Medea

Medea

While not everyone will immediately admit it, revenge is sweet. Something from within seems to deem the concept of getting even acceptable, maybe even necessary. While this holds true in many cases, sometimes revenge can be taken to an evil extreme. In Medea, a play written by Euripides, a tragic revenge story unfolds. Throughout this play, Medea, the main character, seeks vengeance on everyone she believes has wronged her. She holds back nothing to ensure she will not be looked upon as weak, no matter the cost. Throughout the course of the play, Euripides portrays Medea in a way that does not elicit much sympathy because of the methods she employs to get revenge.

In seeking to enact the ultimate revenge, Medea behaves in a way that is usually considered inappropriate. She employs tactics that are very feminine in nature combined with blatantly masculine actions. One of the feminine skills she employs is manipulation of emotions. Medea portrays herself to the king, Creon, as vulnerable in an attempt to be granted a one day reprieve before being banished from Corinth. During this time period, women were associated with vulnerability because of their low position in society, and the powerless role they held. This one day hiatus proves fatal for Creon, the one who granted it, and allows her to implement her evil plan. Another way Medea seeks to settle the score is through the deception of both her children and husband by pretending to be a good, caring mother. Her husband, Jason, is duped into believing that she is worried about the sake