CHARACTER ANALYSIS OF MEDEA
MEDEA is an eponymous play written by ancient Greek playwright, Euripides, sometime in the 5th Century BC based on a Greek mythology of the goddess Medea.
Synopsis
JASON, the husband of MEDEA has secretly married the daughter of CREON, king of Corinth. The news has spread widely, and has reached MEDEA. She gets hurt for her husband’s infidelity and betrayal . despite all that she has done for him, and the promises he himself has made. Love turns sour, and reproduces hatred. The hatred now proves the strength of MEDEA to revenge her husband JASON. She plots to kill her two sons, her new mistress as well as CREON, her father.
CHARACTER ANALYSIS:
MEDEA: Wife of JASON, Vengeful, cunning, and deceitful.
Paradoxically, NURSE describes MEDEA as vengeful; on pg.2, NURSE relays ” …I know her well. She’ll not put up with being treated badly…it won’t be easy for any man who picks up fight with her to think she’s beaten and he’s triumphed“. This assertion was very true and occupied the thoughts of MEDEA in all her appearance in the play. Her characterization was only to revenge. She never for once thought of forgiving JASON. In the end, she poisoned to death CREON and his daughter, then killed her own sons just to injure JASON.
Also, Medea, in Greek means planner/schemer, and so it’s not surprising to see the projection of her as cunning, and a deceiver. She influences CREON to allow her to stay in Corinth so she could execute her evil plans, “…let me remain here one day to prepare, to get ready for my exile, to provide something for my children, since their father, as one more insult, does nothing for them. Have pity on them . You’re a parent, too…” . At the end, tyrant CREON heeds to her request and goes ahead to do something different from the original request , that’s killing CREON and his daughter, and her own sons as well.
Even though the play was written in the 5th Century, The character MEDEA is still relevant in our today world. We still have women in our society who are bleeding because of the betrayal from the man they sacrificed their career, and everything for. And these women, like MEDEA, are willing to do anything to hurt these men they once loved.
Furthermore, before MEDEA executed her plans, she mets a man named AEGUS who promises to protect her if she safely escape from Corinth to Athens. In my view, I again see the character MEDEA as a representative of those who commit heinous crimes because there’s a power behind the scenes who will be ready to protect them when they are to account for their crimes. This is traceable in our society when foreigners are protected by diplomatic foreign policies, and they take advantage of it to do the undesirable in our country.
JASON
JASON is the husband of MEDEA.
He is materialistic, unremorseful, and also acts contrary to his philosophy. Any evidence to support this? Per his statement “…we have enough. I’m not complaining. The most important thing for us to do is to live well, and not in poverty…”; this, he explains why he married the king’s daughter, and his statement suggests that he didn’t marry her because he loves her, but for her wealths.
Again, in all his appearances in the play, he never for once apologized nor felt sorry for marrying another woman besides MEDEA and even to the extent of finding excuse to MEDEA quiz of why he married secretly if he did it with pure intentions. In my perspective, JASON represents men who find justification to everything that they do, they never apologize nor feel sorry; and the play through how it ended suggests that acts like that have catastrophic endings.
to further support this about JASON, he wasn’t a man who act in accordance with his philosophy.
On page 29, he said “…if my wife values me, she’ll set more store on what I want to do than on possessions…” , ironically, JASON didn’t set more store on how MEDEA will feel if he marries CREON daughter, but rather on what he will gain from marrying CREON’s daughter. Similarly, in our world today, we have people who would want others execute the philosophy that ‘they’ hold dear, but will never live up to it when they get the chance or opportunity to materialize what they have been advocating for.
CREON
He is a king, and the father in-law of JASON.
Of all his qualities , what captured my attention most was that through his terrible mistakes which ended his own life, that of her daughter, and the two innocent kids. When he was at the verge of banishing MEDEA from Corinth, he made a terrible mistake which he conceded “…and feeling pity I’ve been hurt before, more than once. And now woman, I see see I’m making a mistake, for you can have your extra day…”(p.11) . By allowing MEDEA to stay another day in Corinth, he granted her the chance, opportunity, privilege, to execute her schemes!
We still have people who keep on repeating mistakes that have hurt them before. It seems twice bitten, these people are never shy.
NURSE:
She is secretive, and a loyal servant of MEDEA. Despite knowing all of MEDEA’s plot, she kept quiet and saw her implement it even though she was against it.
543 BC, this play was written; but in 2023 the character trait is still relevant… We have people due to their sworn loyalty, will watch on as people devise wicked and dubious plans, and witness it’s successful manifestation without alarming others to intervene to save life.
Well, the playwright might have chosen to let the Characters play such roles, but it’s not far, no, not too far from real life, because… Play imitates life!!!
Written by Isaac Nketsiah ( BA Theatre arts)