If it was Euripides" intention to write a play that exemplified the cause and effect of powerful human emotions, he succeeded in every aspect. Medea is the central character in this play and a very unique one at that. Medea is a woman of extreme behavior and emotion. The power of passion, rage, revenge and pride are all felt through the actions of Medea's character. .
Medea is deeply in love with her husband Jason, and for this love, she sacrifices all and does immoral things for him. When Jason betrays her, we see how quickly her passion turns into full fledged raged. This overpowering human emotion transforms her feelings of love into urges for destruction. She is so unhappy she stops at nothing to destroy what she has her eyes on. Medea is a good example of the consequence of leaving human emotions unchecked. She seems to be a reasonable character at first, but the effect of her husband's betrayal brings out her deepest, negative emotions. For the majority of the play, Euripides emphatically focuses on intense emotions just like this. .
The whole revenge and retribution subject matter is what makes the play so interesting and popular. The way Medea meticulously plans out her approach, willing to surrender everything and anything for perfection, is disturbing but at the same time so intriguing. Like the chorus states, we intently watch Medea with fear, but also with excitement. Euripides takes revenge to its most extreme levels when Medea murders her own children. Here, Euripides portrays an out of control character, but with a mild bit of sensibility as she killed her children to protect them from the counter-revenge of her enemies. Her rational thought is clouded so much that she would rather kill her children than see Jason happy ever again. The consequence of slaying her offspring is having to live out the rest of her life in misery and despair. Revenge had a significant command over Medea, basically turning her into a psychopath.
