Analysis Of How The Character Medea Captures Euripide’s Stance On Justice

Introduction

Medea by Euripides challenges the beliefs of the time through the use of his stance on justice, through the female character Medea. Through the use of the strong female character Medea and gradually the setting of the play, Euripides captures his stance on justice to the audience. In general Medea is set in Ancient Athens, in Corinth where a social class system exists, and the primary job of women was to be mothers or wives. Furthermore, Euripides invites the reader to see the world of the text, by presenting a situation where Medea, a foreign woman, who were thought of as barbarous, without the same freedoms as others in Athens takes justice in spite of being in a position where everything is working against her, moreover whilst the worse she is treated the more determined she becomes to take justice. Overall Euripides explores justice through the use of Medea a capable female character and the situation she is in, and reveals his own stance of justice through Medea and her hopeless situation. Euripides creates Medea as symbolic of a strong woman imprisoned in a world of men, his depiction of Medea’s courageous nature as both a foreigner and a woman encourages the audience to feel a sense of admiration for her.

Social class in Greece (culture) and women (characterisation)

In general, due to the social class in Athens during the time period, with women being the lowest of the social class, Medea even claims that “of all creatures that can feel and think, women are the worst treated things alive”, and their primary job as being wives and mothers, it would have made it difficult for Medea to take justice on Jason. Therefore, the development of a strong female character of Medea by Euripides acts as a symbol of a strong and capable character.

Moreover “divorce is a disgrace (at least for women) to repudiate a man not possible”, presents yet again the significance of the capable female character of Medea who actually did “repudiate a man”, that man being her husband Jason, and gaining what she believes to have been justice. Furthermore, Medea strongly criticises the male dominant society. Euripides tries to convince the audience to show sympathy towards Medea and her state but also admire her courage.

Overall due to the social class in Athens and Medea being both a foreigner and a woman makes her at the bottom of the social class, Euripides has intentionally created this situation to build on Medea as a symbol of a strong woman.

Medea makes major complaints about the treatment of women and thus becomes a symbol of feminine revolt. Euripides constructed to character of Medea to be strong and capable in order to display his own stance on justice.

Foreignness

Medea is a foreigner and the Athenians had a suspicion of foreigners, thinking of them as barbarians. This further compensates Medea’s inability to take revenge. Medea’s foreign origins affect her social status as she is both a woman and a foreigner. Medea is a foreigner and the nurse states that “now Medea knows at a terrible first hand what it is to miss one’s native land”. Medea is seen as an outsider, meaning she is not trusted in Greece.

Medea does “agree of course that a foreigner should conform, adapt to his society”, meaning she is a foreigner and should act more Greek. It is worthy to note that Euripides uses “his” society instead of “her” society, this further accentuates how women were not treated the same as men and will stem Medea’s need for justice. Jason claims, “this is not the first time I have seen irrevocable damage done by a barbarous rage”. “Barbarous” is used by Jason to make direct reference to Medea being a foreigner. Jason is almost blaming Medea’s fury on her being a foreigner, Euripides does this to make the audience see that Jason is just making Medea angrier and more determined to take revenge as he is blaming everything but himself for taking another wife. Jason claims that “you Medea have a home in Hellas, instead of some barbarian land you have known justice”. Jason is under the impression that Medea should be grateful for the time she’s spent in Greece, almost viewing that he rescued her from a horrible place. Medea definitely would not view this as a moment of being thankful, after being betrayed by Jason for taking another wife and getting exiled in the meantime. Euripides has created this situation in order to further deepen Medea’s cause and her want for revenge and justice. “Oh the mistake I made was trusting the word of a man from Greece”, she is implying that all Greeks are untrustworthy like Jason.

Euripides deliberately shaped Medea’s character as both a woman and a foreigner, this further compensates her inability to take revenge due to the rights she has as a woman in the social status and what the Greeks think of her due to her being a foreigner and Jason’s betrayal drives her determination to take justice.

Marriage

It is evident that Medea and Jason is a depiction of the worst kind of marriage. With Jason taking a new wife Medea killing their two sons in revenge. Often in Athens, a man would take another new bride, the chorus tells Medea “your husband has gone to adore a new bride in his bed, why, this has often happened before”, telling Medea to almost get over it as it happens so often. However, it will deepen Medea’s desire to take justice.

