Medea Fifth Episode and Exodus

Chart the vacillation of Medea in this scene.

The final scene of Medea has been much debated. What are your responses to the ways in which Euripides ends the play?

What are the dramatic and thematic functions of the deus ex machina as denouement?

In the fifth episode, it is very evident how back and forth Medea is, she faces a great deal of internal conflict. On one side, she doesn’t want to hurt her children as, from a mothers point of view, she feels a great deal of connection to them. Although every time she brings Jason into the mix, she realises all of the hate she has for him and why she should follow through with her plan. I think ultimately, this is included in the play to provide the audience with a sense of both sides of the argument. Allowing them to play a similar role to that of the chorus. In addition to this, this internal conflict provides a degree of uncertainty to the audience and leaves them wondering, building up suspense and tension as we begin the exodus.

Part of the debate about the end of the play is formed around Medea’s decision making. Was it right for her as a mother to kill her children to get to Jason’s heart? On one hand, it certainly worked and she definitely got revenge on Jason although, at the same time, she has to face some of the consequences herself which may be very challenging. She also challenges the ideals of what it means to be a mother and more or less betrays all of her family.

At the end of the play, Medea leaves on a chariot that has been sent from her grandfather, the sun god. It is deployed to aid her travel back to the safety of Athens. Many of Euripides play end like this and such an ending allows for very little to be said, both characters merely part their own ways.