Medea appears to be the mouthpiece of the oppressed women. She has given expression to her feelings very passionately. Euripides’ treatment of his subject irritates the simple man in two ways. He made his characters half-good and half-bad. He made a point of studying his characters sympathetically. Many regions of thought and character were exposed.
Medea was an Asiatic and from the European point of view, a barbarian. She lacked refinement and could never forget that she was a princess of a rich land. She had inordinate pride and passion. It was her ungovernable temper that led her far. She did not posses true softness of the woman’s heart. As she was a alien, she had not been accepted in her new household. Everybody looked askance at her and she was always afraid of public ridicule. Right from the beginning of the drama we are drawn we are drawn to her. The nurses, the Messenger were sympathetic to her. So Medea should have been acceptable to all. But the table was changed by the second marriage of Jason and she was asked to leave their land with the children. She was a sorceress and knew how to teach Jason, Creon an Glauce a lesson. Even she did not spare her own children. At any cost she must avenge the betrayal and pay Jason by her own coins. She became artful to save herself and changed her behaviors to be fool Jason. She was infuriated and became firmly determined to take revenge for the wrong done to her by Jason. She had to undergo long sufferings. She was forced to do whatever she had done. So in short, we may conclude that Medea was more sinned against than sinning.
Post a Comment