“Deep is her sobbing from depths of pain shrill the news her suffering brings of marriage betrayed”, the marriage is betrayed when Jason takes another wife, the betrayal of that marriage creates rage within Medea. “I even bore you sons just to be discarded for a new bride. Had you been childless this craving for another bedmate might have been forgiven”. A woman’s job in marriage was to provide the husband with sons, Medea feels she has been betrayed even more as she has fulfilled her role. This undoubtedly would have furthered Medea’s rage and lust for revenge upon Jason and justice to herself. Euripides composes the situation where of a betrayed marriage in order to create more rage within Medea, and her determination for justice upon herself.

Symbols and betrayal

Medea’s violence is caused by Jason’s betrayal of her and the marriage, if Jason had not betrayed her and married another woman she wouldn’t feel the need to take the lives of her children, as “it is the supreme way to hurt my husband”. All Medea’s violence is caused by Jason’s unfaithfulness towards her as a husband. The context of the situation is Medea’s need for revenge against her Jason and how she would do anything, even going as far as murdering her own and Jason’s children in order to hurt him.

Euripides has a strong belief that justice should be taken, saying that “wide is the range of Zeus on Olympus wide the surprise which the gods can bring”, claiming that if the Gods cannot bring justice then Medea should take it for herself. Euripides was thought of as an atheist and depicts the gods as uncaring, specifically saying that if Zeus allowed these things to happen, then he has betrayed humans and Medea. Through Euripides the gods are symbolism of callous and heartless. This makes Medea angry and her drives her ambition for revenge towards her betrayal both by the gods and by Jason.

Revenge or justice?

Throughout Medea takes both revenge and justice. She takes revenge in order to hurt her husband Jason, but also justice towards herself. By murdering her two sons “it is the supreme way to hurt my husband”, Medea claims, she feels it is necessary to kill her sons because she feels it is the only way to take revenge on Jason, as it will hurt him. Medea feels it is not revenge that she took but it is justice. Although she killed her two sons she did it purely to hurt her Jason. “Cursed sons and a mother for cursing! Death take you all – you and your father”, Jason was the cause of Medea’s murdering of her children, as it was an act of revenge.

Jason was trying to be nice at one point to Medea out of guilt telling her “anything the children want in exile, let me know I’ll gladly furnish it”, Medea’s response however is “presents from the wicked are pure poison”, by not allowing Jason to help Medea is keeping him from easing his conscience. This is another way that Medea gets revenge on Jason, by denying him the right to help his own children. Eventually Medea’s hatred towards Jason becomes so terrifying that she is willing to do anything that will hurt him. This is especially evident in the messenger who said, “but my lady to kill your own two sons?”, which Medea replied with “it is the supreme way to hurt my husband”.

The fact that Medea isn’t punished for the murder of her children, Euripides does this to display to the audience that Medea took her vengeance and justice upon Jason and that it is almost justified. Medea is expected to be punished as “murder is punished and you’ll be destroyed by the avenging of you children”, instead Medea simply flies away on her dragon chariot. Medea was not punished as she was the one hurt first, meaning she has taken justice. Euripides has portrayed Medea as taking both revenge and justice, his belief being shown in this instance as justice should be taken even if evil and mischievous revenge is involved.

Conclusion

In conclusion Euripides stance on justice is expressed through the use of the strong female character Medea. Euripides, a tragedian of Ancient Athens, described as the “most intellectual poet of his time”, also thought of as ahead of his time as he treated women, children and slaves properly and insisted nobility should not be a factor of social status.

Overall Euripides has expressed his stance on justice through the use of “a woman of some knowledge versed in many an unsavoury skill” in Medea, believing that everyone deserves justice and if justice doesn’t present itself to them, in the case of Medea and if it seems hopeless, then they should take justice for themselves, even if it involved revenge.

Through the character of Medea, Euripides expresses his views on justice. Euripides uses Medea to claim that even when the odds are against you, justice must still be taken.