ipl-logo

Character Analysis: A Tragic Classical Greek Divorce

1071 Words5 Pages

Andrea Sajia Professor Siderius HIST 103 SEC 3203 2/25/18 A Tragic Classical Greek Divorce The union of Jason and Medea, two characters in Greek tragedies, was a fierce pact of marriage catalyzed by a Greek god. Medea is a clever woman, like the sophists of the age, she is an expert in argument and interrogation, and a powerful sorceress. They met when Jason, captain of the Argonauts, sailed to King Pelias (Medea’s father), to retrieve a Golden Fleece in order to restore his right to the throne. “Aphrodite makes the king’s daughter Medea fall so madly in love with the beautiful Greek stranger that she, a priestess of Hecate and therefore accomplished in the secret arts of magic, gives him potions to protect him from the bulls’ fire and sound advice on how to set his new-grown adversaries to fighting amongst themselves…At some point in these adventures, in return for her aid and to protect her from her father’s vengeance, Jason solemnly swears to make Medea his lawful wife” (Collier and Machemer 8). Her deeds in assisting Jason included up to the murder of members of her own family. The passion with which she loved Jason was great; she left behind her home and country to aid his success. Jason, however, does not seem to return this grand affection. …show more content…

As clever as she is, Jason of the Argonauts is as manipulative as Medea. She is justified in mistrusting his intentions, and the divorce from her is a plain abuse of his cultural and lawful power as a free man in Classical Greece. Jason’s priorities are made clear through the lens of his contemporary culture. Men cared about status, inheritance, citizenship, and glory. A marriage to the princess of Corinth would have granted him all of these things, and it would have been naïve of Medea to buy that this new marriage was an act of

Show More
Related

  • Why Did Medea Want To Glauke

    464 Words  | 2 Pages

    She left Jason with nothing because all he left her with was her soul. Medea gave Jason the torture and suffering she thought he deserves. Corinthian women would never put their husbands through that even if they did leave them. They would never let their anger get the best of them to the point where they kill their own children they brought into the world. They learned that they are the caregivers of their children and should not bring harm to them.

    Read More

  • Sacrifice In Medea And The Book Of Job

    971 Words  | 4 Pages

    Therefore, we can see that Medea believes her actions are not only a sacrifice, but also as a form of cleansing, since she can not risk being tainted by the presence of unclean individuals. She specifically refers to Jason’s infidelity. She claims they “died from a disease they caught from their father” (44). Medea compares Jason’s adultery to a malady to prove that killing her children was the medicine needed to cure the sickness. However, the Chorus is not advocating for Medea and infanticide is actually the opposite of what the women are trying to say.

    Read More

  • Jason's Arguments In Euripides Medea

    488 Words  | 2 Pages

    To begin, Medea is not actually Greek. “She is not Greek, and her ethnic identity distinguishes her from Jason and all the other Greek characters in the play” (CMIC 510). If we are talking about ancient Greek society, Greeks would obviously be in favor of Jason, a Greek, rather than Medea, a foreigner. Another reason as to why Jason’s arguments would be convincing is because he is a male and Medea is a female. Female were less important than males back in the ancient times.

    Read More

  • Ramifications Of Familial In Euripides 'Medea'

    459 Words  | 2 Pages

    Ramifications of Familial In the story Medea by Euripides is a disturbing story about a man named Jason who leaves his wife Medea to marry the princess. Not only has he left his wife but also his children. As the nurse says in the opening of the story, “Jason has betrayed my lady and his own children for a princess’ bed” (Euripides 11). Like most women who are dumped Medea is hurt, she reflects on how she sacrificed her family, friends, and country to be with Jason. However, unlike most women because of the choice Jason makes Medea seeks revenge.

    Read More

  • The Dramatic Role Of The Chorus In Euripides Medea

    1493 Words  | 6 Pages

    In Euripides’ Medea, although the Chorus does not have any participatory role in the action of the drama, their dramatic significance arises from their role in exposing Medea’s character, the norms of Corinthian society and in underlining Medea’s contradictory response to Jason’s betrayal of his marriage vows, thereby illumining the Colchian, Medea’s, isolation from Corinthian society. As a representative group of civilized Greek society, the Chorus also serve as the voice of justice and morality, condemning their hero, Jason. Furthermore, despite common gender woes binding the Chorus of Corinthian women to Medea, their moral censure of Medea’s horrific revenge highlights Medea’s implacable hatred. As the Chorus of fifteen high-born Corinthian women march onto the orchestra in the parodos, they reveal their distance from Medea, referring to her as the ‘Colchian’.

