Medea’s murder of her children Essay

The image of Medea presented by Euripides in the exodos is undoubtedly largely horrifying and app bothing to the reference. Medea manifestly presents her appetency for revenge and it is unvoiced to feel with her char titleer. However, in m all respects her character fits the image of a sad hero. Although, it is widely contr all oersial to associate Medea with r atomic number 18fied aspects in advance(a) days, from an superannuated Grecians perspective her actions and personality might well duet aspects of the tragical hero such as consistency, annexation, noble state, and tragic flaw.This see will explore whether her presentation in the exodos as well as her actions in other component justify her tragic hero status. source of all, Medea has always enjoyed a levelheaded reputation and high-rank in society. Her heroic identity element symbolises the accompaniment that she is a grand- daughter of the Sun. Moreover, Medea was a princess of Colchis and dis biddinged a va st cognition of enchantments and medicine. When Jason abandons her in a inappropriate state of matter she conks a stateless refugee and her conceit suffers. It has also been stated by the Chorus in the playOf all pains and hardships none is worse Than to be deprived of your native land. L. 651-652 It looks intolerable for her to be rejected & homeless in a foreign land. We tooshie infer this by the use of words such as pains and hardships which emphasises her dramatic position through an accumulation of two kindred meanings. Also, the word deprived implies that Jason has taken her land almost physically. Here, the role of choir modifies the structure in the play as they appearance break up the acts in the play. Thus, Euripides attaches an important role of the chorus to construct the play.Her behaviour has been far explored by E. R Dodds who states that members of an ancient Greek society acknowledged anything which exposes a man to the contempt or ridicule of his fellows, which causes them to lose face, as un condescendable. According to Aristotle, a tragic hero must hold noble, reckon social status. It whoremaster be argued therefore that Medeas death penalty of her children in exodos was a desperate and impulsive response to the pressure of social contour (Dodds) and a diseased attempt to gain back her reputation.Such actions ar common in Greek tragedies such as The Oresteia where Atreus admitted an even big direful act of revenge against his brother who had affair with Atreuss wife. Similarly, part Medea loses face when Jason abandons her, Atreuss reputation suffers when his wife commits adultery. Nevertheless, later Atreuss takes care of his brothers son. This, as opposed to Medea, can be considered as tragic heros sense of depravity or, perhaps, the way to address justness. On the other hand, Medea doesnt regret her actions. Her sense of guilt does not exist.Contrarily, she seems to be proud of her murder as she uses cynical and sa rcastic techniques plot of land she responds to Jasons accusations in stichomythia Go home your wife waits to be buried. The book of features of Jasons would-be wife is extremely poisonous and tactless as previously, Medea remorselessly murdered her. In the exodos, Medea and Jason have a short and astutely exchange after Jason sees the dead bodies of his children. Questionably, Medea appears here to be extremely exultant, victoriously using cynical techniques untypical for the tragic hero such as You grieve too soon.Old age is coming. It is piss that Medea identifies her murder with a triumph over Jason. This opposes the fact that Medea can be regarded as a tragic hero because members of an ancient Greek society, despite their entrust for high reputation, had a sense of guilt and justice which is described by E. R Dodds as a gradually growing sense of guilt which transformed into a punishment and embodiment of cosmic justice. This implies that Medea as a tragic hero should regret her actions however, this never occurs.Instead, at the close of the play, Medea and the bodies of her children are taken away by the gods in the shape of Deus ex Machina. Up until the exodos, Medea has had some features of a tragic hero. However in the exodos, the absence seizure of any kind of regrets opens up a debate over whether Medeas presentation can be truly regarded as a tragic hero. Here, the gods seem to appear strangely sympathetic in her bloody sufferings and surprisingly shocking in supporting Medeas actions and punishing Jason.It can be argued that the gods support Medea and Deus ex Machina occurs in order to dispense justice by not allowing Jason to bury his children and leaving him unsatisfied. Although, the gods not always seem to make right decision and sometimes their will performs as cruel and unmoral. It isnt just the fact that Medea kills her children that seem to be questioning Medeas heroic aspects. It is also true that Medea does not die. The play i s in fact the only surviving Greek tragedy where the tragic hero doesnt die.Furthermore, Medea is a woman driven by male desire. Her desire for revenge leads to her overcoming the sense of maternal instinct. thitherfore, the Greek audience couldnt alone regard Medea as a tragic hero and yet the audience ( ) shudder at the ruthless of her anger and passion