Character Analysis of Medea

In the play Medea by Euripides, the major character of same name is the daughter of King Aeetes of Colchis, and the granddaughter of the sun god, Helios. Medea is a powerful sorceress. King Aeetes most prized possession is the golden ram's fleece.

Jason is a Greek hero and leader of the Argonauts. He arrives at Colchis in search of the Golden Fleece. Aeetes of course would not part with his Golden Fleece. To settle the matter, Aeetes made Jason undergo several tasks which made the Golden Fleece impossible to obtain.

Medea falls madly in love with Jason. She helps him secure the Golden Fleece after Jason promises to marry her. Jason flees with Medea and her younger brother Absyrtis after getting the Golden Fleece. To buy time from their pursuers, Medea cold-bloodedly kills her own brother, scatters his body parts all over so that those pursuing them have to stop to collect the pieces one by one to be able to bury them.

Jason and Medea settle in Iolcus. Medea uses sorcery to restore youthfulness to Jason's father, Aeson by cutting his throat and putting magical potion inside. She offers to do the same for Pelias, Jason's uncle, who assumes Aeson's without authority. Pelias' daughters cut his throat. Medea did not restore him. Medea is hoping that Jason would assume the throne after Pelias dies but her hopes are dashed as they are meted the punishment of exile.

Jason and Medea eventually settle in Corinth. Medea bears Jason two children. Things take a turn for the worse when Jason abandons her to be able to marry Creon's, the king of Corinth, daughter.

Medea, scorched by love, could not accept Jason's betrayal. She moves to avenge her broken heart. First, she kills Jason's new bride by poisoning her robe and crown. King Creon, seeing her daughter wreathe in pain, embraces her. He too dies. Then she murders her two children in her bid to cause Jason more pain. She flees Corinth and brings with her the bodies of her two children.

Character Analysis of Medea

To say that Medea commits evil acts is probably a major understatement. Medea's actions go beyond monstrosity. They are manifestations of pure evil, one who does not have conscience or even the slightest hint of capacity for remorse. Medea, in utter barbarism, is incapable of being a vulnerable human.

Medea's love for Jason knows no bounds - well, literally. She is willing to annihilate anyone who gets in the way. Medea's extreme nature is evident right from the start. It is probably Medea's interpretation of the line "she is madly in love". Her love goes beyond normal and rational bounds. Indeed her madness is beyond comprehension.

The object of her love, or probably obsession, Jason bears the brunt of facing her scary temper. Although, she commits everything to please Jason at first. She commits treachery by stealing from her own father to be able to please the man she loves. Then she kills her own brother to help Jason escape. And she commits treason of the highest order when she kills her own flesh and blood, the fruits of her womb, her own precious children to extract revenge on Jason.

The nurse narrates that Medea had committed questionable acts in the name of love only to be gone through the entire adventure to retrieve the Golden Fleece and defied her household only to be abandoned by Jason and left "slighted, and [crying] aloud on the Vows they had made to each other, [...] [calling] upon the gods to witness what sort of return Jason has made to her love" (20 -24).

Love conquers all, so they say. But in this instance, it is hard to decide if it was extreme love or extreme hate that overcomes. Medea is capable of both. Her extreme nature is revealed right at the very start of the story when she helps Jason secure the Golden Fleece. She is capable of destroying anybody who comes between her and Jason. Medea could not be stopped.

Medea's infamous acts are so chilling. What makes them doubly abhorring is the fact that she committed those acts against the very people she is supposed to give love. I believe this is the reason why it makes Medea a traitor through and through. These very people love her and give love to her. They may not expect to be loved in return but at least, some degree of respect would have sufficed. They are the people who would least expect Medea to harm them. Alas, they don't know how Medea's mind works at all. Medea does not only break their trust, she commits the most despicable act of all by murdering them.

It is hard to fathom the degree of insanity behind Medea's actions. A daughter who steals from her own father. A sister who kills her own brother. A mother who murders her own children. "O your heart must have been made of rock or steel, you who can kill with your own hand the fruit of your own womb" (1253-1255). With the murder of her children, Medea has reached the apex of her villainy.