    Read More

  • Violent Emotions In Medea

    1370 Words  | 6 Pages

    Medea is a woman with extreme emotions. These emotions tend to get in the way of her reason and logic. In the prologue, we come to know how Medea plotted to take the throne from Pelias (Jason’s uncle) for which she and Jason got exiled. Even before the play starts

    Read More

  • Medea The Deserving Of Jason Essay

    1057 Words  | 5 Pages

    Medea was not portrayed as a lovestruck but rather frustrated. She felt as if Jason owed her his love. All that said Medea felt deserving of Jason because of all that she did to help him in his journey. This sense of entitlement Medea has is less about love and more about fairness. She believed that Jason should be faithful to her and his love because, she was faithful and her support of him during his journey.

    Read More

  • Eliciting Sympathy For Medea In The Euripides

    379 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Euripides The portrait of Jason is crucial in eliciting sympathy for Medea in the Euripides tragedy but of little value in von Trier’s film. We’re not asked to sympathize with an abandoned mother of two children as much as we’re asked to empathize with a supernaturally gifted woman who has debased herself

    Read More

  • Medea And Jason Analysis

    554 Words  | 3 Pages

    Of all the various translations of the interaction between Jason and Medea, from the play “Medea”, the translation by Warner most strongly reinforces the harsh and severe mannerism between the two. Jason and Medea are manipulative towards one another and use their condescending tactics to victimize themselves and villainize the other. They are selfish in their fragile relationship in that they turn on the other to get what they want from the relationship. In Medea’s case, she wants her ideology of a husband, since this is what she has been accustomed to her whole life and how society has taught her to believe is normal. Jason however, wants whoever he is currently lusting for, who at this time is not Medea, and he will make her out to be anything

    Read More

  • Literary Analysis: Medea By Euripides

    1497 Words  | 6 Pages

    This is why Medea, according to the Greek gods, was in her right to take such severe consequences upon Jason and in this essay we will analyze Medea’s position and decide upon a conclusion whether her actions are justifiable or

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Medea By Euripides

    749 Words  | 3 Pages

    It’s funny how some things can backfire on you and you won’t even realize it. It is shown in the play Euripides’ Medea. I believe that Medea is a monster, and Jason is a fool. Think about it, would you ever trick a powerful sorceress, make her bare you kids, and then betray her? That’s a thoughtless move.

    Read More

  • Medea's Revenge

    642 Words  | 3 Pages

    For it's quite natural in the female sex to get angry when their husbands set up secret schemes to plan another secret marriage. " Jason is basically saying that it's normal for a women to get upset when a man cheats, as if all men cheat on their wives. Jason is also confused why Medea is in such a temper when she finds out about the planned marriage between Glauce and Jason which is best stated in line 538, "I've always tried to mollify the king—he has a vicious temper—and have you stay. But you just wouldn't stop this silly rage. " Jason is calling her anger silly and he is amplifying Medea's anger.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Injustice In Medea

    727 Words  | 3 Pages

    However, this was clearly not his intention because he did nothing to prevent his children being kicked out into the wild. Unsurprisingly, Medea became enraged and sought to obtain the justice she was not able to obtain. She wanted to judge Jason based on his inexplicable actions. He abandoned his paternal duties and were willing to start a new life, while she and their children were left to

    Read More

  • Medea Argumentative Essay

    1607 Words  | 7 Pages

    Lush explains “Although Euripides did not cast Medea as a male solider as its protagonist, the play depicts Medea as suffering from the background Trauma, betrayal, isolation and consequent symptoms attributed to combat veterans with lasting psychological injuries” (Lush, 2014, p. 25). Hence using Lush’s view on Medea’s character as a devoted warrior suffering from Traumatic hardships in her experiences with the man she gave everything to, we can understand why she wanted revenge. Medea believes Jason owes her more than just the normal husband-wife obligations a man swears to when marrying a woman; in her view, she helped him be the man that he is and supported him throughout his heroic journey. Without her, Jason would not have succeeded in retrieving the Golden Fleece. Without her, he would not have had his father resurrected.

    Read More

  • Role Of Sacrifice In Medea

    371 Words  | 2 Pages

    n the play Medea by Euripides we are presented with a woman who is about to go into exile with her two children. Her husband has left her for another and now Medea wants revenge. She does this by way of gifts and their destructiveness is conveyed through the fact that she destroys everything that ties her to Jason except Jason himself. The biggest sacrifice Medea had to make was killing her children. She knew that she would not be able to win Gluace over on her side if she was to present the gifts, but her children would be much more appealing as they are a symbol of a new relationship due to their inability of causing harm.

    Read More

More about Character Analysis: A Tragic Classical Greek Divorce

Open Document