A sorceress gives her heart to man who later turns his back on her. She deceived her father, murdered her brother, and is later exiled due to her rage over him. She wants revenge, and she"ll do anything to get it. This is the foundation of the riveting tale of Medea by Euripides. This saga deals with murder, passion, vengeance, deception, pride, and that all these qualities can emerge in everyday human activity. Euripides" dramatic piece shows us many faces of humanity and expresses several significant characteristics for us to reflect on.
The first of the three issues Euripides is trying to counsel us on is that, we, as the human race, can let passion become such a strong feeling, we can forget all common sense and throw caution to the wind. Passion is a very influential emotion that can overtake our reason and ability to see the truth of things. There are occasions when we can get so caught up in a fixation, we become blinded and refuse to listen to logic. For example, Medea's passion for vengeance and thirst for Jason's blood surpasses sane thinking. Medea clearly states this in Act II when she is talking with her children, just before she carries out her plan to take the lives of her young. "What a victim I am of my own self-will at last I see how my passion is stronger than my reason: passion, which brings the worst of woes to mortal men" (Euripides 324-325). Here she declares that the feeling of passion is so strong, she has no will or power to stop it. Euripides explains through Medea's pain that we as human beings can succumb to our emotions and loose control. Her thinking is not rational, even to the point of murdering her own children, her sons, to subdue that passion for retaliation against Jason. Medea forgot all common sense and threw caution to the wind, and became a slave to her own obsession.
Second, Euripides is striving to help us as human beings realize that appearances may be deceiving.
