2022 IB Diploma Extended Essays

10

Societal Expectations of Medea Relationships

In Ancient Greece, and now, women are expected to behave in particular ways regarding their spouses in public and private. During Euripides’ time, religion dictated many relationships. Men and women of the time strove to emulate Zeus and Hera’s “perfect” (Cartwright, 2016). Upper class women were strictly forbidden from associating with men other than their husbands, whilst most men at the time were polyamorous, reflecting Zeus’ many lovers and Hera’s faithfulness. Despite this, it was considered to be a betrayal of the oaths of marriage if a man was to marry another woman. Particularly in the case of Medea and Jason, where Medea betrayed her family, and saved Jason’s life, yet Jason still betrayed her. Medea and other characters in Euripides’ play were justifiably outraged by Jason’s actions. At one point, Medea declares, “wrong a woman in love and nothing on earth has a heart more murderous” (lines 263-264). This paradoxical imagery of a woman, who is stereotypically timid, being murderous and vengeful, allows the audience to sympathise with Medea as the betrayal of marital oaths was condemned. Medea’s long monologue, ending with this powerful statement, is a representation of the expectations of men in relationships, and the expectations of a woman’s response to her husband’s actions. Oaths were sacred for all genders in Ancient Greece. Medea is vindicated in her anger, a typically masculine emotion, by the leader of the chorus, who replies to Medea’s monologue with, "It is just that you should take revenge upon your husband. Your grief at what has happened to you causes me no surprise." (lines 267-268). The chorus challenges the ancient stereotype of women being ‘cowardly’ and ‘timid’, by allowing the importance of oaths to transcend the gender confines of the society. In exonerating Medea’s anger, Euripides reveals that the gendered expectations in relationships, particularly of women, were not above their religion.