Medea Quotes

"And Medea, poor lady, dishonoured in this way, cries out, 'what about his oaths?'

the audience's further understand of Jason's betrayal, how it affected Medea and thus it generates sympathy for her

SAID BY THE NURSE

'Do not grieve so much for a husband lost that it wastes away your life'

the Nurse is advocating for Medea to move on with her life, to act moderately

SAID BY NURSE

'…without one of them ever inventing music of song or tuneful lyre to banish the hateful sorrows we mortals know, those that lead to death and the cruel strokes of fortune which overthrow homes'

The Nurse lamenting that there is nothing that anyone can do to change Medea's emotions, and foreshadowing what she is going to do.

SAID BY NURSE

'as she bewails her piteous sorrows and cries out against her wicked husband, traitor to her bed'

creating sympathy Medea and hatred towards Jason: manipulating what the audience thinks

SAID BY NURSE

'But you are indifferent to these advantages and out of stubbornness you reject those who wish you well. This is why your pain is all the greater'

Jason refuses to sympathise with Medea's struggles, and refuses to apologise, which makes Medea's desire for revenge all the more stronger

SAID BY JASON

'In bringing suffering on them to cause their father pain, why should I bring twice as much suffering on myself? No, I shall not do it. Goodbye to my plans'

two sides of morality -> moral action vs power and status

SAID BY MEDEA

'surrendering herself to anguish and melting each passing hour with tears, not raising an eye or turning her face from the ground'

the extreme of depression, highlights how Jason has ruined her

SAID BY NURSE

'Misfortune has taught her, poor lady, the misery of losing one's country. She hates her children, and takes no pleasure in seeing them.'

Hates Jason so much that it has tainted everything to do with him, even something as pure as a mother's love. It foreshadows how she is capable of dark things

SAID BY NURSE

'If a new wave is going to crash over us before we've manage to bale out the old one!'

metaphor of continued suffering, imagery of a ship

SAID BY NURSE

'Watch out for that savage temperament of hers, that stubborn will and unforgiving nature'

warning the audience of Medea's passion, and how that can drive people to act in unforseen ways

SAID BY NURSE

'For moderation in the first place sounds more attractive on the tongue and in practice is by far the best for a man. Excess, though, means no profit for man and pays him back with greater ruin, whenever a house earns heaven's anger'

Euripides philosophy of moderate/modest living. Praises this view. Medea acts in excess

SAID BY NURSE

'Tell her that we also wish her well and lose no time before she does some harm to those inside. This sorrow hers sweeps on violently'

The chorus appeals to Medea's passion, and warns against it. Highlights how dangerous this passion is to the audience. Mimics that the audience would also believe that she is being too emotional

SAID BY CHORUS [ANTISTROPHE]

Stage direction: Begins to address the chorus with measured tones

appealing to reason, appears to not be listening to her emotion, but rather she has a logical plan

MEDEA

'I am finished, my friends, and any pleasure I took in life I now renounce; it's death I want'

emphasising how Medea feels that her life is over, because Jason, further aligning the audience away from Jason and getting them to sympathise with Medea

SAID BY MEDEA

'For I shall kill my own children'

this is the first time Medea has stated this, symbolises a shift in attitude, and how her revenge take a complete turn

SAID BY MEDEA

'Yes; it is by doing this that I shall hurt my husband the most' 'But no woman would then know greater misery'

Euripides's message - hurting others, destiny to hurt you too

SAID BY MEDEA AND CHORUS

"I shall not weaken my hand'

Medea views her revenge over her morals, therefore refuses to do the right thing

SAID BY MEDEA

'I am well aware how terrible a crime I am about to commit, but my passion is master of my reason, passion that causes the greatest suffering in the world'

Medea is lucid enough to realise what she is doing is wrong/immoral, but her desire for revenge is overcoming her morality. Passion over logic. Medea only kills her kids to spite Jason

SAID BY MEDEA

'No time now for cowardice or thinking of your children, how much you love them, how you brought them into this world'

Passion vs Reason. Medea is able to use reason, albeit twisted logic, to back up her actions

SAID BY MEDEA

'O great Themis and lady Artemis, do you see what I suffer, though I bound my accursed husband by weighty oaths'

appealing to the Gods, and thus the audience, highlighting the importance of oaths in Ancient Greek time, and thus aligning the audience to agree with her

SAID BY MEDEA

'There is no justice in the eyes of men'

highlighting the hypocrisy that she must deal with living as an barbarian in this patriarchal society

SAID BY MEDEA

'If I devise some ways and means of making my husband pay for this suffering of mine: your silence'

Medea is appealing to the chorus' sense of morality and injustice of the patriarchy, and thus they agree to help her, as they are Corinthian women

SAID BY MEDEA

'You have betrayed your wife and are behaving unjustly'

The chorus are shunning Jason, and thus the society are condemning him

SAID BY CHORUS- LEADER

'This day it seems heaven has rained many blows justly on the head of Jason'

The chorus believe that the punishment that Jason has faced is just and enough

SAID BY CHORUS-LEADER

'Wrong a woman in love and nothing on earth has a heart more murderous'

foreshadowing to what is going to occur, and how men have underestimated women in this society ESPICALLY Jason, and thus it is his own fault for what will occur to him.

