Hey guys,
My SAC is 3 days and im in some dire need for help.. Can someone please read this intro and 2 bodies and give some feedback.. Thanks...
'The play 'Medea' demonstrates how human weakness is the source of suffering' To what extent do you agree?
Medea’s weakness is her excess passion also Aegeus… Jason’s weakness is his inability to understand human emotion jasons greed
Source of suffering? Whose suffering? Society individual family etc
Contention:
Euripides demonstrates how a character’s internal weaknesses can impair their judgement and decision making resulting in their suffering.
A1: Excess greed... hubris
A2: Excess passion
A3: Paternal values
Set against the backdrop of the ancient society of Hellas, Euripides tragedy, Medea, demonstrates how a character’s internal weaknesses can impair their judgement and decision making resulting in their suffering. When we look at Jason and Medea, we see two characters which represent extremes; one of icy pragmatism untempered by human emotion, the other of emotion unmoderated by the veneer of civilisation. It is these extremes and this excess that essentially results in the disruption of natural order and brings suffering upon the characters. However, the dramatist also emphasises how displaying excess sympathy for another individual can also lead to a character’s eventual demise.
Euripides explores the idea of how hubris and surfeit greed can be fatal weaknesses of a character and can lead them to their misery. Moderation, the cornerstone of all beliefs and values, consists of the three ideals; logos, pathos and ethos and a balance of all three is required in order to be of moderation. The playwright first introduces this idea in the play through a minor character, the nurse, who being of a lower social standing in the patriarchal society of Corinth, has seen how the extremes of wealth, ambition and emotion can lead to a character’s eventual demise and thus suggests that it is “moderation in the first place” that allows a character “to grow old in secure” circumstances. Jason is the embodiment of a tragic hero in a classical Greek play. He allows his greed of recognition and advancement of his station to influence his decisions as he seeks to “ensure [his] prosperity”, which eventually leads him to a severe lack of judgement in which he decides to abandon Medea and marry the princess, Glauce. Although, it can be argued that his decision was logical as he had not “lost [his] desire for [Medea]”, rather his decision was made in best interest of his children as he hoped to continue his royal lineage and see them “live comfortably and not go without anything”. He is unable to attain these rights with Medea due to her being a foreigner in Greece (an Asiatic wife). However, this is not vindication for his erroneous anticipation of the magnitude of Medea’s anger to his decisions as she is not any “ordinary woman” who will act obediently to any action of her husband. This is a result of Jason’s hubris as his arrogance regarding the situation leads him to believe that he will be able to manage the situation, and in doing so he fails to recognise Medea’s vile plan, leading to the demise and suffering of his children, the Royal house and especially himself. Essentially, Euripides depicts that it is Jason’s lack of understanding of human emotion and his failure to recognise moral implications of his actions, his disregarding of ethos and pathos, that lead to his eventual “ruin” and suffering as a character at the end of the play.
The playwright accentuates how unwearying passion can lead to the suffering and demise of a character. Medea showcases a character whose “passion is the master for [her] reason” and she allows this selfish desire to govern her decisions and actions. Medea’s character is initially described to be crying on the floor, portrayed as weak and hopeless, dwelling on the sacrifices that she made for Jason, including betrayal of her own “father” and “country”, only to be abandoned by Jason himself and exiled from Corinth. In the agon, where Medea and Jason exchange words vehemently, Jason’s hubris takes control as he downplays Medea’s help in him attaining the golden fleece. This is reflective of Jason’s character and men as a whole in that era as taking help from a female would suggest that they are weaker and less powerful than her, and thus explaining his actions of belittling her contributions as he suggests that she “gained more than [she] gave”. This again reiterates the suffering that is experienced by Medea as her sacrifices for Jason are devalued and her place in society snatched. Furthermore, Euripides showcases how Medea’s passionate indignation, as a result of the gross injustice she feels at the hands of Jason, drive her malevolent actions as she commits numerous murders and filicide. It can be argued that the filicide fulfilled Medea’s desire for revenge and justice to be served upon Jason, however, it is clearly displayed by Euripides that the infanticide “bring twice as much suffering” upon Medea as compared to Jason. It is her selfish desire to seek revenge and justice that in the end brings upon the “greatest suffering in the world” to her and Jason.
The dramatist emphasises how the weakness of sympathising with another character’s woes can cloud an individual’s judgement, resulting in a character’s sorrow and pain. Euripides showcases how Medea is able to manipulate Creon into allowing her to stay one more day in the city of Corinth, essentially allowing her to “ruin” his royal house and bring destruction to Corinth. The playwright foreshadows that Creon knew that Medea was capable of such “an evil plan” and how he acknowledged “her cleverness” and how “dangerous” she is, yet, Medea’s appeal to family values and her emotional plea involving children allow her to soften the king’s heart and influence him to grant her to an extra day in Corinth. Creon’s weakness is the sympathy that he offers Medea because he is a father himself and has children, and it is this weakness that leads to the destruction of the Royal House and his death. However, it can be argued that it is actually Medea’s weakness in her desperation to seek revenge, and ultimately serve justice upon the head of Jason that leads to the suffering of Creon and his family. This is parallel to the idea that justice can never be achieved without collateral, and it is emphasised by Euripides, through the children, that the conflict between Jason and Medea not only affects them but their surroundings as well. The strophe highlights how “uphill flow the waters of sacred rivers”, emphasising Euripides’ message regarding the disruption of natural order as a consequence of the collateral of justice. Conversely, Medea is also able to manipulate Aegeus due to his extravagant “desire for children”. Medea is able to play with Aegeus’ emotions and get him to “receive [her] in [his] country”, essentially seeking protection in Athens after committing her treacherous deeds. His selfish desire for children blinded Aegeus’s eye on the negative impact that Medea’s stay in Athens will have on the reputation of the city. Athens, the city of civilisation and great culture, having the presence of a barbaric character like Medea, who is a powerful sorceress and infamous murderer, leaves a massive stain on its reputation among other Greek cities. Therefore, reiterating Euripides’ message that the human weakness of feeling sympathetic and applying emotion rather than logic when taking decisions, results in the ultimate demise of a character.
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