In Medea, Euripides uses Medea to portray his views on the unfair treatment of women in Greek society and to depict women as a formidable force.
“Medea”
During the time of the Ancient Greeks, the role of women and their subordination to men was at the center of the social order. According to Aristotle, a clever woman should never be the subject of a tragedy because she is not fit to be the heroin. In Medea, Euripides uses Medea to portray his views on the unfair treatment of women in Greek society and to depict women as a formidable force.
At the beginning of the play, Medea gives a speech to the Chorus in which she states the social injustices that affect women. Medea believes that women, although made the same as men, must endure horrible social injustices. She mentions that with a life of marriage comes a life of servitude. Men are free to leave the house, take on other lovers, and leave the marriage unscathed. Women, on the other hand, are left with nothing and a broken home to fix. Euripides allows the audience to feel pity for Medea as he writes about how Jason treated her badly after she murdered her brother, betrayed her family, left her home, and became the mother of his children. Euripides uses Medea to show that women are not the feeble creatures that Greek society portrays them to be, but rather as strong willed creatures who will commit vengeful acts if scorned.
