Medea Exodus and Fifth Episode

In page 59, the audience can see a tit-for-tat conversation between Medea and Jason where both characters argue with each other about the wrongdoings they have done to each other. Euripides did this to show the audience how both these character may be in the wrong and that they have had their fair share of hurting each other. Throughout the tit-for-tat conversation, Medea and Jason both had a very accusive tone where they both blame each other for what they have done. However, this conversation was more about Medea and Jason instead of the children, which reveals that they are selfish characters who merely only care about themselves. This is significant to the audience because the audience has just witnessed Medea kill her own children, but does not mention the children at all during the conversation. As a result, the audience is able to see the true personalities of the characters, which also helps Euripides end the story as the audience is able to see how the story does not necessarily have a stereotypical ending where the hero has beaten the villain but instead, for this context, ends in a loss for both characters. The story also ends with Medea flying off on a chariot, which implicitly links back to the start of the story, where  Jason had hurt Medea’s emotions severely and left her. Medea had done something similar in the sense that she has hurt Jason and has now left him to weap.

The ending of the story ends with the Chorus narrating about all that has just happened is part of “God’s plan” and is part of everybody’s fate. The  Chorus also narrates about how the Gods may cause the impossible to be possible and that anything could happen. Euripides did this to emphasize to the audience that the story does not have a stereotypical ending and that it was one that was quite unexpected.

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