Medea Excerpt Commentary

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SECOND WOMAN:

A little love is a joy in the house,

A little fire is a jewel against frost and darkness.

FIRST WOMAN:

A great love is a fire

That burns the beams of the roof.

The doorposts are flaming and the house falls.

A great love is a lion in the cattle-pen,

The herd goes mad, the heifers run bawling

And the claws are in their flanks.

Too much love is an armed robber in the treasury.

He has killed the guards and he walks in blood.

--Act I, pg. 37-38

        In Medea by Euripides, Medea expresses her extreme anger and bitterness towards Jason after Jason visits her. Subsequently, the Women explain the complexities of love, making a distinction between a normal, controlled love and a powerful, consuming love. Using metaphor and vivid imagery, the women juxtapose “little” love and “great” love, conveying the theme of the destructive power of passionate love.

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        First, the Second Woman introduces the seemingly innocent idea of love. The description of a small love as “a joy in the house” makes it appear harmless, pleasant, and almost trivial, as the “joy” occurs “in the house” rather than directly to somebody. The imagery of the “jewel” depicts love as beautiful and valuable; it contrasts with the cold, unfeeling “frost and darkness” which it must withstand. The metaphor of the jewel suggests strength and endurance, but not a consuming power. The parallel structure of the two lines emphasizes the harmlessness of the small love.

The First Woman then describes ...

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