Furthermore, the irregularity of Medea’s situation stems from another characteristic of the play. Such feature is the intensity of her revenge. Medea’s reaction to Jason’s betrayal goes above and beyond readers’ expectations. It fixates them in a state of shock and consternation. Medea’s choice of killing her children in her own home is a very heartless, harmful decision that would impose unlimited pain on both her and Jason. In order to achieve maximum possible vengeance, she must flee before her enemies can punish her for her outrage (Segal 17). Her decision to murder her children rids her of the typical motherly image society stamps on women. She portrays more masculine qualities through her behavior and actions, which are very alien traits …show more content…
King Creon of Corinth says, “I am afraid of you” (282). Then continues saying, “you are innately clever and skilled in many evils” (285). These lines emphasize how female intelligence was seen as a threat to male dominance, power, and control. The king himself with all his power feared her intelligence, was intimidated by it, and viewed it as peril.
Nonetheless, closer to the conclusion of the play, Jason insinuates that Medea is a barbarian whom will not make any sense of Greek institutions and values. Many readers of the play may follow him in this judgment. To some extent, this is comprehendible since the author himself provokes us to identify with Jason’s judgment by portraying Medea as a woman who voluntarily murders not only her rivals, but her own flesh and blood in order to gain revenge on her husband for marrying another woman. However, if readers find themselves concurring with Jason, they should halt (Schein
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Precisely, the author portrays Medea’s character primarily through her capacity to operate philia to destroy and justify the destruction of her enemies. Medea’s language and actions interrogate the meaning of philia and its values (Schein 57). Her control over whomever she speaks to is grounded on such power. One reason behind readers’ discomfort from Medea is her manipulation of an esteemed Greek institution. Euripides challenges traditional thought and institutions by invoking discrepancy within them (Schein