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Patrick Kelly
Professor Kurtzman
THEA 0810 SEC-1040
Make-Up Essay
Medea
The application of Freytag’s structure referenced in the work of Thomas’s Script Analysis
in the plot and progressions chapter is sufficient in explaining the plot formation in Euripides’s
classic Greek tragedy Medea. The play of Medea is particularly equipped to this structure as it
follows the outline enumerated in said chapter as: introduction/exposition, followed by the first
climactic event, rising action, the turning point, followed by the second climactic event, the
falling action, followed by the third and final climax, and then the catastrophe/denouncement to
end the play. Despite Medea following this plot structure, it is quite difficult to reference the
three climatic events as each event has varying degrees of significance. In terms of the first
climax, Medea is met by the realization she, along with her sons will face exile commanded from
King Creon as a result of her husband's infidelity and deceit. Although this scene has no violent
action or altercation, it serves as a climax due to its impact on the progression of the plot, for it
brings Medea into a deeper state of passion fueled anger. This anger not only extends to her
husband, and by default her two sons who she hates solely for their father's actions, but to the
King of Creon and his daughter Glauce. This scene conveys the transition of Medea into a
woman floored by her own passion and rage that has snapped into a mindset predetermined to
destruction for all those who dare wrong her.
Having laid the groundwork for Medea’s vengeance, the first climax is followed by
Medea’s growing dissatisfaction with her current predicament as an isolated woman scorned to
exile. Medea’s furious hatred had bubbled to the surface as she began to formulate her own
opposition with a plan to not only poison Glauce, but to slay her own children as well after the
fact. The realization of this plan is difficult as she questions her capacity to kill her own sons, but
her passionate hatred for Jason prevails allowing her to ignore her duties as a mother and take
what she believes to be rightful vengeance against Jason. With her goal in mind, Medea begins
establishing her route to revenge as she implores the help of King Aegeus who presents her with
an opportunity for asylum at his home in Athens in exchange for help with his own conflict.
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With this move she has taken a step further towards the completion of her plan as she can now
reside safely in Athens following the impending murders of the royal family. With this in mind
Medea is confident in her plan and begins to appease to the will of Jason by contending that she
will leave on her own and prepare a gift for Glauce and the royals of Corinth presented by her
sons so they may not be exiled. It’s significant to note Medea’s cleverness here as this move is
completely unexpected to everyone but the audience, who knows the gift is poisoned, and further
proves she doesn’t fit the societal expectations of women in ancient Greece. She utilizes her
station as a woman as a crutch, by making Jason and the others believe she is willing to accept
the dominance of another man over her, in particular Jason, and adheres to his reasoning that she
abandons her anger and leave Corinth. This scene exemplifies the nature of oppression females
faced at the time, as it was a commonality for women to subject themselves to the authority of
men. The fact Jason is so eager to accept her contention even though he is in the wrong
explicates that both men and women have the capacity to take control over their well-being no
matter the societal implications of gender. Further, the result of her plan is one of success, as she
not only murders Glauce, ruining Jason’s chances of advancing his station, but also destroys the
royal family by subsequently killing King Creon as he attached himself to the poison riddled
body of his daughter. This scene may be referenced as the second climax as a turning point for it
exposes Medea as a killer as well as partially completing her plan for revenge.
Upon exacting vengeance on the royal family, Medea now focuses her fury onto her sons,
who are essentially bystanders in the murderous path of their own mother. Despite how close she
is to finalizing her plan, Medea again faces her own internal struggle as she battles her intuition
as a mother against her own desire for retribution. However, no matter how much she loves her
sons, the weight of her immense pain and anger towards Jason conquers her maternal nature as
she takes one step further towards her goal. The impending doom of her sons is heavily washed
upon the audience and serves as an eerie transition to the third and final climax of the play. The
killing of her children is the most powerful point of her plan, for she selfishly chooses their
demise as a means to enact her hatred and desire for vengeance towards Jason. Medea once again
breaks from normal status of womanhood as she fulfills the ultimate tragedy of killing her sons.
At this point Medea has achieved her goal, for all that awaits is the eventual undoing of Jason
when he witnesses what she’s done. Jason in turn, unknowingly comes back to Medea’s house
exacerbated by her capacity for murder, yet he still doesn’t suspect the loss of his children at the
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hands of Medea. In compliance with Freytag’s structure the play soon reaches a point of
resolution, as Medea and Jason share one final scene. In a gloriously horrific fashion, Medea
emerges from above the home riding a golden chariot pulled by dragons, while her deceased
children lay at her side. Medea is now in the position where she can finally feel satisfaction from
knowing she has taken everything from Jason, his new wife, his kingdom, and even his lineage,
are all now absent from his grasp. With the power in her hands, she rejects Jason’s desire to bury
his sons, for she contends his desire to be with them is misguided, as he had previously
abandoned them to exile in favor of his new life. With this, Jason is left powerless, all he can do
is beg for reason and curse her name, signifying the denouncement of the play as these opposing
characters are no longer tethered to their past relationship. Further, Medea has again disrupted
the interpretation of women in Greek society, as she now is the dominant force standing above
Jason in the sky, conveying the transition of power between man and woman, and the capacity of
each to exact their own will.
Through analyzing the plot progression of the play in adjacent to Freytag’s structure
enumerated in Thomas’s Analysis, one could agree that the play Medea not only fits this outline,
but as well as offers a great insight into the identity of Medea coupled with Euripides’s intent to
address the gender oppressive society of ancient Greece with the profession of her character.