Medea Literary Analysis

Plot is the most important factor within a play, it is the key element that allows an audience, actors, and playwrights to unite. “The plot, then, is the first principle, and, as it were, the soul of a tragedy; Character holds the second place,” said Aristotle in his book The Poetics. The plot then leads to action and action leads to tragedy; one could not exist without the other. Tragedy, therefore, is written into a play for the benefit of a character. The tragic hero is born when the Aristotle’s elements are put together within a play. Euripides follows Aristotle’s rules in writing tragedy and includes: Plot, Character, Diction, Thought, Spectacle, Song as major elements to Medea. In other words, Euripides’s must have used Aristotle’s elements

“Men tell us we live safe and secure at home, while they must go to battle with their spears. How stupid they are! I’d rather stand there three times in battle holding up my shield than give birth once” (line 287). In this comparison between child birth and war, Medea reveals the battles and trifles women have to go through to be a wife or mother. She swears that she will find someway to punish Jason and his new bride, promising that this battle is not over. The chorus immediately responds and explodes with sympathy. Admitting that Medea is right and deserves to get her revenge, the chorus mostly stands back and watches the destruction. Steve Wilmer in Women in Greek Tragedy Today believes that Medea can be someone that women could identity with even if some of her action are monstrous. Moving towards a modern look at Medea, Wilmer believes that many of the women in Greek tragedy have been victimized but become empowered by the choices and action they must take. The support of other women in addition to Medea’s mistreatment from Jason, is what drives Medea o take action no matter how sinister. It is very clear that Medea was provoked by Jason, a male who has abused her and made her feel mistreated. The actions that Medea felt necessary might seem distasteful but somewhat appropriate within the context of the play. According to Wilmer “These women all express values that oppose the patriarchal order, and their viewpoints resonate in today’s more sexually liberated, divorce-prone society where women have gained unprecedented power in government and the workforce but continue to strive for equality, respect and control over their own bodies,” which is why Medea is seen as a tragic hero in the modern day. Because she has sacrificed so much for her husband, like many women do now, her anger and frustration can be relatable to today’s