be seen as a response to the injustices she faced. Faced with the betrayal by her husband Jason, who abandoned her for another woman, she resorted to finding revenge to help reclaim some of her dignity. Medea’s suffering can provide some cushioning to her actions, but it does not excuse them. Her decisions to murder her children, manipulate, abuse hospitality, and cause harm to innocent people cannot be overlooked. Even in the face of betrayal, there are lines that should not be crossed, and Medea's extreme actions overshadowed any grievance she went through. Despite the injustices Medea went through, her actions cannot be considered just. Her moral compass lacked guidance and caused her to bring pain to her kin and ultimately herself. While Medea's position at the beginning of the story is one envied by none, there are no worldly excuses for her extreme course of