Classics

– Tragedy Essay, Research Paper

It seems that the nearly all critics of Medea are unanimous in one prominent feature of the play alone, and that is in their immense abhorrence for Jason. Kitto says ‘In him (Jason) it is impossible to find anything that is not mean´, while Lucas says ‘Jason is utterly selfish, and utterly unconscious of his selfishness’. It is hard to find anything kind about Jason as on face value he is such an obvious villain. But all these comments on the Medea centre round a study of Medea herself, while making passing comments on Jason, as and when they see fit, yet they all see Jason as the other main character in the play. When one devotes the largest proportion of study on Jason, rather than Medea, a picture of kinder, caring Jason is created. Thus I believe that a case can be made for Jason – he is no paragon of kindness or any good quality, but he does not quite deserve such comments as ‘The unrelieved baseness of Jason is revolting’. Vellacott says in his introduction to the play that ‘to appreciate the balance of this play we must take care not to pre-judge Jason’. This is an essential point to make, as Jason has all the elements of a typical villain – he has a wife who devoted his life to him, yet he now deserts her for his own sexual satisfaction. Yet as Jason says himself, on numerous occasions, he is not getting married for solely for his own merit, but for those of Medea and his children as well:

‘It’s not for the sake of any woman that I have made this royal marriage, but, as I’ve already said, to ensure your future… and build security for us all’ (P.35)

Such speeches and comments cannot just be ignored – he says this as these are his genuine motivations, the reasons why he has gone about his actions. The nurse, a character who in the early stages is heavily biased against Jason, even says

‘Jason is a prisoner in a princess’ bed’ (P.4)

Whether Euripides meant this to mean that he was literally a prisoner, or just captive to her good looks we cannot be sure, but either way she is showing that Jason cannot be completely at fault. Jason is acting just like most men in his position would – Medea is an exile, so Jason is not bound to her in marriage in the true spirit, and as we have seen, she is being betrayed for her own benefit[page]. Medea says herself that it is acceptable for a men to divorce:

‘If a man grows tired of the company at home, he can go out, and find a cure’ (P.7)

Jason is doing exactly what society allows him to do – surely her grudge cannot be with Jason alone, but with a system that allows him to act in such a way. She also talks (P.6) of how it is un-respectable for a woman to divorce, and impossible for her to repel a man, but she doesn’t say the same of men, which leads to the obvious assumption that men can and will get divorced and repel their wives. Jason is a harsh character, it is almost impossible to deny that. But he is not necessarily harsh to the extent that one will get on first impressions. He is constantly trying to persuade the royal family to accept Medea and the children into the kingdom, but Medea always messes his efforts up:

‘I have tried all the time to calm them (Glauce & Creon) down; but you would not give up your ridiculous tirades against the royal family’ (P.9)

At this point, Jason is angry – but it seems justified. He has given unnecessary effort to aiding Medea, and she has not helped. His continuos help to her, which does nothing to change her mind or alter the cause of the dreadful fate of the children, is wholly genuine. The problem though, is that he is stupid in his actions – he often makes a good point, which shows his caring, then says something stupid, that will annoy Medea, and bring him back to where he started.

‘If there’s anything else I can provide to meet the children’s needs or yours, tell me; I’ll gladly give whatever you want’ (P.35)

This shows Jason´s genuine care for Medea and the children, but then he says

‘To refuse such help is mad’(P.35)

This serves no useful or practical purpose, yet annoys Medea no end, so it is pointless, and emphases his lack of thinking before speaking

But Medea seems set in stone anyway, and it is her attitude, rather than his actions, that causes the real tragedy of the play:

‘(Medea) loathes your (Jason) prosperous future’ (P.17)

It is a sheer sense of jealousy and selfishness that drives her, while Jason, although driven by some selfish motives, is also doing some good. It is best described in his awful statement:

‘But if you women have reached a state where, if all’s well with your sex-life, you’ve everything you wish for’

This is a sweeping generalisation, and is a cruel one that is not justified, nor is it the right thing to say to a woman heavily distraught as her husband has run off, but it is what is causing Medea’s worry – that others will laugh at their as her husband has run off. Jason doesn’t understand the full meaning of what he has said, but he is true when applied to Medea specifically – her children have the possibility of a better life, being bought up in a royal household, yet she still carries out her plans. Still, we cannot see Jason as a pure person – he lacks any real deep understanding of what is driving Medea, and he is ‘the husband who has lived with h

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