Examine Medea’s behaviour with Creon: what strategies does she use to manipulate him
In the first episode, Medea’s behaviour with Creon allows her to convince him to let her stay for a day by using her children as a scapegoat. Medea, taking advantage of the fact that Creon is a father, uses the idea of caring for your children, which Creon will inevitably empathise with, in order to convince him to let her stay for a day.
How does Medea’s speech after Creon’s exit give us further insight into her character?
After Creon’s exit, we immediately see that Medea had put up a front. This shows us that she is able to stay incredibly composed, even under drastic circumstances, such that she is able to act in a way that convinces Creon to let her stay for a day. Furthermore, it shows that she does not really care about her children — or at least, if she does, she thinks of them as a burden.
How does Euripides dramatically present the contrast between Medea and Jason’s different perspectives on their relationship?
In the second episode, we see that Medea’s perception of Jason’s actions is quite emotional, which contrasts with Jason’s factual perception. Jason’s idea on their relationship was that he only left her because of the opportunities that would arise from marrying into the royal family. Furthermore, Jason disregards all of the things that Medea has done that has lead to his success, and even refers to Medea as a “friend” despite his wrongdoings. Jason also shows a complete lack of understanding towards Medea’s situation, offering her help which she doesn’t need, and then, despite putting in little effort to actually help her, calls the gods as witnesses to show that “he tried”
What sympathy does the chorus show to Medea? Why?
The chorus acknowledges that Jason’s reasonings are plausible, however, we see that they agree that what Jason did was wrong in abandoning Medea. The chorus states that “and you may be surprised” which reflects how, compared to the general views of men who would generally support Jason’s side, supporting Medea is a unique perspective. This also shows how Jason completely believes that what he did was justified, and is delusional to the fact it does not justify his wrongdoings to Medea.
