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Medea

 


             eyes on one alone." (231-247) Though it is improbable that women went around .
             openly saying things of this nature, it is likely that this attitude was shared .
             by most or all Greek women. Later in the play, Medea debates with herself over .
             whether or not to kill her children: "Poor heart, let them go, have pity upon .
             the children." (1057). This shows Medea's motherly instincts in that she cares .
             about her children. She struggles to decide if she can accomplish her goal of .
             revenge against Jason without killing her children because she cares for them .
             and knows they had no part in what their father did. Unfortunately, Medea's .
             desire to exact revenge on Jason is greater than her love for her children, and .
             at the end of the play she kills them. Medea was also a faithful wife to Jason. .
             She talks about how she helped Jason in his quest for the Golden Fleece, then .
             helped him escape, even killing her own brother. (476-483). The fact that she .
             was willing to betray her own family to be with Jason shows her loyalty to him. .
             Therefore, her anger at Jason over him divorcing her is understandable. .
             On the other hand, Medea shows some heroic qualities that were not .
             common among Greek women. For example, Medea is willing to kill her own brother .
             to be with Jason. In classical Greece, women and killing were probably not .
             commonly linked. When she kills her brother, she shows that she is willing to .
             do what is necessary to "get the job done", in this case, to be with Jason. .
             Secondly, she shows the courage to stand up to Jason. She believes that she has .
             been cheated and betrayed by him. By planning ways to get back at him for .
             cheating on her, she is standing up for what she believes, which in this case is .
             that she was wronged by Jason, but in a larger sense, she is speaking out .
             against the inferior status of women, which effectively allows Jason to discard .
             Medea at will. Third, she shows that she is clever and resourceful.


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