for vengeance (Easterling). It is undecipherable whether Medea aims to portray herself as a woman or to employ the heroic male weapon. She often sympathise with females as a stem We were born women useless for honest purposes.But in all kinds of pestiferous skilled practitioners l. 406-407 Here, Medea uses first person plural verb in order to become a representative of females. However, the fact that she lacks her maternal instinct and kills her children in answer to her dishonour and her violence, which she herself abhors follow the creative thinker of a male desire. At this point, it is difficult to define Medea as a tragi c hero because she evidently contradicts the idea of consistency in that she portrays herself sometimes as a representative of oppressed women and sometimes as a male hero.It is largely controversial to argue that Medeas presentation in the play (particularly in the exodos) is intelligent and appropriate (Aristotle). The tragic heros character should be good if the purpose is good (Aristotle). Euripidess presentation of Medea at the beginning of the play is to make the audience pity her dramatic position however, if we consider the fact that previously Medea has committed two acts of murder in order to sweep up Jason it is difficult to sympathise her. The murder of her children is a highly horrifying act of the play as the children plead for help (Help, help, for the gods sakeShes cleanup us ). The repetitiveness of a word help and their imprecations gives us a sense of their desperation. In this way, Medea fits her image of a tragic hero because consort to Aristotle, fear and p ity must be aroused in circumstances in which a tragic incident between those who are beneficial or dear to one another. Indeed, we pity characters in the exodos as the act of murder has been done at the expense of innocent children pleading for help.On the other hand, it has been investigated by P.E Easterling that Euripides many imitators have tended to present Medeas behaviour as that of madwomen. This is because the way in which Medea murders her children is largely brutal as she uses a sword and seem to be murdering them in a mercilessly pattern. Therefore, even the Ancient Greek audience seems to reject the idea of Medea be good and appropriate.In addition, for Medea to fully fit the image of a Greek tragic hero it is essential that she has her tragic flaw which contributes to the downfall. It is incumbent for the tragic heroes to be wrapped in the mystery () with that something beyond which we can only see through them, and which is the source of their strength and their fate analogous (Anderson) Without this, tragedy cannot be regarded as a tragedy itself.Therefore, in context of use of Medea, the equivalent of something beyond can be considered her excessive pride and arrested development with the jest of my enemies. Even if the audience does not point out any indication of the laughter of Medeas enemies, she still insists their presence. She does not perceive the support of the women of Corinth (meaning the Chorus) or -perhaps, she does not want to perceive it.Therefore, Medeas obsession with the laughter of her enemies can be considered as the catalyst of her tragic downfall. However, it might be believed that this obsession cannot be regarded as the catalyst of her tragic downfall because it is clear that Medea fully acknowledges her flaws and in her horrific act in the exodos she recognises that whats shes doing is wrong. In the line 1077 she says I understand The horror of what I am going to do Evidently, Medea appears to be aware of her tragic flaw and to immerse the consequences.In this case, Medea cannot be regarded as a tragic hero because she acknowledges her flaws. Therefore, the Greek audience could not be entertained or surprised by Medeas actions. We do not pity her because she accepts her tragic flaws throughout the play. Medeas self-awareness of her immorality contradicts Andersons belief that the message of tragedy is that men are better than they think they are. The message needs to be said over and over lest the race lose faith in itself entirely. There is a large distinction between the recognition of a tragic hero in Ancient Greece and the modern world.We associate heroic aspects with goodness, appropriation and a well-developed sense of forgiveness. The presentation of Medea in the exodos as well as her actions throughout the play, strongly contradict with the principles of Christianity and her character appears as irrelevant to modern ideas. Unfortunately, Medea from the Ancient Greeks point of v iew can be regarded as a tragic hero to a significant extent. The horrific act of murdering her children is insane and sickening however, it is without doubt that it fits with the image of a tragic hero in a several respects.BibliographyAristotle, Poetics. Trans. S.H. Butcher. www.classics.mit.edu/Aristotle/poetics/htmlAccessed 5th January 2012P.E Easterling The Infanticide in Euripides Medea, Yale Classical Studies, 25(1997) 193-225Dodds, E.R. The Greeks and the Irrational. University of California Press, (2000).Allan, William. Euripides Medea Duckworth Companions for Greek and Roman tragedy. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, (2002)Anderson, The Essence of TragedyNorthrop Frye, The Mythos of dusk