Euripides' Medea, as a revenge tragedy

Medea

-Euripides

(a Revenge Tragedy)

Q. Euripides' Medea as a revenge tragedy

Answer: Medea is an ancient Greek tragedy written by Euripides and first performed in 431 BC. It depicts a woman who goes beyond the traditional role of a woman in ancient Greek society to kill her children and her husband's new wife - to avenge her "betrayal".

The name of the ‘Revenge Tragedy’ implies a tragic drama where the tragedy results from revenge for some mistake or injustice. It is either by the wrongdoer or someone else on his behalf. The origins of such tragedies lie in the tragedies of Sophocles and Euripides in ancient Greece. However, in their tragedy there was nothing of that horrible element that soon became associated with the vengeful drama.

Revenge is a significant element of Euripides' Medea. Jason and Medea are the most important characters in the drama. The Medea is present from the beginning to the end of the tragedy.

Jason was an undisputed leader and a prominent hero, but he was a bloodless and colorless personality. He met Medea when he went to catch the Golden Fleece. They were hit by the arrow of the god of love. Everything was going well and they had two children.

Unfortunately, their lives took a turn for the worse. Jason secretly married Glauce, the daughter of the King Creon. This second marriage has ruined everything for them. It was betrayal and betrayal with Medea. Shee was struck by lightning and became strong and violent. She is determined to avenge this betrayal. She must teach her husband at any cost. She changed his ways and behavior and pretended to be very polite, apologetic, but at heart she was still vindictive and angry. The spirit of revenge was nurtured with great care. Medea and her children were told to leave the land.

She killed Glauce and Creon with an artistic measure. Then came the turn of the slaying of her children and it was a fatal blow for Jason. But it was too late for Jason that he could not save the children. Medea fled to ridicule him and he was left in solitude and misery for the rest of his life.

In short it is a story of love, marriage and betrayal. Jason has to pay for the betrayal, and Medea has been wronged. The story has all the hallmarks of a vengeful tragedy. But it is not just a story of betrayal and revenge. There is more to it than that. It is a story of conflict between a man and a woman.

Medea is the women's mouthpiece. It is an eternal conflict and it happens to any husband and any wife. We also find this conflict in Jason and the Medea too.

Finally, Medea's sense of abandonment and her jealousy can be seen as the driving force behind her behavior, and despite her guilt, Medea has become a symbol of the oppressed woman depicting the anxieties of any woman of the age. However, through the events of Euripides' Medea, the readers find that the tragedy became an example of how art and humanity could be incorporated even in modern times.

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