Medea Essay, Research Paper

Medea: The Real Tragic Hero

In Medea, a drama by Euripides, the tragic hero is assumed to be Medea. On the contrary, Jason is the character that suffers and loses the most. The drama is about a adult female, named Medea, who has sacrificed much to be with her hubby. They? ve been married for 10 old ages and have two kids. Her hubby, Jason, decides to remarry and maintain her as his courtesan. This enrages Medea and she devises a secret plan to acquire even with him. In the terminal, Medea carries out her retaliation and Jason is left with nil. Jason is cursed with many ruinous defects that lead to his ruin and that of others around him.

One of Jason? s chief defects is his ignorance of everything. Such as when he sees Medea weeping and asks, ? what is this-these bedewed eyes, these cryings ; your white face turned off as if my words struck hurting, non rejoice? ? ( act IV lines 81-84 ) . He is incognizant of the existent motivations behind her cryings. Unfortunately, Jason is cognizant of her? penchant for immorality? and? blazing fury? ( act II lines 213 & A ; 251 ) when he tells her his grounds for remarrying. Medea is able to answer with a few smart prevarications and makes Jason unmindful once more to her purposes. Jason? s ignorance frees Medea of intuition and makes him na? ve to the danger expecting those around him.

Another hapless trait that leads to Jason? s ruin is his great pride. Medea knows she can utilize Jason? s self-importance against him and provinces, ? I have been reasoning with myself, have taxed myself badly. ? You raving sap? , I said, ? To antagonise those who want to make you good. & # 8217 ; ? ( act IV lines 8-11 ) . Medea realizes Jason has a demand to be above others and to ever be right. She decides to utilize these demands against him. Jason doesn? t even inquiry himself about her sudden alteration in attitude. He merely accepts that Medea is? in a better frame of head? ( act IV line 61 ) . Because of Jason? s amour propre, Medea is able to transport out her retaliation without anybody knowing.

Medea? s secret plan for retaliation is merely enhanced by Jason? s ingratitude and apathy. Jason believes he is assisting her without acquiring anything in return when he tells her, ? But this I shall keep: that what you gained by salvaging me was far more than you gave. ? ( act II lines 135-137 ) . He doesn? t recognize the ingratitude of his words. If Medea hadn? T helped him, Jason would hold been unable to recover the Golden Fleece. After all that Medea has sacrificed and done for him, Jason tells her to? endure so consequently? ( act II line 253 ) after she has been banished. This greatly illustrates his apathy towards his ex-wife. In the terminal, Jason vitamin D

eserves what he gets for non acknowledging and esteeming those who have helped him.

A trait that Jason does non possess is guilt. He doesn? Ts take the incrimination for anything throughout the drama, particularly after his kids have perished. Jason blames Medea when she cries, ? The Gods know who began this whole calamity. ? Jason answers, ? Yes, the Gods know good your baneful heart. ? ( act VII lines 139-142 ) . He doesn? t believe at all that he is to fault for his kids? s deceases, although he was the 1 that left his married woman to remarry. Without guilt, he feels that Medea did it out of pure immorality. If Jason could experience guilty for his actions, he would do better determinations.

Jason may hold felt guiltless because he was such a prevaricator and a dissembler. He contradicts himself at times throughout the drama. For illustration, on the instance of money he states, ? houses crammed with gold? are nil without name? ( act II lines 147-149 ) , but money is of import plenty for him to remarry and abandon his household. Subsequently, in the same conversation, Jason tells Medea he wasn? T go forthing her to hold more kids. However, Jason contradicts himself once more and states he? ll? rear immature princes to be brothers to my sons. ? ( act II lines 219-221 ) . Since the matrimony already puts a baronial position on his kids, Jason doesn? Ts need to hold more kids. Jason believes the matrimony is a concern agreement for his household. If that were the instance, so when Medea offers gifts to the new married woman, Jason answers, ? my mere want will hold more weight than things, I? thousand sure of that. ? ( act IV line 138-39 ) . In a true concern matrimony, Jason wouldn? T have made such a comment. He would hold encouraged this nice suggestion to heighten the concern agreement. Jason? s declaration helps turn out that he and his new bride are get marrieding for love. Besides, near the terminal of the drama, Jason ne’er denies that he? s remarrying for sex. While they are reasoning near the terminal, Medea explains what killed her kids. Jason answers, ? You think it right to slay merely for a defeated bed. ? ( act VII lines 129-30 ) . Jason should hold replied, ? I didn? T lust her? or? I did it for our household? . It appears he lied so much that he was even lying to himself. If Jason had told Medea his true feelings, he may hold met a much better destiny.

Jason? s awful traits lead to his diminution throughout the drama. Although the drama is named after Medea, Jason appears to be the existent tragic hero. He suffers and loses the most of all the characters. Jason loses a? girlfriend? , a married woman, and two kids. Jason? s features combine to make catastrophe for himself and for those around him.