Medea loved Jason with genuine passion; she was willing to do the impossible and retrieve the Golden Fleece for him, so that he could gain the kingship of Iolcus. However, when Jason breaks the oath of marriage, Medea becomes heart-broken and her grief turns into bitter anger. No one sympathizes with Medea and she bears the pain alone. Medea is misunderstood by others for they only see the enraged Medea and not the crushed heart behind. Euripides portrays Medea just as how the ancient Greeks saw foreigners. She is jealous, overly emotional, and certainly barbaric in the Greek world. All these contribute to her conspicuous "otherness ". Medea is a typical outcast; she is exotic from another land, mysterious, superstitious, and feared. However, Euripides tears down these attributes of hers in the end and displays Medea as a rational and victorious individual. Despite her being a misfit in the society, Medea defies Greek stereotypical image of a "barbarian " by appearing as the most cunning, logical, and triumphant character of all. .
Medea's cleverness contradicts the Greek's perception of her as a crude and uncivilized woman and she uses this cunning as an advantage, a power almost, to defend herself from her enemies. This skill is another example of how Medea stands out from the Greeks. Her hidden knowledge of witchcraft and drugs are especially an excellent resource in her well-planned retaliation. Medea herself recognizes that this knowledge she possesses can be of great use, despite the fact that it has caused her ostracism by others, "through being considered clever I have suffered much for being clever, I find that some will envy me, others object to me. Yet all my cleverness is not so much"" (10). .
She intentionally criticizes this superior knowledge of hers, claiming that she does not know much to avoid distrust; she finally succeeds in gaining pity. Although King Creon suspects Medea, "I am afraid of you.
