Jenna San Antonio

Dr. Orel
Theatre History
10/8/2020

Historically, writers have often portrayed women as meek and as secondary characters to

men in the storylines. In Medea, a classical tragedy from the Western canon, Euripides reveals

the consequences of infidelity and what a woman could be capable of when acting out her range

and anger. Medea should stay in the canon because it remains relevant throughout the ages.

Although it may seem that such a dark ancient tragedy may not be an obvious choice to continue

performing in modern day society, upon a closer analysis, the universal themes of a woman's

betrayal, rage, revenge, and social status are relevant and common in today's culture. It is

surprising that the dynamic between men and women, the desire to achieve social status, men

holding power over women and women trying to rise from oppression, are themes as common

today as they were in ancient Greece.

Medea, like many women, sacrificed a great deal for a man, which, likely made his

betrayal impact her more significantly. Medea used her almost magical, witch-like powers to

help Jason harness a fire-breathing oxen and steal the Golden Fleece from where it was guarded

by a dragon. As they escaped with the Fleece, Medea then killed her own brother and tipped him

overboard so those chasing her would have to stop to retrieve the body. In other words, Medea

made grand sacrifices, giving up her entire past and her home to help Jason and be with him. At

the same time, Medea is a powerful woman who challenges the prejudices of the male-

dominated society that seems to have no place for her or her powers. She is passionate, vengeful,

and unrelenting in her pursuit of justice. By the Greeks, she is considered wild and this opinion is

substantiated (or, perhaps, forced upon her) when Jason's betrayal of her incites her to kill her
own children to punish her cheating husband. Jason is unmoved when Medea reminds him that it

was she, herself, who saved him and slew the dragon which guarded the Golden Fleece. Instead

of recognizing Medea’s acts of loyalty and personal sacrifices, Jason merely offered to placate

her with gifts. Medea hints darkly that he may live to regret his decision, and then secretly plans

to kill both Glauce and Creon.

Medea, a woman scorned, resorts to unthinkable drastic action of committing multiple

murders, including her own sons, as a means of achieving revenge. Jason in this story is

considered to be the main antagonist. His ambition and unfaithfulness cause the tragic events of

the play to unfold. He defies the ancient Greek concept of Oikos and therefore destroys his

honor. In addition, when leaving Medea to socially climb his way up, he then abuses and

manipulates his new girlfriend in order to get what he wants, namely, honor and power.

Unfortunately, such conduct has not changed much over the centuries since Euripedes

wrote Medea. A clear modern example of this phenomenon involves Harvey Weinstein, who

would lure aspiring actresses into “massaging him” in order for them to get their big break, only

ruining them in the process. These massages would cost the women their dignity while adding

money into Weinstein’s pocket and boosting the respect he received from the industry. In

October 2017, like Medea, many women were pushed to their boiling point and spoke out

against abuse by men, including, specifically Harvey Weinstein. As a result, the hashtag #metoo

became a movement and spread across the globe. What began as a Hollywood sexual assault

scandal, sparked a reckoning around the world. Thousands of women began using these two

specific words on social media to identify themselves as survivors of sexual assault and

harassment, and they became connected.

 Weinstein, like Jason, only cared about his own gain. Medea, like Weinstein’s women,

suffered the consequences, until the time came to take action. In today's society, it is nothing new

for men to abuse or manipulate women to attain ultimate power. As evidenced by this ancient

play, it is not uncommon behavior for men to dangle a carrot of promises and apologies that

never come to fruition. Jason, who left Medea to improve his social status, instead suffers

extreme loss as a result of his actions much like the men in the “Me Too” movement. Medea,

like the women today who have bravely called out abuse and harassment, suffers harsh

judgement from society as a consequence for standing up for herself.

Another parallel between Medea and current culture is how the Greek Chorus within

Medea watches Medea closely and reacts to the events that occur, just as social media provides a

global audience, watching and reacting to every post, video, tweet or comment online. The

Chorus is composed of a group of Corinthian women who have assembled outside of

_____________'s house because of the loud wailing and lamentation they have overheard

coming from it. In many cases, the Chorus can be taken as standing in for the audience of the

play—reacting as the audience would (and in doing so subtly guiding the audience in its own

reactions). The chief difference, of course, is that the Chorus participates in the action and

dialogue. However, they neither convince nor persuade, they just watch as things unfold much as

today’s social media “audience” watches and judges as things unfold.

Although society has evolved in significant ways since ancient times, certain behaviors

have not made much progress. For this reason, it is important that Medea remain in the canon

and continue to be performed. Hopefully, seeing a performance of the play and drawing parallels

between the plot of Medea and modern culture, will help raise awareness of just how long
women have suffered at the hands of men and help advance the status and treatment of women in

society.

Works Cited

Ah-See, Kim. “Medea.” The British Journal of General Practice, Royal College of General

Practitioners, Nov. 2012, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3481506/.

Euripides, and Philip Humphrey. VELLACOTT. Medea and Other Plays. Medea. Hecabe.

Electra. Heracles. Translated with an Introduction by Philip Vellacott.

Harmondsworth, 1963.

Tessitore, Aristide. “Euripides' Medea and the Problem of Spiritedness: The Review of

Politics.” Cambridge Core, Cambridge University Press, 5 Aug. 2009,

www.cambridge.org/core/journals/review-of-politics/article/euripides-medea-and-the-

problem-of-spiritedness/1940447234F795F7152AAB8F271CA346.