How Does Medea's Personality Shift During the Play ?

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How Does Medea's Personality Shift or Change During the Play?

In the play Medea, the mythical Greek hero , Jason abandons his wife Medea and prepares to marry Princess Glauce of Corinth to secure a throne and the power and wealth of the kingdom. These events trigger various transformations in Medea's character and emotional state; from suicidal despair at the beginning of the play, to apprehension and indecision when first faced with killing her children and finally to remorseless fury which leads her to undertake unnatural means to achieve her revenge.

The play immediately introduces us to Medea's total despair after being abandoned by Jason, giving the audience new insight into how Medea's intense emotional pain turns her against those who inflict it (Jason) and all of his emotional attachments (Glauce and his children.) Early in the play, Medea demands "What use is life to me?" (line 96), showing her sadness and helplessness in the wake of her abandonment by Jason. With this line Euripedes implores the audience to sympathize with Medea who appears to be victimized by Jason's callous behavior.

Medea's conflicting impulses about killing her children are revealed in her monologue in lines 1018-1080. In