1. Seneca's Version of Medea
Euripides tragic play 'Medea', presents the betrayal of Medea by her husband Jason and the events that follow which are a result of passion, reason, and selfishness. The key decisions made in Euripides' play is Jason's choice to leave Medea and his children to marry Glauce, and also Medea choosing to kill her children. Medea is a vengeful and manipulative woman who bases her decisions on passion, revenge, selfishness and reason. In contrast, Jason's decisions are based on selfishness and reason.
Euripides illustrates Medea's decision to kill her children as a result of her revenge against Jason and suggests that her actions are emotive and passionate. Medea is so betrayed and emotional that Jason has left her after she has sacrificed so much for him and his desires that she uses Jason as the reason for killing their children. She asserts to her children that they have ''lost this world, thanks to [their] father'' as she contemplates her decision to kill them. Although Medea blames Jason she is ''well aware how terrible a crime'' she is about to commit, Euripides explains that ''passion is the master of [her] reason''.
Medea not only blames Jason for her decision but she also attempts to justify her actions by using her enemies. Medea says she ''will not leave [her] children to the mockery of [her] enemies'' as she believes that leaving them to live they will be frowned upon and made fun of. Euripides presents Medea's excuse as genuinely thinking and caring for her children and what the consequences may be if she is not to kill them. She also thinks that if she is to not take any action, then she will ''become a laughing-stock by letting her enemies off scot-free''. Medea uses these excuses so that her choices are justified, and she does not feel as guilty. .
Euripides depicts Jason's character as though he cares only for his benefit and not the relationship of his wife and children.
There are two types of cruelty featured in Euripides" "Medea", being physical and moral. ... The greatest moment of physical cruelty is displayed as Medea decided to kill her children. ... It seems that this question would be difficult to answer given the drama of Medea can not be taken word for word, being such an old, and possibly tapered with text.... There are other aspects about Medea's character that suggest she was in fact born "evil".... Among them however, Medea is the most cunning, or natural manipulator. ...
The variances of emotion, although shown from a character, are all based on human responses. These responses are countless in number for the reason that there are many facets to human nature. ... Medea's nurse states of Medea: "And she herself helped Jason in every way. ... Hall and Gardner Lindzey go on to describe in their text, Theories of Personality, 3rd edition, that shamelessness and remorselessness allow a person to disregard the opinions of others and one's own internalized standards. ... Medea's plan is almost complete; Medea's children are the last victims. ...
Authoritative Latin writers "auctores "provided the works of medieval writers with invaluable truths', which contributed to the credibility of medieval texts, though robbing them of certain amount of originality. ... Critical views about Chaucer's purpose and the plausible theme of the House of Fame range from the exploration of limits of human understanding produced by the mind's confrontation with the sources of its knowledge, through simply a presentation of the dilemma faced by the medieval writer when attempting to justify his fiction by a reference to a prestig...