The point of Euripides’ Medea is to illustrate the consequential fury which accompanies any exercise of betrayal; the anger, and devious actions which follow said anger, constructs the plot of this tragedy in which Medea catastrophically destroys those around her. Falling back on the topic of fate from Oedipus, in accordance with this theory of punishments for betrayal, one could argue that Medea was destined to have her husband betray her as a consequence for betraying all of those who loved her that she betrayed. As she puts it, “hated by my friends/ At home, I have, in kindness to you, made enemies/ Of others whom there was no need to have injured.” She betrayed her loved ones, and as punishment for doing so, she is being betrayed by the man who she loves the most - the man who she sacrificed all others in order to appease. However, the chain of betrayal finishes upon Jason, where his house and all of his visions for a prosperous future in life become a shattered reality. While at first glance he may seem like the sole victim of Medea’s ravenous revenge, Medea faces the loss of her children in the transaction as well. This is a follow up punishment for the betrayal which she has committed, as well as the betrayal that was enacted upon her. Euripides is making a statement that betrayal, no matter the degree, will always be accompanied by a plethora of consequences.
Lines 20 - 39
Nurse: And poor Medea is slight ed, and cries aloud on the/ Vows they made to each other, the right hands clasped/ In eternal promise. She calls upon the gods to witness/ What sort of return Jason has made to her love./ She lies without food and gives herself up to suffering,/ Wasting away every moment of the day in tears./ So it has gone since she knew herself slighted by him./ Not stirring an eye, not moving her face from the ground,/ No more than either a rock or surging sea water/ She listens when she is given friendly advice./ Except that sometimes she twists back her white neck and/ Moans to herself, calling out on her father’s name,/ And her land, and her home betrayed when she came away with/ A man who now is determined to dishonor her./ Poor creature, she has discovered by her sufferings/ What it means to one not to have lost one’s own country./ She has turned from the children and does not like to see them./ I am afraid she may think of some dreadful thing./ For her heart is violent. She will never put up with/ The treatment she is getting.
The words “violent,” “betrayed,” and “cries” are the three words that echo from the Nurses premonitions of Medea’s reactionary expeditions following Jason’s wedding. The three of them have rather negative connotations which stick with the point of Euripides’ play in that “violent” consequences will come to the offenders of those who “betrayed” the individual who “cries” for the aches which have been dealt to them. However, this passage depicts the plot of the particular scenario of Medea and Jason’s conflicts rather than the overarching point that Euripides is attempting to convey.
This passage denotes that Medea would be acting from jealousy rather than a more divine punishment being enforced upon Jason for his treasonous actions which I believe that Euripides is trying to imply through the entire point of the drama. From looking solely at this passage, my opinion of the point would differ in the sense that any sort of deception will cause your neighbors to simply become enraged with you. I think that Euripides aimed for a thesis directed at the severity of punishments to follow such treacherous acts rather than the momentous, emotional reactions from those who surround you.
No comments:
Post a Comment