Medea deserves no pity at all. Discuss.

Euripides’ play Medeais a pitiful tale of betrayal and unbridled passion. Medea is
rendered a victim of circumstance by forces beyond her control.Her story may
arouse the audiences’ sympathies. However, her predicament fails to exonerate
Medea from culpability. Enraged by her husband Jason’s, who weds the princess,
Medea is left helpless by the patriarchal society of the time, which supresses
women and. Medea’s uncontrollable emotion adds to this situation, as she allows
her passion to become her sole governing force, embarking upon a murderous
rampage that ends with the deaths of her own children. However, Medea was
provoked by Jason’s unfaithfulness to take action.

Medea lives in a patriarchal society, which fails to recognise women in their own
right. Set in 431 B.C.E, in Ancient Greece,Medeaunfolds in a society that favours
men and shuns women. Euripides uses the Nurse to open the play establishing
an ominous tone to the story. Medea is described by the nurse as a woman, “who
seeks to please her husband in all she does”. Medea is Euripides mouthpiece, he
uses Medea to comment on the social structure of his time. Medea uses the
Nurses sympathetic opening as a springboard, making several comments on the
social situation of Corinth, to the chorus, as she attempts to win their sympathies
for her predicament. Claiming “[women] must buy a husband”, which eludes to
the sacrifices Medea made for Jason, killing her brother and abandoning her
home, Medea points the figure at the double standards of her society. Euripides
continues to highlight the social injustices through Medea, as she laments “ but
[women] are bound to love one partner and look no further”. This serves to give
context for Medea’s actions. Although the audience must condemn her action, the
background provided by Euripides allows the audience to understand Medea’s
predicament.

Medea is a victim of circumstance. Cornered by society that largely deprives her

of rights and a voice of her own, Medea’s murderous rampage is equally a bid to
assert herself and be taken seriously by others. Determined not to become a
“laughing stock of [her enemies]”, Medea kills her children, Glauce and Creon, to
demonstrate that she will not tolerate Jason’s betrayal, which she views as
exploitation. Medea, governed by her passionate nature, values loyalty and oaths
above all. Jason’s betrayal is not only a personal insult, but also a betrayal of trust
as he dismisses their “weighty oaths”. Medea, a strong believer in the sanctity of
oaths maintains that to “wrong a woman in love, and nothing on earth has a
heart more murderous”. Wronged by Jason, Medea’s allows her passion to get
the better of her, and thus carries out her revenge plot. Admittedly, the nature of
her crimes are heinous, however the pain and suffering of Medea, as expressed
by Euripides, invites the audience to understand of Medea’s pain and frustration.

Jason provokes Medea. His betrayal prompts Medea to take action. Jason’s
insensitive nature prevents him from acknowledging Medea’s pain or even
recognising the suffering he had caused. He claims that his selfish quest for
political expediency is a strategic act to benefit the whole family, “I look to you
future my lady”, in this manner he dismisses Medea’s pain. “I have acted like a
true friend to you and your children” Contrary to the social norms of Ancient
Greece, Jason is a cowardly man. He cannot bear to take responsibility for his
actions and blames it all upon women claiming, “without the need of the female
sex, the world would be rid of all its troubles” pointing the finger at Medea for all
the troubles that befall him. The unjust circumstances that befall Medea invite
the audiences’ pity, but do not absolve Medea from the responsibility of her
crimes

Although Euripides invites understanding for Medea’s predicament, Medea is

ultimately responsible for her own decisions. Medea is caught in an unfortunate
situation. However she exacerbates her suffering by murdering her own children
all in the name of revenge. Describing herself as “of a different mind” Medea
acknowledges that her uncurbed emotion is somewhat incongruous to a
woman’s stereotypical nature. Casting off her motherly instincts, Medea loses
sight of what matter in the quest to “strike [Jason] where it hurts most”. In doing
so she inflicts pain upon herself, as she admits “for the rest of [my] life there will
be weeping”, recognising the self inflicted pain through her actions. Medea is a
pitiful character, rendered helpless by things she cannot control. Although some
sort of retaliation may have been expected, Medea purposefully chose to take her
reaction to the extreme. The extremity of her actions demonstrates the ferocious
and unforgiving nature of Medea, who is consumed by her bloodthirsty quest for
revenge. Therefore she is the only one to blame for the outcomes of her action.
As much as she is a victim of others, Medea is a victim of herself and her own
unbridled passion.

Although the audience is compelled to condemn Medea, it is not her decision to

take revenge that invites contempt. Rather the extremity of her actions is what
defines her character. Medea loses herself and wounds herself irrevocably, all in
the name of revenge. Her passion, although a great strength, is the root cause of
her undoing.