Euripides creates and provides a glimpse of the just society to the readers.

Through the use of the chorus, who are the moral voice in the play, he illustrates a just society. He compares the current state of Corinth to the city of Athens which is seen in pages 42-43 where the chorus speech allows the reader to see how glorious Athens is and that the people of Athens, sons of Erechtheus have enjoyed their prosperity. The chorus continue to state that Medea fleeing to Athens will be bad for the city, which is reinstated when the chorus say You, the child killer, whose presence is pollution? This allows the reader to see that Athens is a just society, who have are strong morally, and will not support Medeas actions, as they are a result of an unjust society. The chorus helps Euripides to build a glimpse of a just society. However the majority of the play Medea, comments on how society can be corrupted. Euripides firstly shows the corruption already existing in Corinth through Jason. The fast that Jason is able to leave Medea for another woman with no formal punishment given shows the reader that a corrupt society already exists. Jasons act is however sanctioned by a ruler who puts personal interest above public responsibility. Creon is a ruler over the people of Corinth, but however orders Medea out which can be seen in the quote I order you out of Corinth, take your sons and go into exile. Medea, who is an innocent victim in this situation, is led to vulnerability and destructive actions due to the corruption of the king. Creon is someone who is meant to protect his people, however is seen in the play to exile a citizen for his own personal gain which is reinstated in the quote more love for family than for you. Euripides successfully uses Creon to show the reader how a society can be corrupted. Euripides then shows the reader what can stand in the way of a just society. He focuses in particular on the corrupt and flawed male authority figures that exist in the ochlocracy of Corinth. In page 30 Euripides says through the chorus Honour remains no more, In the wide Greek world, but is flown to the sky, which allows him to start his point about social order being inverted as the males in the society are not doing their jobs. In the play, Jason is shown to be the unfavourable character from the opening speech, where the nurse says Jason has betrayed his own son and my mistress, for a royal bed, for alliance with the king of Corinth. From then Jason is instantly seen as corrupt and selfish to the reader throughout the whole play. He says to Medea in page 30 You could have stayed in Corinth If you had quietly the decisions of those in power, which alone clearly shows the corruption as Medea is forced to be quiet about a situation she is deeply affected in. Jason then shows arrogance in his personality which is seen through the quote Your left a barbarous land to become resident in Hellas; here you have known justice. Euripides introduces Aegeus to illustrate a ruler who is flawed. Aegeus is brought into the play to help Medea find a sanctuary after she commits her revenge. Aegeus is seen to make a personal deal with Medea, to accept her into Athens and into his home, which is seen through the dialogue between Medea and Aegeus in pages 37 to 39. However, he is flawed as he is not very clever, and easily fooled by Medea to accept her into his home, bound to by pledging to the gods, as she tells him it will help him produce children Receive me in Athens, so may the gods grant you fertility I know certain drugs end your sterility. Through the characterisation of Jason and Aegeus, Euripides shows how corrupt and flawed male authority figures can stand in the way of a just society. Through Euripides statements of what can stand in the way of a just society, he is able to convey to the reader that a just society is hard to attain because of the clear double standards between men and women. The chorus firstly set the role of women in page 22 through the quote If your husband is wont to a new love the thing is common, why let it anger you?, this allows the reader to see how the moral voice of the play are reflecting the Greek morals of that time, to show that women are meant to be left. Euripides characterises Medea as a feminist of her time who illustrates womens rights which is seen in pages 24-25 where during her rhetoric speeches she states For women, divorce is not respectable, to repel the man, not possible. This quote allows the reader to see how Corinth stands with roles of men and women. Jason, who left his wife and children for a better opportunity, is not punished at all, as this sort of behaviour was organized by the King of Corinth, while Medea says that We wives are forced to look to one man only. Euripides then shows how women are degraded in this society through the repetition of the word bed when referring to women. Jason then adds to this by saying If women didnt exist, Human life would be rid of all its miseries which Euripides uses to exploit the degradation of women, and show the yearn by men of an anti-

