Medea Essay

Question: What problems with the institution of marriage are presented in 'Medea'? To what extent
are the same problems present today in marriage and gender relations?

Ultimately, the play ‘Medea’ revolved around a single event, which progressively built up into
a borderline thriller play. The marriage between Medea and Jason came with a list of complications,
forcing it to end tragically. However, issues that were presented in the play were far beyond that just
the complications of their marriage. Most of which had to do with greed, power and gender injustice.

One of the main complications of the marriage was that it was arranged in favour of political
benefits. Having helped Jason steal the Golden Fleece, the both of them fled Colchis and spent their
days in Corinth. This would’ve been happily ever after, until Jason decided to abandon Medea along
with both his childrens, for the princess of Corinth. Jason did this as marrying the princess of Corinth
would gain him the political advantage. This incident can be seen as a reflection of Jason's take on
the marriage and his ill-mannered trait in general.

The fall of the marriage, however, would’ve benefitted Medea to a certain extent, as she had
put her strong reputation at risk after marrying Jason and fleeing Colchis. Having said that, the only
reputation she could boast was being married to the Greek Hero, Jason. After his betrayal, Medea
was left with a futile reputation and absolutely nothing else.

Her response to his betrayal was utterly disturbing. After seeking for proper explanation for
her abandonment, Medea had enough of playing fair and Nice with her ex-husband Jason.
Thoroughly planning her revenge all through, Medea had only one intention in mind, which was to
bring downfall to Jason. Becoming very determined and manipulative, she tricked Jason into letting
his guard down and taking the lives of their children. As extreme as this may seem, the cultural
normality of the Greek era may have driven Medea into being bold with her actions. Women in ancient
Greece were viewed as weak and had very limited rights.

Although marriage complications are still very much present in the modern world, none of
them are particularly as extreme as the one presented in the play. Throughout the entire play, the
rights over the children were never explicitly mentioned and therefore the children will be given to the
person with the greater power. Fortunately, things have changed for the better as we now have a legal
system that ensures equal rights between the two partners, in the case of a divorce. The term ‘Male
Dominance’ is also scarcely used, as women now hold as much power as well.