Medea Quote Analysis

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“Surely, of all creatures that have life and will, we women/ Are the most wretched” (Euripides 229-230). This first quote is spoken by Medea after she escapes her maudlin feelings and assesses her feelings on her situation with her husband. Before now, she showed no sign of overcoming her agonized spirit. She lay in her bed sobbing, and only spoke to declare her wish for immediate death. When she decides to make a statement, she addresses all women of Corinth. She describes the world to be unjust, especially to women. Medea believes that women are looked as inferior to men, and even so, men are quick to display their unlikely maltreatment. To her, women have little to no say in their marriage, their bodies, and general society. Medea’s outlook of women is first conveyed through this quote, bringing upon the theme of the state of women within Greece. This quote reveals the state of women within Greece, a leading theme of the story. Medea’s statement not only shows the obvious oppression of women, but Greece’s workings because of them. Greece would not be able to operate if it was not for the inequity to women. Medea exposes multiple injustices that women face as well. She protests of being treated as property to man and having zero control …show more content…

Medea has already lost her husband and her home so this decision is an obvious one for her. She wants to leave everyone in the same misery that she has been experienced and continues to experience. After this, she even plans to murder her own children just to distress Jason further. Medea knows that she will live in regret and misery by doing so, but her need to sadden Jason trumps her own future feelings. The murder of her sons also symbolizes the death of her marriage with Jason. In order to move past Jason leaving her, she must kill the people that remind her of him. Revenge is an important theme to the story, and is revealed through this