Medea's Conscience (Or Lack Thereof)

            In Euripides' tragic play Medea, the title character lives in Corinth with her husband, Jason, and their two children. As the play begins, it is apparent that the conflict has already begun, as Medea is lamenting to a chorus of women regarding the infidelity of her husband. Jason has wed the daughter of Creon, the king of Corinth. Obviously, Medea is in a state of distress, as the man she loves has betrayed her. She makes repeated remarks about her misery and the fact that she “has suffered.” (pages 5, 6, 10) Her reactions to this anguish, however, are entirely uncalled for. Though Medea is well aware of this, she seems to have to remorse for her actions.

            Medea reveals her plans of retaliation and vengeance to the chorus, stating that she will “make away” with her enemies “by poison.” (page 13) She then ponders the consequences of murdering Creon, Jason, and his new bride, acknowledging that no one would accept her into their land or provide her refuge. (page 13) Obviously, she knows that any action she takes to bring about the death of anyone involved will reflect negatively upon her and she will be held responsible. Nonetheless, she proceeds to kill not only Jason, Creon, and the bride, but also her own children. She kills the children out of spite, as they are, in her eyes, mere pawns in her game of life.

            Jason later confronts Medea, begging to hold the bodies of his murdered sons, and Medea refuses. She claims that Jason’s “grief is gain when [he] cannot mock it.” (page 44) These are obviously the statements of a person unhinged, with no remorse or concept of empathy. She is incapable of grieving for the loss of her own children because she is relishing in the pain she has caused her husband.

Revenge is Medea’s motive, and she is blind to any and all pain she causes during her attempts to reach her goal. This ‘tunnel-vision’ and lack of compassion is indicative of certain sociopathic behavior, which would also explain the history between Medea and Jason (Medea wed Jason after she killed her own brother and betrayed her father). While this may be seen as the ‘typical,’ irrational conduct of hormonal women, it could also be symptomatic of a more distinctive personality problem.

Works Cited:

Euripides. Medea. (Rex Warner, Trans.). New York: Dover Publications, Inc. 1993. Print.