SAID BY MEDEA

'I have a terrible misgiving that in your heart you are hatching some evil plan'

Creon can acknowledge Medea's power and understands her feelings of betrayal, yet he still banishes her and lets her stay for one day more

SAID BY CREON

'For kindred blood polluting the ground weighs heavy upon mortals; the murderers are paid in just measures by the sorrows that heaven wills upon their houses'

the Chorus is warning Medea of the retribution (Euripides message). Infanticide is not to be taken lightly.

SAID BY CHORUS [STROPHE]

'What men expect does not happen; for the unexpected, heaven finds a way'

Life is unpredictable - Euripides is trying to prove this through the distinctions made in the play "us vs them" but the human condition is the same. Everything is left in ruin, and there is no one with moral high ground

SAID BY CHORUS

'this is what keeps a marriage intact more than anything, when a husband can count on complete support from his wife'

the Nurse talking about Medea, reflects traditional gender roles in marriage

SAID BY NURSE

'You mean the poor lady still continues with her lament?'

The Tutor reflects the male perspective, and the patriarchal society of the time that prevents them from legitimising Medea's emotions.

SAID BY TUTOR

'We women are the most miserable of specimens!… We must buy a husband, taking a master to play the tyrant with our bodies'

the women do not get a say in their treatment, they are treated like objects and not acknowledged for their talents/emotions/skill

SAID BY MEDEA

'For divorce brings disgrace on a woman'

this is what happened to Medea, highlights how she has been shamed by Jason and her social standing has been damaged by him

SAID BY MEDEA

Stage directions: sinking to her knees and seizing Creon by the hand

Medea is able to play into what her 'role' is, and thus make Creon believe she is harmless

MEDEA

'No more shall we women endure the burden of ill-repute'

the Chorus is agreeing with Medea's plan, as they are also sick of the patriarchal society, Euripides is making a comment on the society of the time, as the Chorus reflect the society, and therefore the society needs to stop being patriarchal

SAID BY CHORUS [STROPHE]

"Let no one think me a weak and feeble woman"

Medea's pride and reputation and how other people perceive her

SAID BY MEDEA

'But we are what nature made us, I will not say creatures of wickedness, but women'

Medea playing into the male perspective of women, understands how people view women

SAID BY MEDEA

'This is how a sensible woman should behave'

Jason fuelling Medea's desire to fight against the patriarchy and those who underestimate women

SAID BY JASON

'A woman is a soft creature, made for weeping'

Medea fulfilling gender roles, dramatic irony as Jason continues to underestimate her

SAID BY MEDEA

'I'll win her round all right, if she's a woman like all the rest!'

Jason reflects the patriarchal view of Ancient Greek society; this is his downfall

SAID BY JASON

'So call me lioness, yes, if you wish to, for I have my claws in your heart as you deserve'

Jason has continuously underestimated Medea, and for that she has been able to hurt him the most. This shows the power women actually have

SAID BY MEDEA

"Jason has betrayed my lady and his own children for a princess' bed'

from the outset, the magnitude of Jason's betrayal is known - it is frowned upon by all of society, and by the Gods

SAID BY NURSE

'My fear is she may hatch some unheard-of scheme'

the Nurse is able to acknowledge not only Medea's pain, but her power and how this makes her dangerous

SAID BY NURSE

"I've already seen her glaring at them like a bull, as if she wanted to do something awful'

foreshadowing to the immense immoral act that Medea is about to commit

SAID BY NURSE

'What action will she take then, that proud, impassioned soul, so ungovernable now that she has felt the sting of injustice?'

highlights how Medea won't listen/obey the reason of others, she is extremely emotional and passionate

SAID BY NURSE

'If only a flaming bolt from heaven would pierce my head'

reflects the suffering that Medea has endured, and how she hates her life

SAID BY MEDEA

'They still have trials o face, these newly-wed'

Medea is beginning to reveal her plans to the Chorus

SAID BY MEDEA

'I have no shortage of deadly routes to follow that will lead them to their deaths'

Medea's vengeance knows no bounds, she is willing to kill in order to avenge her betrayal

SAID BY MEDEA

'You would make me twice as happy if they died in agony!'

Medea's desire for revenge has overcome any sense of morality she holds, she wants Jason/Glauce/Creon (those who have wronged her) to feel as much pain as she felt.

SAID BY MEDEA

'Do you imagine I would ever have stooped to flattery of this man without having some profit, some scheme in mind?'

Medea is able to manipulate Creon due to his reputation, and he does not believe that someone such as Medea could harm him

SAID BY MEDEA

'In saving me you gained more than you gave'

Jason's refusal to acknowledge Medea, as he believes he is better than her, and thus acknowledging her help, it would bring down his own reputation

SAID BY JASON