... the start of the play in heroic terms. Her language and action, as well as the familiar frame in which they operate, mark her as a heroic character, one of those characters whose purpose was specific, whose defiance of threats and advice, whose refusal to betray their own ideal vision were the preoccupation of Sophoclean tragedy. Medea is presented to the audience ... and hurt your enemies- it was only to be expected that their revenges, when they felt themselves unjustly treated, would be huge and deadly. The epic poems [i.e., Homer's Iliad and Odyssey] do not really question Achilles'...

• Word Count: 1681
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School