Medea's Revenge

Medea's Revenge

The main theme in the play, Medea consists of revenge, with love as the motivating factor. The play indicates how dreadfully Medea contrives her plan of vengeance. From the killing of the new bride to Jason her former husband and the bride's father Creon her revenge began. Medea's main act of vengeance occurred with the murder of her own two children in hopes of leaving her husband in utter destitute. Her revenge stays excessive, perverse, and powerful. The theme of revenge in Medea displays the idea everyone must suffer for his or her wrong doing, in the sense that Medea has a strong desire to hurt Jason for what he has done to her.

From the beginning of the play Euripides portrays Medea's desire to take revenge on Jason, "Oh, may I see Jason and his bride, ground to pieces in their shattered palace, for the wrong that have dared to do to me" (82). Medea continuously talks about what she can do to make Jason suffer in the worst possible way. Medea sacrificed all she had for Jason. She devoted her whole life to him because she remained consumed in the love she assumed they shared. After her husband left her to gain power and prestige by marrying the daughter of the king Creon her quest for revenge commences. Medea became outraged by Jason's actions and she becomes devoted to making Jason suffer. Her hatred for Jason became so fierce she had the will to reach any length to hurt him. To Medea it seemed possible for her to sacrifice her children because she had already sacrificed herself and lost Jason so she had no object left to risk or care for.

Medea, so out of control that she plots to annihilate all products of her and Jason's union. The boys' innocence remains no defense against the irrational Medea. Medea's desire for revenge, to sever all ties between herself and her former husband became even clearer when she states, 'I will punish. He shall never see alive again, the sons he had from me. From his new bride he never, shall breed a son, she by my poison, wretched girl, must die a hideous death ''(201-203). At this point in the play, Medea's rage for revenge upon Jason has consumed her to the point where she wants to sacrifice everything she loved so Jason would remain left alone to suffer in the worst possible way.

Medea struggles to decide if she can accomplish her goal of revenge against Jason without killing her children because she cares for them. Unfortunately, Medea's desire to exact revenge on Jason becomes greater than her love for her children and she becomes determined to satisfy her thirst for revenge by the murder of her two boys. Throughout the play Medea thinks only of her goal of revenge on Jason, not considering the consequences it may bring. When she tells the chorus about the plan of killing her children, they wonder, " To kill your own children! Can you steel your