Medea By Euripides

Motherhood is an innate feeling for women. When women give birth to their children, this feeling that they had before actually arises. Medea who took part in the mother role in Euripides’ play was also a consonant character with this feeling. People who know this tragedy may often blame Medea and think she was wrong for what she did. As far as I am concerned, Medea was right in most of what she did and there were various statements for them in terms of her inner world, the things she experienced because of her husband and feeling of not belonging. 

To begin with, Medea was right about her attitudes because her inner world. Medea had already betrayed her father and brother in the past. For that reason, she could feel guilty about this, but she had not fully admitted it to herself. Moreover, she gave up everything for the sake of love for Jason. Obviously, it made her think she could take the chance whatever she does. Also, when looking at the value she gave to women, I can understand that she was a feminist woman. When Medea said that “Of all creatures that have life and reason we women are the sorriest lot: first we must at a great expenditure of money” (230), it got me thinking that way. Namely, she demonstrated and proved that men’s power was not superior to them as a woman against Jason’s view that women were far from rationality.

Another point that makes me think in this way is Medea’s mistreatment by her husband. Jason comes across as a cocky person from the beginning to the end of the story. It is quite clear that the lack of regret for his actions disappointed Medea more. Additionally, Jason was far from being a father to his children. So, the sadness of the mother who did not receive enough father’s attention can be predicted. Furthermore, we see how Jason despised Medea in his every speech. It led to lose her confidence against her husband.

The last thing I should mention is one of the necessary reasons for Medea to take these actions by feeling of not belonging. Medea was not used to the culture of the place where she was living because she had left her homeland of Colchis for the sake of her love. From my point of view, abandoned by her husband and living with a culture she did not belong to had made her feel lonely. Besides, when the king learned of Medea’s words against the nobility, he declared that Medea would be exiled. As the poor woman who had lost her husband realized that she had nowhere to stay, this firing must have made her feel like she lost everything. As a result of all these exclusions, revenge made more sense to her, and it shows that she wanted Jason to experience this lonely feeling. 

In summary, although most of the people who witnessed this play think otherwise, Medea’s actions and all her plans have justified reasons such as her state of mind, the manners of her love, being far where she is. Considering all the above, Medea who was desperate in every way, killed her children was not actually voluntary and all these things compelled her. That is why, Medea was right to in most of her decisions that she had to do according to me.