Throughout the dramatic play, Medea, the relationships between Medea and the other characters explore the connections between gender and politics. Medea’s first speech to the all female chorus reveals her belief that women were cursed with the most “wretched” existence on Earth. This was a common belief of the time as men were able to freely divorce women without any penalty. However this did not stop Medea from using her gender to her advantage. An example of this is when she uses pathos to appeal to Creon to not exile her. She uses her emotional ties to her children to convince Creon that she should be exiled in a few extra days. This is an example of how Medea uses her gender to her advantage. Ultimately, Medea’s role in the play is ironic.