Medea by Euripides free essay sample

Think of one person who has done something that has upset in your lifetime; now think would it be just for you to kill that person for it? Well, a sad tragedy written by the great Euripides titled Medea. In this sad tragedy, Medea the wife of Jason, find out that Jason has been having an affair with king Creons daughter and plans on marrying her and leaving Medea and her two children. Once Medea learn of this affair and betrayal and she wants to bring Jason her husband misery. So she kills the king’s daughter, as well as the king. As if those horrific acts weren’t enough, she goes and finally kills her two children, leaving Jason with no one, and alone. She was wrong in killing all those people, just to bring her husband misery and pain, for betraying her. You can hurt someone with words, or she could have hurt him by leaving and taking his children with you. Killing is an unforgivable act, once done, nothing you say or do will, bring back the people or person whom you have killed. Medea find the best way to get back at her husband Jason for having an affair is too, kill everyone he loves, and leave him with no one. Medea’s excuse for the horrifying sins she commits, is that she is doing it to get back at her husband, however Medea knows the consequences of her actions, and still follows true with her plan. Revenge, isn’t always the best solution, just because someone hurt you doesn’t mean you have to hurt them, you can be the bigger person metaphorically speaking and just do nothing, walk away. Medea is a sick and twisted, women that is out for blood and revenge, and will stop at nothing in order to make her husband Jason miserable, for the way he betrayed her and made her look like a fool. Medea is a very strong woman, for the time she was born in. She was not scared of anyone. Medea would do anything she set her mind too, she would go after what she wants, and no one would be able to stop her. The first, we see that Medea will do whatever it takes to get what she wants is, when she admits to killing her own brother, just to be with able to leave with her husband. Medea say’s â€Å"Great Themis, lady Artemis, behold The things I suffer, though I made him a promise, My hateful husband. I pray that I may see him, Him and his bride and all their entire palace shattered For the wrong they dare to do without cause. Oh, my father! Oh, my country! In what dishonor I left you, killing my own brother for it. † (Euripides, page 6). Not only does she admit to killing her brother, but she now also feels, guilty and sad only because her husband cheated on her. She is very sick and twisted; she would do anything and kill anyone who got in her way. Medea is a very scary women, their was rarely women like her at the time the book was written, not many women would even be able to talk to their husband freely. Medea proves that she will kill her own blood, if that’s what it takes to get to what she wants, and do what she wants. Medea is a strong woman, not many people during her era would do such a thing to their own blood. Medea kills her brother, and than leaves with her husband Jason. When Jason betrays Medea, that when she regrets killing her blood for a lying fool like Jason. She is ruthless, and a cruel, women. Medea is out for blood, literally, she wants revenge for all the pain that Jason has caused her. As we read deeper, we see how cruel and twisted Medea really is. Medea wants to bring misery to her husband and she will do anything in order for that to happen, even if it means murdering, others in order to do so. â€Å"He has reached such a state of recklessness, that though he could have destroyed all my plans by forcing me out of the country, he has allowed me to remain this one day, in which I will turn three of my enemies into corpses, the father, the daughter, and my husband. I have many ways to kill them; I do not know which to try first, my friends. Whether I should set the bridal chamber on fire or thrust a sharp sword through her liver, in silence going into the house where the bed is laid. † (Euripides, page 13). Medea is already thinking of ways she can kill the king’s daughter, so that the wedding never happens, and so that her husband feels some of the pain she is feeling as a betrayed wife and mother of two. However, Medea doesn’t choose the high road, she sinks below Jason’s level, and thinks of ways to kill the king’s daughter. Medea is more worried about what people will think of her, and how people will perceive her as, once they find out about the affair, that she will kill anyone to stop her from looking like a fool. Medea feels like a stupid fool, for killing her brother, in order to move with Jason to a place where she doesn’t know anyone, than later Jason betraying her with the king’s daughter. This drives Medea crazy, for all she has done is stand by her husband, love him, and care for his children, and then he goes and betrays her. Medea starts losing her mind, she grows more furious ever day. Medea wants to bring Jason so much pain, that she doesn’t think of who might get hurt in the process. Medea is very twisted, once you think you feel sorry for her, the actions she committed and the actions she is thinking about committing come to mind, and you just are in awe that someone is capable to do that, just because they feel betrayed and lied too. Feeling of being betrayed, looking like a fool, and ashamed, this is what leads to Medea’s horrifying actions. However, Medea is sick and twisted for even thinking to kill someone, because she feels betrayed. As we read on, we see that the Medea kills the king’s daughter and the king, by poising the king’s daughters golden coronet, and killing the king as well, because when he tried to save her he died too. Medea is unmerciful to anyone, and will do anything to bring unhappiness to her unfaithful husband Jason. Medea is a very cruel woman, if you get on her bad side, no one knows what lengths she will go to make you suffer. Medea is even kills her own to children, to make her husband miserable. Medea says â€Å"I weep to think of what deed I have to do Next after that; for I shall kill my own children† (Euripides page 26). Even though Medea doesn’t want to kill her kids, but has to under the circumstances she puts her self in, is still very cruel. In Medea’s mind humiliation is worse than death, and she takes it upon her self to kill her kids, so they will not have to face the humiliation of her and her husbands actions. Jason says to Medea â€Å"oh, I hate you, murderess of children. (Euripides, page 45). Jason finds out that she killed his children leaving him with no one. Now he feels the pain and unhappiness that Medea longed for him to feel. Jason lost everyone he loved, the princess, the king, his children, and Medea was the one who took them away, to murdered them, just so she can see her unfaithful husband Jason in misery. She is very cruel, what she does to her own childre n, just to bring her husband unhappiness is not only sick, but it is the cruelest thing I can imagine. Your own children that you carried for 9 months, than went through the extreme pain of child birth, than took the time to nurture and help them grow, and than kill them because your husband betrayed you, that is sick. She didn’t let Jason see the bodies or even touch the bodies of her children. Jason asked Medea â€Å"Let me, I beg you, Touch my boys’ delicate flesh† (Euripides, page 46) and Medea responds, â€Å"I will not. Your words are wasted† (Euripides, page 46). Medea didn’t even let her husband see their children for the last time. She wanted him to feel the pain and humiliation she felt, and he did. Medea is very cruel, she was out for blood and she got it. Medea, she was very different from the other women in her era. She got what she wanted, and if she didn’t she would find a way to get it, even if it meant murdering others and your loved ones to get what you want. Medea is very sick and twisted, she killed her brother, so she can run away with her husband Jason, than when she found out her husband is betraying her she regrets killing her brother, and running away with Jason. Then to make Jason feel the pain he made her feel, Medea decides to kill everyone he loves. She killed the princess he was going to marry, the king, and last but not least she killed her two children. Medea wanted revenge and she got it, as usual Medea got what she wanted, even though it made her kill her own brother and two children to get what she wanted. Medea is a cruel and twisted person; she finally got her revenge seeing Jason, unhappy, while taking away their two dead children to burry them. Medea was out for blood and she got it. After killing so many people, Medea rides away on a wagon with her dead children, she is not only crazy, but also sick. I would hate to know Medea, I cant imagine anyone being able to commit such horrible acts and still be able to live with themselves. This book was very interesting, and horrifying at the same time. It should a lot of courage, and a lot of cruelty. Revenge isn’t always the best route to take, sometimes you just have to be the bigger person and walk away. Work Cited Euripides, and Rex Warner. Medea. New York: Dover Publications, 1993.