Medea is more than a tragedy about a disgruntled wife who killed her children after being devastated by her husbands disloyalty. Medea is about the oppressive nature of patriarchy, the fragility of the human heart, and the deconstruction of societies views on women. Medea’s struggle with being crushed under the weight of patriarchy is still very relevant in our current society. Many people would write Medea off as being an insane and vengeful monster who sacrificed her kids for her own selfish gain, which is valid to an extent, but beside the heinous nature of her crimes, her actions negate societal norms.
Medea the play was first written and produced in 431 B.C. During this time, the role of women in Greek society was strikingly similar to those of modern times. Women were supposed to be seen and not heard. They were seen as sex objects; expected to just bear children, tend to the needs of the home, play maid to their husbands and be powerless. These sentiments were displayed throughout this tragedy. Medea states that, “Of all the living creatures with a soul and mind, we women are the most pathetic.” Though it may sound harsh, it’s the truth. Through this quotation it can be said that Medea was critiquing the society in which she lived. Women make themselves the most viable women on the market and make themselves smaller in order to attract a husband because that’s the only thing we can possibly imagine to be is a wife. Women are supposed to turn a blind eye to their husbands infidelity and have children they don’t want. Sometimes they betray their own flesh and blood in the name of what they think to be love and all the while, the person they sacrificed so much for, cheats on them. Medea continues on to say that, “it’s best to die.” Meaning that a woman is better off dead than being trapped in a fruitless marriage where her presence isn’t revered, her love isn’t reciprocated and her sacrifices go unnoticed. “I killed the dragon too: the sleepless one, who kept the Golden Fleece enfolded in his convoluted coils; I was your light, the beacon of your safety. For my part, I betrayed my home, my father and went with you to Pelion’s slopes,” says Medea. She sacrificed her whole life for her husband and played her role of being a dutiful wife. In the beginning of the play, the chorus, composed of the women of Corinth says, “For her part, she complied with Jason in all things. There is no greater security than this in all the world: when a wife does not oppose her husband.” It takes a strong person to venture to the ends of the Earth and through the depths of hell all in the name of love and Medea did just that.
Medea’s character wasn’t meant to be the cookie cutter outline of a woman, meaning that she went against what was demanded and expected of her as a woman. “May I see him, along with his bride and the palace scraped down to nothing, crushed into splinters,” said Medea. When Jason cheated on her and broke their sacred vows, she was downtrodden and full of despair, but even in her most vulnerable state, she was able to garner strength to device a sinister plan to seek revenge on him. She had her time to mourn the death of their relationship, but she didn’t fall into despair. The killing of her kids just further chipped away at the image society had of women during the time this tragedy was written and now. “I’ll ruin Jason’s household, then ill leave this land, I’ll flee the slaughter of the children I love so dearly. I will have the nerve for this unholy deed.” Not all women are meant or want to be mothers; not all women have an innate emotional connection with their children. This disconnect between Medea and her children was very important and telling. Medea viewed her children as simply being pawns “I will kill the children— my children” says Medea. She strategically set out to kill her children. Mothers are supposed to have unconditional love for their children and because of this love, protecting them children takes precedence over anything else. To Medea, her children were expendable.
If one was to look at Medea’s actions irrespective of gender, it could just be said that Medea was acting out of being heartbroken. One can resonate with Medea’s anger and sadness. Medea gave Jason the power to destroy her. She poured and invested too much of herself into a man that simply married her out of convenience and when the marriage was no longer serving him, he took the hand of another, breaking his oath with Medea. Jason’s deceit deeply wounded Medea. In the beginning, the chorus says that, “She won’t touch food: surrendering to pain, she melts away her days in tears, ever since she learned of this injustice. She wont raise her face: her eyes are glued to the ground.” It’s safe to say that Medea was in a deep depression; her mental and emotional state were in shambles. When Medea makes her plea to the chorus, telling them about her quest for justice and revenge, they agree with her. They tell her, “You’re justified, Medea, in pain your husband back. I’m not surprised you grieve at your misfortunes.” Maybe receiving their approval was the push that she needed to exact her revenge. It also seems fitting that the women of the chorus were able to identify with Medea. The human heart, in essence, is fragile. Like everything else in life, the heart has its limits. Any of us can find ourselves at the mercy of another when we decide to love them. How we cope and act out because of heartbreak is subjective; some self implode or take it out on the people around them. Others, scorned by their lover, decide to seek revenge and hurt the ex-lover that hurt them. In Medea’s case she decided to take justice into her own hands. The word justice pops up a few times throughout the play, metaphorically. Comparing a lovers lack of commitment and deceit to a crime that should be punishable, is very telling. “Bring him to justice,” says Medea and the chorus replies, “You’re justified, Medea.” In the mind of the reader, comparing what Jason did to a crime conjures up feelings of sympathy for Medea and with every crime justice needs to be served.
Medea was swift and calculated in her quest to avenge the wrongs done to her by Jason, but Jason was also calculated in his decision to take the hand of another woman for strategic reasons. If Medea had not intervened, Jason was going to banish his children from his kingdom. “If you’d like me to help you and the children with money for your exile, then just say so,” said Jason. As previously stated, according to society, women are supposed to be inherently nurturing to their children. Medea was supposed to cherish and love her children more than Jason could as a father. Both Medea and Jason were terrible parents, but Medea gets the label of being a terrible woman who murdered her kids. Jason doesn’t get labeled as the deceitful man who gave up his role of being a father and husband. He also doesn’t get scolded for setting out to banish his wife and kids. As a character, Medea’s motives are always scrutinized, but Jason’s decisions and motives aren’t analyzed in the same way. Jason devices a plan to marry another woman, so that he would be “blessed with fortune,” and he forsakes his wife and children in the process. Medea devices a plan to kill Jason, his fiancé and her children as an effect. So, theres no need to try and distinguish between the two.
Medea wasn’t meek or docile. She was calculated in her motives and unwavering in her nature; she didn’t fulfill the emotionally erratic stereotype that was placed on women. Medea didn’t take Jason’s betrayal with a grain of salt. She felt that Jason’s treatment of her wasn’t just so, she set out to kill him, but unfortunately her children became pawns in her sinister plan. Throughout the play Medea, singlehandedly, dug herself out from under the crushing weight of patriarchy, negated societies gender stereotypes and got her revenge without anyones help.