Euripides' "Medea"
Of the three most famous Greek dramatists, Euripides was the youngest and lived during the 5th century B.C. Although he was celebrated in his own time, he was misunderstood and even mocked by his cohorts . However, Euripides eventually became lauded as a brilliant artist whose lexicon is celebrated even today. One of his more poignant tragedies is his play “Medea” which illustrates the final interaction between Medea and her once heroic husband, Jason. In Robert B. Palmer’s essay “An Apology for Jason: A Study of Euripides’ Medea”, he defends Jason’s many repugnant actions and purports that a 5th century Greek audience was more forgiving than more recent critics. He appeals to the reader to understand Jason’s character as a 5th-century Greek would. Although Medea herself is not blameless, Jason should be equally maligned, and thus an apology to him is completely unnecessary. Although Medea is the protagonist of the tale, Palmer writes that it is Jason who evokes pathos in his audience. He believes that the conflict of the tale is Medea’s struggle within herself as both the kindhearted mother of her two young sons and the scorned wife who will stop at nothing to seek vengeance. Aristotle maintained that all G
Palmer, while broadening the understanding of Euripides’ play does not manage to convince anyone that Jason is without revile. Indeed, he is a loathsome character who ascertains an equally loathsome wife. The ending to their saga befits them, and it seems obvious that one would pity all involved in the play, especially Jason and Medea. It is Medea alone who is feared, however. There can be no winners in the story because immorality is rampant throughout, causing disastrous harm to all. The result of Jason and Medea’s union caused much death and unhappiness, to themselves and to others. The only obligatory apology should be coming from both Jason and Medea themselves. Jason’s vocalized choice to leave Medea for another woman is justified by Palmer’s claim that it is “an honest expression of what any beleaguered Greek male would say in his place”. The empathy should fall on Jason, as it would be unfair for anyone to expect him to remain with a woman who is unable to provide him with the means to ensure “that there should be someone to perform sacrifices and carry out the customary rites over him”. Palmer finds this “dilemma” of Jason’s to be entirely justified, and by understanding his main motivation, he feels it is possible to “resolve some of the vexing problems which have harassed past editors of Medea”. Palmer explains that Jason’s sudden shift from apathy to great concern for his sons’ fate is due to a ”legal standpoint” . Because the children are noithoi, they are regarded only as Medea’s children and Jason cannot make any claims upon them.
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Approximate Word count = 1942
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)
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