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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A 3 page essay that addresses the revenge motif in Euripides' Medea. In ancient Greek society, honor was a paramount virtue that determined, along with one's duty--to the gods and society, much of what was considered to be moral conduct. In Medea, Euripides makes it clear that Jason does not act honorably, but is, rather, selfish, irresponsible and foolish in violating the trust of his wife Medea, who knows to be related to the gods and who he knows also, because she aided him with her magic in obtaining the Golden Fleece, to be a powerful sorceress. A modern perspective sees Medea as a monster because she takes innocent lives, her own children and the life of Jason's betrothed. However, Euripides' treatment of the characters makes it clear through the revenge motif that ancient Greek sympathies were with Media and saw her revenge in terms of a tragic, but deserved downfall for Jason. No additional sources cited.
Page Count:
3 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_khmedrev.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
In Medea, Euripides makes it clear that Jason does not act honorably, but is, rather, selfish, irresponsible and foolish in violating the trust of his wife Medea, who knows to
be related to the gods and who he knows also, because she aided him with her magic in obtaining the Golden Fleece, to be a powerful sorceress. A modern perspective
sees Medea as a monster because she takes innocent lives, her own children and the life of Jasons betrothed. However, Euripides treatment of the characters makes it clear through the
revenge motif that ancient Greek sympathies were with Media and saw her revenge in terms of a tragic, but deserved downfall for Jason. Euripides opens Medea with
exposition as Medeas nurse reminds the audience, who is probably aware of the story, of how Jason met Medea while on his famous quest for the Golden Fleece. The nurse
tells of how Media gave up everything, her ties with her family and father, everything in the world that she had known to that point in her life in order
to go with Jason and become his wife. Yet, in return for this sacrifice, Jason has "betrayed his children" and the nurses mistress" for the love of a royal bride,"
by wedding the daughter of Creon, the "lord of this land" (Euripides). As this speech indicates, Euripides begins the thematic content of his play by enlisting the sympathy of
the audience for Medea. The nurses speech emphasizes words that carry a heavy connotation in ancient Greek society, words such as "honor," "betrayal," and "pledge." This speech establishes immediately that
Jason is a justifiable target for revenge. When Medea appears on stage, it is clear that she is totally crushed emotionally and mentally by her husbands betrayal, as she
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