woman life. The quote Jason is a prisoner in the princess bed, shows that women are only regarded as a sexual tool and only seen as sexual beings in this society. Medea, who cleverly understands this then uses her gender to her advantage as she manipulates different males to both listen to her and also not take her seriously, which is reinstated in page 44 But we women I wont say we are bad by nature, but we are what we are. Euripides uses Medea and her dialogues to illustrate the clear double standards between men and women, to show how this stops a just society from forming. Unlike clichd Greek stories, Euripides shies away from praising the gods by instead stating that the gods are not a guarantee of harmony. The characterisation of characters with unfavourable qualities such as Jason and Aegeus, allow Euripides to show how praising the gods, and blaming them for things is neither responsible nor mature. Jason solely believes in the gods and blames them for certain situations which can be seen in the quote I hold that credit To Aphrodite, as from context the reader knows that Euripides, a free thinker, doesnt really follow the gods, and uses Jason to mock and degrade people who do. Jason later calls the gods to witness Medeas decision, I call the gods to witness that I have done my best to help you and the children, which Euripides uses to say that justice is a human thing, not something that the gods have created. Aegeus is someone who to like Jason has unfavourable qualities, which is easily being fooled. He too, is seen to swear by the gods in order to keep his promises, I swear by all gods, to keep the words that you have spoken. Euripides creates these unfavourable characters to allow him to make his statement that the gods are no a guarantee for harmony, and that justice is a human thing. In a society that is unjust it falls upon the individual to take justice into their own hands. Medea, one who pursues her revenge, the reader then is shown the dangers and problems with seeking personal justice, and how she is able to get away with it. The play is used to show that seeking your own personal justice, conflicts with many situations as Euripides shows. Medea, one forced to seek revenge because of a corrupt society, ends up committing more than she bargained for. Euripides uses Medea to show that if you decide to take justice in your own hands, there are many problems. Medea at the end of the play is left with no children, no husband, no home and no moral compass. Euripides shows the reader that neither Medea nor Jason will get punished for their bad actions throughout the play. The final scenes of the play help illustrate this as the city of Corinth portrays innocent people killed, the royal family wiped out and no fairness in this unjust ochlocrastic society. Euripides cleverly used the Deus ex Machina to end the play. Deus ex Machina was originally used to resolve the plot quickly however Euripides also uses it to make sure the reader knows that Medea is going to get away with it. This adds to Euripides point that in an unjust society where the individual is forced to take justice in their own hands, they can get away with their actions. Euripides shows that personal justice can inflict a cycle of violence. Medea, who is out to seek revenge on her husband, consequently wipes out the royal family, both Creon and the Princess Glauce, who is only a victim in this mans world. Glauce is too like Medea controlled by the males in her life, and is marrying Jason not because of free will but because her father has chosen this for her. She also kills her own children in order to hurt Jason. Because her actions have affected many human lives, it begins a never ending cycle of personal justice, as other people may take revenge on Medea. This is shown through Jason when he says Does she expect to go unpunished?... Those who have suffered at her hands will make her suffer. Euripides uses this to foretell the violence and destructive actions yet to come because of Medeas actions, and also shows that Medea is going to get punished by people who she has hurt. Euripides states that emotions can influence your revenge, making the punishment excessive. Euripides introduces Medea into the play as someone who is not emotionally stable. The nurses words on page 18, show that Medea is screaming in an uncontrolled way through the words she raves. Medeas first line in the play is Oh, oh! What misery, what wretchedness! What shall I do? If only I was dead! illustrates that the fact that Jason has left Medea has really hurt her. Euripides then uses contrast, as when Medea goes out of her house to speak to the chorus, she has a shift in mood, She is not shaken with weeping, but cool and self-possessed, as talking about revenge has consoled her, she no longer is unstable with her emotions. As the play continues, she is seen to contemplate with herself whether she should murder her children, because she is under the influence of heavy emotions. In page 49 she says My courage is all goneWhy should I

hurt them I wont do it. I wont think of it again. which allows Euripides to show the reader Medeas morals and shows that she realises she shouldnt kill her children. But after she hears about the deaths of the princess and king, her anger and thirst for revenge once again fuels her which is reinstated by the quote To kill the children for they must die I who gave birth them will kill them. Euripides uses that quote to show the reader that once Medea has decided to kill her children, all justification for her revenge has been lost, and revenge has just turned into murder, which can be seen through the shift of the chorus O miserable mother, to destroy your own increase, murder the babes of your body. This leads to Euripides making his final point saying that emotions can lead to an excessive punishment. He says that If you have an independent judiciary the individual would not seek personal justice, however because this does not exist in Corinth, the punishment does consequently not fit the crime, as Jason has lost more through Medeas cruel actions, than Medea has by Jason leaving her. Medea who was once a victim, ironically turns into the villain, as Euripides shows the ironic change from moral agent to moral villain experienced by the revenger as they pursuer their revenge. Medea is shown as a strong woman, who challenges the role of women in society and who is betrayed by her husband. Through the help of the Chorus the reader sympathize with Medea, acknowledging Jasons actions were selfish and wrong through the quote To punish Jason will be just. Medea is justified for her actions by the chorus The fiercest anger of all, the most incurable, is that which rages in the place of dearest love, which allows Euripides to show Medea is at that point still justified for her behaviour. We as the reader, agree to her seeking the revenge against Jason, however as the chorus shifts, and no longer supporting her The children are calling for help. O cursed, miserable woman! after she has cruelly murdered her children, neither does the reader. She consequently lost her moral compass and through the dialogues in the final pages, Tell me, how did they die?... double pleasure if their death was horrible, Euripides shows a woman who once was morally right, however finally turned into someone with no morals and evil.