English Medea Essay

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“It is impossible to take sides at the end of the play; both Medea and Jason are equally guilty. Is it possible to feel sympathy for either of them?”

Medea is the tragic story of a woman desperate for revenge upon her husband, after he betrayed her for another woman’s bed. It was written by Euripides, a Greek playwright, in 431 B.C. Throughout the play each character shows us their inconsistent and contradicting personalities, in particular, Jason and Medea. The play opens with the Nurse expressing her anxiety about Jason betraying and leaving Medea for another, wealthier, woman. Our initial reaction is to feel empathetic towards Medea, who has been abandoned so conveniently. But towards the end of the play, when Medea takes revenge on …show more content…
At first Jason is content with Creon’s decision; he says it is her own fault. Their argument shows the balance of power in their relationship and their contrasting values and attitudes. It is towards the end of the play we feel sympathy towards Jason. It is only when Medea kills Glauce and Creon that we begin to feel sympathy for Jason. Our sympathy for Jason increases when his two sons are killed by their own mother. Even more so when Medea refuses him the gesture of burying their bodies.. By the end of the play you may be confused about who represents certain values, but it is inevitable to feel sympathy for both characters.

It is more likely for a woman to feel sympathy for Medea. This is because of the feeling of a man being disloyal and the feeling of betrayal. Whether or not a man would be more empathetic towards Jason is debatable, but he would definitely receive less sympathy from woman, simply because of his arrogance and attitude towards woman’s roles in society. It is possible to feel at least some fathom of sympathy for both Medea and Jason by the end of the
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