To what extent do the circumstances of
the play justify media's actions?
Brain storm
Circumstances: divorced/alone, outsider/ exiled
outsider: no because in ep 3 she had somewhere to go, Aegises’ home.
Exiled: unfair, revenge on Creon justifiable.
Plan
Contention media’s actions towards the people that wronged her are justifiable but not the other
people it hurt.
Argument 1: Medea’s actions of trying to cause Creon pain are justifiable.
Quotes: “Raging bull lioness” (creon prologus)
“her eyes are like a wild flood.
Argument 2: Medea killing her children is not justifiable as she is their mother, and they have not
done anything wrong.
Quotes: “arm yourself my heart as the thing you must do is awful yet inevitable” ep 5
Prosperity increases happiness never{messenger ep 5}
“Your heart will melt you, will know you cannot do it”{chorus to medea ep3}
Argument 3: Medea wanting to cause Jason pain is justifiable because he disrespects and humiliates
her for being an outsider.
Quotes:
“Barbaric Asiatic household” joson to medea
“Jason was my whole life”ep 1 medea
“you left a barbaric land to take up residence in Greece” Jason ep 3
media’s actions towards the people that
wronged her are justifiable but not the
other people it hurt.
Medea was a play written by Euripides in 431 BCE. At the time the Peloponnesian war was going on.
The Peloponnesian war was a war between Athens and the Peloponnesians that lasted for 25 years.
Euripides highlights media’s actions towards the people that wronged her are justifiable but not the
other people it hurt. Firstly, because Medea’s actions of trying to cause Creon pain are justifiable but
not Glauce. Secondly because Medea killing her children is not justifiable as she is their mother, and
they have not done anything wrong and thirdly because: Medea wanting to cause Jason pain is
justifiable because he disrespects and humiliates her for being an outsider.
Euripides suggest the idea: Medea’s actions of trying to cause Creon pain are justifiable but not
Glauce is suggested when Creon talks to her with disrespect and takes to her like she is an animal.
This is suggested when Creon calls Medea a “Raging bull lioness”. In the time Ancient Greek society
looks down on outsiders and thought they were all barbaric. Euripides uses this negative imagery to
suggest Creon thinks of her as a barbaric animal demonstrating the views of Greek society at the
time and the disrespect Medea had to deal with. This connects to the idea Medea’s actions of trying
to cause Creon pain are justifiable. This also connects to the idea Medea’s actions towards the
people that wringed is justifiable.
Euripides suggest the idea Medea killing her children is not justifiable as she is their mother, and
they have not done anything wrong. This is suggested when the messenger says to Medea in ep 5
“prosperity increases happiness never”. The messenger is suggesting to Medea her killing her kids
will not make her anymore happy. In the time it was frowned upon to kill your own children. The
chorus also tell Medea to not kill her children as it will cause her a lot of pain from the spectate of a
mother. The chorus act as the audience should act, show the social norms, and reference the gods
such as Helios the sun god when the leader of the chorus says, “why must this rage devour your
heart”. This connects to the idea Medea killing her children is not justifiable as she is their mother,
and they have not done anything wrong. This also links to the idea media’s actions towards the
people that wronged her are justifiable but not the other people it hurt like her children.
Euripides suggest the idea Medea wanting to cause Jason pain is justifiable because he disrespects
and humiliates her for being an outsider. This is shown in ep 2 when Jason says to Medea, he took
her out of a “Barbaric Asiatic household. In the time people outside of Athens were considered
barbaric. This connect to the idea people outside Corinth are barbaric. Jason using the word
“Barbaric” do describe Medea which has a negative connotation suggest he thinks of her as
uncivilised and barbaric thus suggesting he disrespects her and humiliates her for being an outsider.
Jason arrogance is his hubris. In the exodos Medea’s Dues ex Machina is shown when she is above
Jason both literally and in the power dynamic when she is in the chariot and says to Jason “in this
chariot the sun gods have sent me. This links to the idea media’s actions towards the people that
wronged her are justifiable such as Jason.
In conclusion, media’s actions towards the people that wronged her are justifiable but not the other
people it hurt. In this play Euripides has tried to teach the readers media’s actions towards the
people that wronged her are justifiable but not the other people it hurt. As such the bigger idea it is
ok to hurt the people that hurt you but not people that have done nothing to you.